Sir Ivor Roberts was Born in 1946 in Liverpool. He was educated at St. Mary's College and at Keble College, Oxford (Open Gom Scholar). He graduated in Modern Languages in 1968 and took his MA in 1972.

He entered the Diplomatic Service in 1968. In the 1995 Queen's Birthday Honours List he was made a Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG) and in the 2000 List was made a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG). Sir Ivor was appointed Her Majesty's Ambassador to Rome and took up his appointment in May 2003.