Roger Beetham was born 22 November 1937, the son of Henry Campbell and Mary Beetham; he was educated at Peter Symonds School, Winchester, and Brasenose College, Oxford (MA). In 1965 he married (1st), Judith Rees (the marriage was dissolved in 1986); and ( 2nd), in 1986, Christine Marguerite Malerme.

Beetham entered the Diplomatic Service in 1960, and his career included: Foreign Office, (1960-62); British Delegation to Disarmament Conference, Geneva [Switzerland], (1962-65); Washington [United States], (1965-68); News Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (1969-72); Head of Chancery, Helsinki [Finland], (1972-76); FCO, (1976); seconded to European Commission, Brussels [Belgium], as Spokesman of the President, Roy Jenkins, (1977-80); Counsellor (Economic and Commercial), New Delhi [India], (1981-85); Head of Maritime, Aviation and Environment Department, FCO, (1985-90); Ambassador to Senegal and (non-resident) to Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau and Mali, (1990-93); British Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe (with personal rank of Ambassador), 1993-1997. Beetham died on 19 September 2009.

Beetham was awarded the LVO in 1976, and the CMG in 1993.