Cliveden Astors) at the Cliveden swimming pool led to the Profumo Affair which so damaged the Macmillan government. Spring Cottage was awarded Grade II listed status in 1986, and in 1997 the hotel company which leased Cliveden House from the National Trust also acquired the lease to the cottage. A reported £750,000 was spent restoring and refurbishing the dilapidated building before it reopened in 1998 as a self-contained luxury holiday let. The cottage and its garden are not open to the public. Cliveden Reach, between Cookham Lock and Boulter's Lock, is one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames. A
Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs The Under Secretary for Political Affairs is currently the third ranking position in the United States Department of State, after the Secretary and the Deputy Secretary. While the positions of Secretary and Deputy Secretary are occupied by political appointees, the position of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs is usually (but not always) occupied by a career Foreign Service Officer, making the occupant the highest-ranking member of the Foreign Service. The current Under Secretary is David Hale, who assumed office on August 30, 2018. The Under Secretary serves as the day-to-day manager