Juliet Campbell was born 23 May 1935, the daughter of Major-General Wilfred d’Auvergne Collings, CB, CBE and of Nancy Draper Bishop. She was educated at a variety of schools, then Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford (BA; Honorary Fellow, 1992), and in 1983 married Professor Alexander Elmslie Campbell.

Campbell joined the Foreign Office in 1957 and her diplomatic career included: Common Market Delegation, Brussels [Belgium], (1961-63); FO, (1963-64); Second, later First Secretary, Bangkok [Thailand], (1964-66); News Department, FO, (1967-70); Head of Chancery, The Hague [the Netherlands], (1970-74); European Integration Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (1974-77); Counsellor (Information), Paris [France], (1977-80); Royal College of Defence Studies, (1981); Counsellor, Jakarta [Indonesia], (1982-83); Head of Training Department, FCO, (1984-87); Ambassador to Luxembourg, (1988-91). On leaving the Diplomatic Service, Campbell became Mistress of Girton College, Cambridge, since 1992, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Cambridge University, since 1993.