Born in England and raised in Ireland, Michael Alexander was the son of Conel Hugh O'Donel Alexander, a renowned British cryptanalyst and chess champion. Fluent in Russian, Michael served in the Royal Navy and studied at Yale University before joining the UK Diplomatic Service in 1962. However, before beginning his diplomatic career, he pursued his passion for fencing, representing Great Britain at the 1960 Summer Olympics, where he won a silver medal with the national épée team.

Alexander’s diplomatic career took him to Moscow, Singapore, London, and Vienna, before he became the Assistant Private Secretary to the Secretary of State in 1972. He rose quickly, becoming Deputy Head of the Personnel Operations Department in 1977 and Head the following year. From 1979 to 1981, he served as Private Secretary to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, later becoming the UK's ambassador to Austria (1981-1986) and then to NATO (1986-1992). His career culminated as Chairman of the Royal United Services Institute for Defence Studies, a role he held until his passing in 2002.