Lauren Frayer
Lauren Frayer covers the United Kingdom, Ireland and parts of Europe for NPR News. She is a regular contributor to NPR podcasts, and serves as a guest host of Weekend Edition and Weekend All Things Considered.
She moved to London in 2023 after five years in Mumbai, covering South Asia. For her coverage of King Charles III’s coronation, Frayer traced the controversial path of a 105-carat diamond discovered in India, snatched from a 10-year-old Sikh prince and “gifted” to British royals in the 19th century. In northern England, she uncovered a little-known World War II battle between Black and white U.S. soldiers. She has chronicled Sinn Fein’s political makeover, toured pro-Palestinian graffiti in Dublin, and rediscovered one of soccer’s greatest underdog stories.
Her other datelines include Gaza, Ukraine, Sri Lanka, Seoul, Dhaka – as well as the Dalai Lama’s monastery, Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, James Bond’s birthplace and Taylor Swift’s favorite London pub.
In India, Frayer reported a five-part true crime podcast called Love Commandos, investigating a Delhi-based vigilante group that offers shelter and aid to couples who cross the boundaries of caste and religion to marry the people they love. She has also reported podcasts about caste discrimination in America, the death of a Jesuit priest in Indian custody, and the changing height of Mount Everest.
Frayer has been honored with two Gracie Awards, the Lowell Thomas Award from the Overseas Press Club of America, a Sigma Delta Chi Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, a New York Festival Radio Award and three National Headliner Awards.
She has also contributed to The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times and the BBC. Her career began at the Associated Press, where she worked in the agency's bureaus in Washington, Jerusalem, Cairo and Baghdad.
Born and raised in Connecticut, Frayer holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from The College of William & Mary in Virginia. [Copyright 2025 NPR]
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Prince Andrew has agreed with King Charles to stop using his Duke of York title, as scrutiny over his past connection to Jeffrey Epstein persists. -
Sarah Mullally has been named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming the first woman to be chosen to lead the world's 85 million Anglicans. -
As Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair succeeded in negotiating peace in Northern Ireland in 1998. Five years later, he joined the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq — sullying his reputation ever since. -
Police identified a 35-year-old man they believed was responsible for attacking a synagogue in Manchester, England, on Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day. -
President Trump is in the United Kingdom for a rare second state visit that includes pageantry, policy and protests. -
President Trump's U.K. state visit this week won't include the Scottish island where his late immigrant mother was born. Mary Anne MacLeod was a Gaelic speaker who learned English as a second language. -
In one email, Peter Mandelson wrote to Jeffrey Epstein, "I think the world of you and I feel hopeless and furious about what has happened." In another note, he called Epstein his "best pal." -
It began on the edgy margins of a mainstream festival — which it's now eclipsed. But nearly 80 years on, performers and spectators say rising costs threaten the Fringe's alternative vibe. -
For decades, Irish nuns ran homes for unwed mothers. Beneath one of them, a ghastly discovery: 796 babies buried in a septic tank. Forensics experts are now unearthing Ireland's past. -
Mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor used to be the face of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. President Trump, a UFC fan, hosted him at the White House for St. Patrick's Day this year.
