 He joined Her Majesty's Diplomatic Service in 1959, and served at various British embassies and high commissions, and at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London.Kelly was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1984.In 1989, he became Deputy Governor of Bermuda and was made a Lieutenant in the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) when Queen Elizabeth II visited the island in 1994.