On Duty With the Queen: My Time as a Buckingham Palace Press Secretary (17 page)

She was a full-time mother, who cherished and nurtured her sons, and she flew the flag for independent women everywhere.

I travelled a great deal with her, on solo visits to the USA, Egypt and Pakistan, as well as on many worldwide joint visits with the Prince of Wales. We spent countless hours in each other’s company, aboard planes and in hotels. We had enjoyed many laughs, and we had the occasional differences of opinion.

In the five years I looked after her and Charles, she
frustrated me more than once, but the good times far outweighed the bad.

Though we were all subjected to a freeze every now and then, most of us made it back. I was lucky in doing so, and even when I stopped looking after her, we had regular contact either by phone, correspondence or when passing one another on foot or in the car, always stopping for a chat.

Diana, Princess of Wales left this earth too soon. I was deeply shocked when I heard the news of the crash and devastated over her death. I don’t think I even quite believed it until I saw her coffin gently removed from the aircraft at RAF Northolt. I did have a very soft spot for her, and yes, I was very fond of her. As I told her, I would miss her. I still do.

T
he days immediately following Diana’s funeral were anticlimactic in the extreme. Working flat-out for seven straight days had rendered everyone physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. That is not to say that there wasn’t a sense of satisfaction in knowing that when given a seemingly insurmountable project, we had risen to the occasion. The media consistently accused Palace courtiers of being out of touch, but we had demonstrated that with matters of ceremony we were distinctly in touch.

It was also a time of much discussion regarding personnel around the office, and the funeral proved to be a catalyst for a fairly radical staff change. I have always believed that the Buckingham Palace press office, though extremely professional, has an unenviable and sometimes impossible job spec to fulfill.

It wasn’t always that way. Prior to the engagement of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981, the British press showed little appetite for the salacious trials and tribulations of a royal marriage. I’m not sure if this was
down to a natural deference to the aristocracy – something deeply ingrained in the British psyche – or rather a lack of prurient interest, but our press certainly wasn’t cut from the same cloth as that of our French counterparts.

According to early dispatches from France, the Queen had more than her fair share of media-driven
Annus Horribilis
. In the first 15 years of her reign alone, the French press was kept extremely busy commenting upon 73 reports that she and Prince Philip were to divorce, 63 forecasts of her imminent abdication and a whopping 92 revelations that she was pregnant.

In contrast, our domestic media was extremely reticent for a time. But then, as the trend for both divorce and public soul-baring began to steadily rise, so too did the interest in royal affairs of the heart. Gradually the public started to lean towards topics of a more personal nature than the matters of state which had led before.

In turn, it meant the press office had a rather more complex and thankless task at hand than ever before. From the early days of the Prince and Princess of Wales’s relationship, to that of the Duke and Duchess of York five years later, the press office was constantly put into the difficult position of being reactive rather than pro-active, particularly when it came to the private lives of its various principals.

Stories about what the young royals were up to in their private time were invariably splashed, without our prior knowledge, across the front pages of the tabloids. It wasn’t helpful when friends of Prince Charles talked openly and critically about the Princess, or when the Princess talked
directly to the media. Things only went from bad to worse when the Duchess of York, still very much married to Prince Andrew at the time, latched on to Texan oil man, Steve Wyatt, and then to financial advisor, Johnny Bryan. No matter what we said or did in response to the sensational stories these liaisons generated, we were fighting a losing battle.

Even those closest to ‘The Firm’ couldn’t always be relied upon to offer the best guidance for fear of how it would be received by the royal in question. The media frenzy over flags and flagpoles that ensued following Diana’s death was a perfect case in point. Although we dealt quite ably with the issue of Her Majesty remaining with her grandsons at Balmoral, we were thrown to the wolves when it came to that glaringly bare flagpole, despite our protestations that the Union Flag should be flown at half-mast.

It wasn’t a case of the press office not doing its job on the public relations front, but rather a case of common-sense advice being ignored further up the chain of command. The media debacle surrounding the funeral and subsequent public backlash led to a somewhat knee-jerk reaction from the Palace in terms of communications, so much so that when the dust settled a plan was devised to bring in a Communications Secretary. The role of this hypothetical employee was to oversee the press office, draw up strategies and deal with crisis management, which was tantamount to saying that the press secretaries were incapable of carrying out these duties themselves. Not only were we conducting our roles effectively, but we were also overseeing the British Monarchy’s newly-launched
website, which went live in March of 1997. Suffice to say, the suggestion that an outside PR expert was necessary did not go down well.

That the modern age required a press office capable of undertaking radical change wasn’t in doubt, but it already had an established personnel which was more than capable of meeting those challenges. The hiring of a Communications Secretary led to a contentious couple of years filled with opposition and resentment.

From a personal standpoint, my final two years working for the Royal Family were relatively uneventful. During my tenure I had weathered many a tumultuous storm, but now, in my twilight years at the Palace, I had perhaps the most enviable job of all – overseeing press relations for Her Majesty the Queen. Suddenly, my working life felt calm. Our Monarch is loved for good reason, and press-managing her relationship with her people was never less than a joy.

I had thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of my role with the Royal Collection. I don’t believe anyone can tire of Windsor Castle. It doesn’t matter how many times one goes there, there is always something new to see.

I had been fortunate enough to attend several State Banquets at the Castle, each time seated at a magnificently laid 120-foot table in St George’s Hall. Prior to any such occasion the Queen would always inspect the room to ensure that everything was just right, from the seating arrangements and table settings to the microphone neatly concealed amidst the floral arrangement opposite her seat.

In October 1997, I received an invitation to attend a ball at the Castle to be held the following month in celebration of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Golden Wedding Anniversary. I had been given no indication as to how the guest list of 300 had been compiled, but I knew that it would include every member of the Royal Family, friends and senior members of the Household.

We arrived at the Castle at the appointed time of 10:15pm and made our way up the grand staircase towards the State Apartments, assuming that we would then be directed to either the Waterloo Chamber, the Grand Reception Room or St George’s Hall. Upon reaching the top of the stairs we were greeted by the Queen and Prince Philip, who were in place to welcome each of their guests with a handshake and a few words.

The band in full swing, it was clear that the Waterloo Chamber was strictly for dancing. The Grand Reception Room had been designated for socializing, and St Georges Hall – the largest room in the Castle at 180-feet long – had been arranged with round tables and chairs, and a half-bar with canapés at one end.

I had walked through St George’s Hall a number of times during the restoration, and yet I still marveled at the level of skill and craftsmanship that had gone into restoring it to its former glory. It was beautiful.

We were halfway down the Hall when I turned to my wife, Rosemary, and said, ‘There’s four of a kind over there.’

‘What are you talking about?’ she replied.

‘Only in Windsor Castle…four genuine queens,’ I said.
As other guests mingled around them, Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Queen Beatrix of Holland, Queen Sofia of Spain and Queen Anne-Marie of Greece sat chatting amiably.

I continued to show Rosemary around the newly-restored areas, and when we reached the end of the Hall we entered the Lantern Lobby, which had previously been the private chapel. Five years earlier it had been the site where the initial fire started; now it served as an open space providing a thoroughfare between the State Apartments and the Queen’s private apartments. Princess Anne was there waxing lyrical on the restoration project to a group of guests, though her information wasn’t entirely correct. She caught my eye and the slight shake of my head, to which she said, ‘Thank you, Dickie,’ before moving on.

It was a grand ball, allowing for a once in a lifetime experience. A 60th wedding anniversary ball held in a newly-restored Windsor Castle – I don’t believe I have ever seen the Queen so happy.

In 1998, Mary Francis, one of the Queen’s private secretaries, suggested a ‘themed away-day’ for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. It was a concept that proved to be a breakthrough in terms of the perceived formality of royal visits. Their first such away-day fell during the spring of 1998, and was aimed specifically at London’s theatre industry. It provided the perfect opportunity to showcase homegrown talent.

In the morning, the Queen went to see youngsters put through their paces at the National Theatre on the South
Bank before going on to visit the Lyceum Theatre, where a rehearsal of
Oklahoma!
was in progress. Meanwhile, Prince Philip made a trip to the Adelphi Theatre in the Strand to watch a rehearsal of
Chicago
.

I don’t think I could be accused of betraying any confidences by saying that the choice of show was probably right up Prince Philip’s alley given the cast of ladies dressed in leotards and fishnets. Later that morning he rejoined the Queen to take a look around Angels, the famous theatre and film costumiers in the heart of London’s West End.

Established in 1840, Angels is legendary. To date, the company has won 32 Academy Awards for Best Costume Design for its work on films such as
Titanic, The Great Gatsby
and
Lawrence of Arabia.
Both the Queen and Prince Philip were fascinated by what they a saw, and would have spent longer looking around were it not for a pressing lunch engagement at The Ivy.

The afternoon continued with a visit to one of Britain’s most prestigious drama schools, The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA), before the royal couple returned to the Palace to prepare for the evening performance of
Oklahoma!
back at the Lyceum Theatre.
Oklahoma!
was the first musical the Queen ever saw in 1947, and knowing her taste in music, I managed to persuade her private secretary to include it in the day’s programme of events.

The audience wasn’t told that there would be royalty in the house that evening, nor was a distinctive red and gold royal box organised. The first inkling that anyone had of the Queen and Prince Philip’s arrival was when they appeared at the entrance to the royal circle. Upon seeing
them the audience leapt to its feet, alerting those in the stalls below to an unannounced arrival. By the time the couple had reached their seats, the theatre had erupted into spontaneous applause.

My fondest memory of that day was seeing the Queen, her feet tap-tap-tapping to the music…just another member of the public enjoying a great night out.

Having gone down so well, we decided that the ‘away-day’ should become a permanent fixture on the calendar for both the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The first such day had been a tremendous success, and so we quickly planned another, this time to Liverpool. The day was themed around the ‘built environment’, focusing mainly on inner-city regeneration and ending with a visit to the newly-refurbished Empire Theatre, to see
The Phantom of the Opera
.

Having seen how well the public responded when Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh arrived unannounced for the performance of
Oklahoma!
, we had really got the bit between our teeth. The Empire’s theatre management asked if the Queen would unveil a commemorative plaque following the performance. Given that there would be an audience present, I suggested that we do things slightly differently in order that they, too, be allowed to share in the occasion.

Usually, when the Queen undertakes unveilings of this kind she draws a curtain in front of a plaque set into the foyer wall of whichever building or place is involved. On this occasion, however, I thought that with us being in a
theatre, it might be more fun to do the unveiling on stage. I also thought that we should keep it as a surprise for the audience. Private Secretary, Mary Francis, was slightly hesitant at first, but I assured her that Her Majesty would be more than happy to go along with the plan.

According to the protocol set for when royalty is present, the audience was asked to stay in its seats while the Queen and Prince Philip went backstage to meet the cast. Minutes later, as opposed to hearing an announcement that they were free to leave the theatre, the curtain rose to reveal Her Majesty unveiling the plaque on stage.

The audience’s response was extremely gratifying. It is perhaps easy to underestimate the thrill of heading off to the theatre only to find oneself unexpectedly in the company of royalty. The applause and cheering was thunderous; it was as if the Queen was having her very own curtain call.

Meanwhile, there was another couple waiting in the wings for its moment in the spotlight – Prince Charles and Mrs Camilla Parker Bowles.

It had been over a year since Diana had died, and more than six years had passed since her formal separation from Charles. In turn, Camilla and her ex-husband, Andrew, had finalized their divorce in 1995. But if the tabloids were to be believed, there were still pockets of resistance to the idea of the Prince being seen in public with Camilla. The idea had been the topic of much discussion in Prince Charles’s office at St James’s Palace. It was decided that the least obtrusive way of going about it would be with a carefully orchestrated publicity stunt.

The Prince of Wales and Camilla Parker Bowles made their first combined public appearance at the Ritz Hotel in London on Friday, 29
^th
January, 1999 at a 50
^th
birthday party for Camilla’s sister, Annabel Elliott. As it was not an official engagement, the press were not briefed in advance. And yet how did so many photographers and reporters just so happen to be in the right place at the right time that night?

They had been given an old-fashioned tip-off in the form of a phone call from the St James’s Palace Communications Secretary. In giving a tip-off, the hope was that the subsequent TV and print coverage would do the job of making the couple official, without the need for a formal announcement.