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Palmerston exploring his new surroundings in Simon McDonald's office in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London in 2016
Palmerston, the former "chief mouser" of the Foreign Office, has died in Bermuda.
In February 2025, his social media account announced the cat had been brought out of retirement for a new overseas diplomatic posting nearly 3,500 miles away, as a "feline relations consultant (semi-retired) to the new Governor of Bermuda".
Announcing his death, a post on the feline's X account paid tribute to the "diplocat extraordinaire" who it said had "passed away peacefully on 12 February".
AFP via Getty Images
Palmerston often prowled Downing Street
"'Palmy' was a special member of the Government House team in Bermuda, and a much loved family member. He was a wonderful companion, with a gentle nature, and will be sorely missed," the post added.
The black-and-white cat, who is named after the 19th-Century Foreign Secretary and Prime Minister Viscount Palmerston, joined the diplomatic service in 2016.
He moved out of the department's central London building during the Covid pandemic, before formally retiring in 2020.
Announcing his retirement, a letter to Lord Simon McDonald, then the most senior civil servant at the Foreign Office, read that Palmerston had enjoyed climbing trees and patrolling the fields around his new home and wanted to spend more time "relaxing away from the limelight".
"I have found life away from the frontline relaxed, quieter and easier," the letter signed in Palmerston's name read.
Palmerston's account claimed he had been "lured out of retirement" by "diplomacy and a purr-fect role" with Bermuda's governor, Andrew Murdoch, who he had been living with since his retirement - with news of his return a cause of celebration by many of the cat's 99,000 social media followers.
Leading tributes to Palmerston was his former rival, Number 10's chief mouser, Larry who this weekend celebrates 15 years in post - having served under six prime ministers.
"Farewell old friend x," read a post by the cat's unofficial X account.
The four-legged felines were rumoured to have had a long-running feud, with highly publicised spats during their overlapping time in Westminster.
