Charles H. Price II, 80, Ex-Ambassador to Britain, Dies Charles H. Price II, a former United States ambassador to Britain who helped sustain warm relations between President Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, died on Thursday at his home in Indian Wells, Calif. His death was confirmed by his wife, Carol Swanson Price. Mr. Price took over as ambassador to the Court of St. James in November 1983, a moment of unease between the two nations. Mrs. Thatcher was upset because she had not been notified before the United States invasion of Grenada the previous month, and many British elected officials opposed a plan to station American cruise missiles in Britain. During his five years as ambassador, Mr. Price participated in talks between the British and the Irish Republican Army and helped Mrs. Thatcher defuse protests after the United States used British bases to carry out attacks on Libya in 1986. He also deployed his sense of humor and Midwestern humility to try easing the anti-American sentiment that Reagan's policies had stoked among many Britons: he hosted elaborate receptions for members of government and the royal family, became a familiar face on television news and talk shows and, on occasion, made widely publicized visits to pubs to hear the viewpoints of working-class citizens. When a terrorist bomb brought down Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988, killing all 259 people aboard, Mr. Price and his wife were at the scene within hours. He later accompanied Mrs. Thatcher during a tour of the wreckage and was praised for the compassion he showed for Lockerbie residents, 11 of whom were killed by falling debris. Shortly before Mr. Price left his post in 1989, The Times of London hailed him as "the most energetic, engaging and popular American ambassador in many years." Mr. Price was involved in a variety of philanthropic causes and was active on an assortment of corporate boards, including those of Texaco, British Airways, Hansen P.L.C. and Sprint. He was named to the board of The New York Times Company in 1989 and served until 2002. Charles Harry Price II was born in Kansas City, Mo., on April 1, 1931. He earned an M.B.A. at the University of Missouri and, after serving in the Air Force from 1953 to 1955, took a job at Price Candy, a confection company founded by his father. He became chairman of Price Candy in 1969 and operated it until it was sold in 1982. Mr. Price was also chairman and chief executive of American Bank and Trust Company of Kansas City from 1973 to 1981. Mr. Price met Reagan in the early 1970s, his wife said, and the couple held several receptions on his behalf during the 1976 Republican National Convention in Kansas City. Mr. Price helped raise money for Reagan's 1980 presidential run and in 1981 was named ambassador to Belgium, where he served until his appointment to Britain. After leaving the diplomatic world Mr. Price returned to banking, as chief executive of AmeriBanc, and led the company through its merger with Mercantile Bancorporation. He retired from the chairmanship of Mercantile Bank of Kansas City and Mercantile Bank of Kansas in 1996. In addition to his wife, he is survived by their son, Charles III; his stepdaughters, Caroline McCallister and Melissa Carlson; two children from a previous marriage, Charles Blair Price and Pickette Price; and eight grandchildren.