Booth was educated at Heywood Grammar School and Pembroke College, Oxford.
Booth joined Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service in 1950.
He was First Secretary in Rome from 1960 to 1963; then Head of Chancery at Rangoon from 1963 to 1964, and Bangkok from 1964 to 1967.
[4] He was Consul-General in Washington from 1971 to 1973; Counsellor in Belgrade from 1973 to 1977; Ambassador to Burma from 1978 to 1982; and finally, High Commissioner to Malta from 1982 to 1985.
He was awarded the honour of Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1961.