Britain’s new head of MI6 has proven she knows her bugs after appearing on camera for her maiden speech wearing what appeared to be a 007 Miss Moneypenny-inspired brooch.
Blaise Metreweli, 48, the Secret Intelligence Service’s first-ever female chief, sent tongues wagging this week after delivering a rare televised address adorned with a striking, jewel-encrusted brooch.
The eye-catching accessory, worn during her speech from inside MI6 headquarters in Vauxhall, quickly became the unexpected talking point – not least because Metreweli is no stranger to spy-tech intrigue.
The brooch itself – a vintage-style bumblebee crafted in gold-toned metal and set with colourful stones – stood out clearly on camera.
Its designer has not been identified, but its bold design ensured it did not go unnoticed.
Fans were also quick to notice the resemblance to the brooches worn by Miss Moneypenny, the fictional character in the James Bond franchise, who also wore similar pieces.
In the 1969 film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service and the 1983 film Octopussy, the actress Lois Maxwell wore a gold and turquoise insect brooch.
Before taking the top job, Metreweli served as ‘Q’, the organisation’s real-life head of technology, responsible for developing cutting-edge tools and concealments for agents operating overseas.
Blaise Metreweli, 48, the Secret Intelligence Service’s first-ever female chief, sent tongues wagging this week after delivering a rare televised address adorned with a striking, jewel-encrusted brooch
Fans were also quick to notice the resemblance to the brooches worn by Miss Moneypenny, the fictional character in the James Bond franchise, who also wore similar pieces
She has previously admitted to favouring oversized insect-shaped brooches – jewellery choices that, she joked, tended to make people nervous during meetings, as they wondered whether the accessories might secretly double as surveillance devices.
The concern is not entirely fanciful, given that MI6’s technical division is known for hiding sophisticated equipment inside ordinary projects, from watches and pens to cufflinks – and potentially even decorative jewellery.
While serving as ‘Q’, Metreweli once explained that virtually anything within reach could be adapted to conceal technology, speaking during an interview conducted inside the agency’s innovation lab.
Against that backdrop, her latest appearance was bound to prompt raised eyebrows.
Metreweli’s speech itself marked a rare glimpse inside MI6, as she welcomed journalists into the agency’s headquarters and nodded lightly to its fictional reputation, referencing the building’s fame among James Bond fans.
In her first public speech, Metreweli announced MI6 spies will ‘sharpen our edge’ and ‘impact with audacity’, harking back to the tactics of sabotage, subversion and resistance made famous by legendary World War II sabotage unit, the Special Operations Executive (SOE).
She said MI6’s spies will tap into ‘our historical SOE instincts’, referring to the agents who snuck into Nazi territory – often by parachute or submarine – with orders from Winston Churchill orders to ‘set Europe ablaze’.
Metreweli said: ‘We will take calculated risks, where the prize is significant and the national interest clear. will never stoop to the tactics of our opponents. But we must seek to outplay them. In every domain. In every way.’
Speaking for the first time at MI6’s headquarters, the new spy chief described how Britain is now ‘in a space between peace and war’ as Putin continues to push the West towards war.
Ms Metreweli, who is the first woman to lead MI6 in its history, accused the Russian leader of deliberately ‘dragging out negotiations’ over the war in Ukraine.
‘Russia is testing us in the grey zone with tactics that are just below the threshold of war’, she said, claiming Putin was attempting to ‘bully, fearmonger and manipulate’ through cyber attacks on the UK’s critical infrastructure, drones buzzing airports and bases and aggressive activity in our seas.
Russia is also waging ‘state-sponsored arson and sabotage’ and spreading poisonous propaganda which ‘seeks to crack open and exploit fractures within societies’.
In a wide-ranging speech, Metreweli suggested information is being ‘weaponised,’ not just by hostile states, but also by algorithms, corporations, and tech bosses.
Britain faces a new frontier of information warfare where algorithms and tech bosses will be more powerful than states, she said.
In her first public speech, Metreweli announced MI6 spies will ‘sharpen our edge’ and ‘impact with audacity’, harking back to the tactics of sabotage, subversion and resistance made famous by legendary World War Two sabotage unit, the Special Operations Executive (SOE)
She warned of the battle ahead for truth and trust, saying we need to ensure our children ‘don’t get duped by information manipulation’ and algorithms that trigger fear.
The spymaster, known as C, chose to give her maiden speech in C’s private dining room, the iconic eighth-floor semi-circular room overlooking the Thames that memorably burst into flames in the James Bond Skyfall movie.
As she stood in front of the distinctive green-tinted windows, Metreweli told journalists: ‘Welcome to MI6, this iconic building, familiar to movie fans everywhere.’
In an unusually personal speech, the 48-year-old referenced her background and how she hailed from a ‘family shaped by devastating conflict’.
In the summer, the Mail exclusively revealed how Metreweli’s grandfather, whom she never met, was a notorious Nazi collaborator who spied and killed for Adolf Hitler’s Germany.
The spymaster pledged to make MI6 more open saying: ‘I grew up with a deep sense of gratitude for the UK’s precious democracy and freedom.’