Sara (generally known as Sarah) Squire was born on 18 July 1949, the daughter of Michael Duncan Hutchison and Margery Betty Hutchison (née Martin). She was educated at St Paul’s Girls’ School and Newnham College, University of Cambridge (BA Hons in History, MA) and in 1976 married Dr (Clifford) William Squire, CMG, LVO (who died in 2021), having one son and one daughter.

Sarah entered the Diplomatic Service in 1971 and her career included: Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1971–72; Tel Aviv [Israel], 1972–75; South East Asian Department, FCO, 1975–76; Washington [United States], 1977–79; Dakar as Ambassador’s wife, 1979-82; Falkland Islands Department, FCO, 1982–84; Tel Aviv, initially as Ambassador’s wife then as First Secretary Political and Press, 1984–88; Policy Officer, Cambridge City Council, 1989–90; Senior Information Officer, Central Office of Information, 1990–95; Deputy Director, Know How Fund, FCO, 1995–96; Deputy Head, Central Europe Department, FCO, 1996–99; Ambassador to Estonia, 2000–03; Group Director, FCO Services, FCO, 2004–06. Following her retirement from the FCO, Squire served as President of Hughes Hall, Cambridge, 2006–14.