On the morning of 26th November 2010, HM King Norodom Sihamoni of Cambodia received the diplomatic credentials from Mrs Penelope Ann Richard of Australia.
Mrs Richards is a senior officer with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and was most recently the Senior Legal Adviser, International Organisations and Legal Division, a position she has held since 2006.
Mrs Richards has also served Australia overseas as Deputy Head of Mission in Tokyo and Beijing, Consul-General in Shanghai and has also served in Jakarta and Tokyo.
Mrs Richards holds a Bachelor of Arts (Asian Studies) degree and a Bachelor of Law degree from the Australian National University.
HM King Norodom Sihamoni speaks Khmer, French, Czech, Russian and English. He is a classicly trained dancer and former Cambodian ambassador to UNESCO. Imprisoned during the rule of the Khmer Rouge regime, the king-to-be subsequently spent twenty years teaching ballet in France before taking on political responsibilities and eventually acceding to the throne in October 2004.