Roderic Lyne was born on 31 March 1948, son of Air Vice-Marshal Michael Dillon Lyne; he was educated at Legbourne County Primary School, Lincolnshire, Highfield School, Hampshire, Eton College and Leeds University, where he studied history, graduating in 1970. In 1969 he married Amanda Mary, daughter of Sir Howard Frank Trayton Smith, having two sons and one daughter.

Lyne entered the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1970, and after a time in the Army School of Languages learning Russian (1971), his diplomatic postings included: Moscow [Soviet Union], (1972-74); Dakar [Senegal] (1974-76); Eastern European and Soviet Department, FCO, (1976-79); Rhodesia Department, FCO, (1979); Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary [Lord Carrington], (1979-82); UK Mission to UN, New York [United States], (1982-86); Visiting Resident Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs, (1986-87); Counsellor and Head of Chancery, Moscow, (1987-90); Head of Soviet Department, (1990-92), Head of Eastern Department, (1992-93), FCO; on secondment as Private Secretary to the Prime Minister [John Major], (1993-96); on secondment as Director for Policy Development, CIS ME and Africa, British Gas, (1996); UK Permanent Representative to Office of UN and other international organisations, Geneva [Switzerland], (1997-2000); Ambassador to Russia, (2000-2004).