loringhoven was born in munich on 12 november 1956. he is the son of the late german lieutenant-general bernd freytag von loringhoven. he is an oxford graduate and completed his phd studies at the max planck institute for biochemistry in martinsried in 1984. after joining the german foreign ministry in 1986, he served as a diplomat at embassies in paris and moscow and he has also held several positions in the foreign ministry including director of european affairs.