After he left as a Lieutenant, he entered the diplomatic service and was initially posted to the embassy in France.
In 1889, he was appointed an attaché in the Foreign Office and in 1890 was made a Legation Secretary.
[1][2] In 1904, he was appointed Consul-General in Budapest, and from 1907 to 1909, he was the ambassador to the Grand Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach in Weimar.
In late 1916, he was appointed ambassador to Austria-Hungary and succeeded Heinrich von Tschirschky.
In 1919 he retired and was succeeded as ambassador in Vienna by William, Prince of Stolberg-Wernigerode.