(Walter) Kieran Prendergast was born on 2 July 1942, son of Lieutenant-Commander J. H. Prendergast and Mai Hennessy. He was educated at St Patrick’s College, Strathfield, Sydney [Australia], Salesian College, Chertsey [Surrey] and St Edmund Hall, Oxford. In 1967 he married Joan Reynolds, having two sons and two daughters.

Prendergast joined the diplomatic service in 1962, and his career included the following: Ankara [Turkey], 1965; Foreign Office (later Foreign and Commonwealth Office), 1967; 2nd Secretary, Nicosia [Cyprus], 1969; 1st Secretary FCO, 1972; The Hague [Netherlands], 1973; Assistant Private Secretary to Foreign Secretary (Anthony Crosland, Dr David Owen), 1976; UK Mission to United Nations, New York [United States], 1979 (detached for duty Jan-Mar 1980 at Government House, Salisbury [Rhodesia]); Counsellor, Tel Aviv [Israel], 1982; Head of Southern African Department, FCO, 1986-89; High Commissioner to Zimbabwe, 1989-92; High Commissioner to Kenya, 1992-95; Ambassador to Turkey, 1995-97; Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, United Nations, New York, 1997-2005.