Published online: 20 November 2025 This chapter examines whether and how cultural diplomacy can be decolonised, arguing that its fundamental assumptions and implementation principles make complete decolonisation impossible. Through analysis of decolonial theory and diplomatic practice, it suggests that the emerging paradigm of cultural relations offers a more promising pathway for decolonising cultural engagement in international relations. The chapter identifies four key dimensions of decolonisation – addressing Western-centrism, questioning dualistic assumptions about identity, recognising multiple forms of knowledge and implementing participatory approaches – and evaluates how cultural diplomacy and cultural relations align with these principles. Using examples from German, British and EU cultural initiatives, it demonstrates how cultural relations’ focus on building trust, mutuality and bottom-up collaboration provides a framework more compatible with decolonial aims than traditional cultural diplomacy. The chapter concludes that while cultural relations approaches cannot alone decolonise diplomacy, they offer important tools for building trust and understanding in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape.