Christopher Meyer was born on 22 February 1944, son of Flight Lieutenant R. H. R. Meyer (killed in action 1944) and Mrs E. P. L. Meyer [later Mrs S. Landells]. He was educated at Lancing College and Peterhouse College, Cambridge (studying History), before going on to the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Bologna. In 1976 he married Françoise Elizabeth Hedges, daughter of Air Commodore Sir Archibald Winskill; they have two sons and one step son.

Meyer joined the Foreign Office in 1966, and his career included: 3rd Secretary, Foreign Office (1966-67); Army School of Education (1967-68); 3rd, later 2nd, Secretary, Moscow [Soviet Union] (1968-70); 2nd Secretary, Madrid [Spain] (1970-73); 1st Secretary, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1973-78); 1st Secretary, UK Permanent Representative to European Communities (1978-82); Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Moscow (1982-84); Head of News Department, FCO (1984-88); Fellow, Center for International Affairs, Harvard [United States] (1988-89); Minister (Commercial), (1989-92), Minister and Deputy Head of Mission (1992-93), Washington; on secondment to the Cabinet Office, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister, John Major (1994-96); Ambassador to Germany (1997); Ambassador to United States (1997-2003); Chairman, Press Complaints Commission (2003-). Sir Christopher died on 27 July 2022.