Русско-англо-русский юридический словарь

A chargé d'affaires (French pronunciation: ​[ʃaʁʒe dafɛʁ]), often shortened to chargé (French) and sometimes to charge-D (abbreviated in colloquial English), is a diplomat who heads an embassy in the absence of the ambassador. The term is French for "charged with (in charge of) matters". A female diplomat may be designated a chargée d'affaires, following French declension.

A chargé enjoys the same privileges and immunities as a regular ambassador. However, chargés d'affaires are outranked by ambassadors and have lower precedence at formal diplomatic events. In most cases, a diplomat would only serve as a chargé d'affaires on a temporary basis in the absence of the ambassador. In unusual situations, a chargé d'affaires may be appointed for an indefinite period, in cases where disputes between the two countries make it impossible or undesirable to send agents of a higher diplomatic rank. (Wikipedia)