HISTORICAL BACKROUND

Official relations between Algeria and the United Kingdom date back to the sixteenth century when John Tipton was appointed First British Consul in Algiers in 1580, following the request of merchants from London interested by the North African market.
Since that date, Algerian-British relations knew moments of hostility and truce until the signature, in 1682, of a Treaty of Peace and Trade, which contributed to the multiplication of contacts and exchanges between the two countries and to the prosperity of their trade. 

In addition, several British merchants and privateers settled in the Regency of Algiers, among whom the famous Ramadan Raïs (formerly Henry Chandler) and Yusuf Raïs (Formerly John Ward).
Until the beginning of the 19th century, the British established in Algiers, although not numerous, marked their presence due to their proximity to Algerian dignitaries. They enjoyed privileged treatments compared to other foreigners settled in Algiers.

Historians noted that just after the French invasion of Algeria in 1830, the English Consul, Robert William St John, served as intermediary in the negotiations between the Dey of Algiers and the French army.

The Westminster Parliament rejected in 1833 the right claimed by France to occupy Algeria.  A number of English army officers expressed their admiration for the Algerian resistance to the French occupation. Colonel James Scott, who was one of them, even joined Emir Abdelkader, who gave him the privilege of establishing an English company entitled to exploit the mines of Mina (Relizane).

Despite a period agitated by the war in Algeria, the end of the 1850s saw the publication of a series of accounts by English travelers praising the climate of Algeria and the high moral qualities of its population and encouraging their compatriots to settle in the country.

From the 1900s, Algeria was frequently visited by high British dignitaries. King Edward VII of England made a private visit to Algiers in 1905 with his wife Queen Alexandra. They visited the Medersa and the Sidi Abderrahmane Mausoleum in Algiers. It is believed that Queen Victoria visited this Mausoleum during the late 1890s and admired it so much that it offered chandeliers that can be found there to this day.

King Edward VII of England and Queen Alexandra visiting SidiAbderrahmane Mosque -Algiers 1905