Patrick Jephson - Writer and Broadcaster

Patrick Jephson was born and raised in Ireland. He has a Masters Degree in Political Science from Cambridge University. After ten years as an officer in the Royal Navy he was selected to join the Royal Household, serving for eight years as Equerry and as the first and only Private Secretary (Chief of Staff) to Diana, Princess of Wales. He was appointed Lieutenant of the Royal Victorian Order (LVO) for personal service to the Sovereign.
His work for Princess Diana involved daily working contact with British and foreign officials at all levels up to and including head of state. He organised Diana’s international visits and journeyed with her all over the world to destinations such as the USA, Russia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Argentina, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Some of these experiences are recalled in his book Portraits of a Princess: Travels with Diana.

He also managed the Princess’s relations with a wide range of British institutions including Buckingham Palace, Downing Street, Parliament, the City, police and security services, the BBC, ITN, Fleet Street and the film and entertainment industries. In addition he controlled the Princess’s links with the voluntary sector and wrote the majority of her speeches, messages, forewords and public correspondence.

He then spent eighteen months as a senior consultant at Lowe Bell Communications before leaving, on Princess Diana’s death, to write his account of life in royal service.

His first book Shadows of a Princess (a New York Times bestseller) was reviewed as “the most indelible and authentic portrait of the people’s princess.” As writer and presenter of TV documentaries, as contributor to current affairs programmes worldwide and as a discriminating writer on royal affairs, he has a unique ability to decode the messages hidden in the official communiqués, in the palace spin – and in the tabloid gossip.

Patrick Jephson’s articles on a range of subjects have appeared in many British and European publications including The Times, The Sunday Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sunday Telegraph, The Observer, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Express, The Sunday Express, The Sun, The Spectator, Hello!, Majesty, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Bild am Sonntag, Stern and France Soir. His writing has also been syndicated in Poland, Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.

His broadcasting credits include:

Writer and presenter: Battle of the Palaces series (2003), produced by Brook Lapping for Channel 4 and A&E Channel (US); Travels with Diana (2005), produced by ITN Factual for Channel 5. Associate Producer: Surviving Katrina (2006) for the Discovery Channel; Consultant: Can’t Take it With You (2003) BBC2, Diana’s Court (2003) ITN, Royal Finances (2003) BBC2, Di’s Guys (2004) ITV.

Contributor to numerous news and current affairs programmes including Newsnight (1997) BBC; 20/20 (1997, 2000); The View (2000); Good Morning America (2000) ABC; This Morning (2003) ITV; Real Story (2003) BBC; 48 Hours (2004), The Early Show (2006, 2007) CBS; Tonight with Trevor McDonald (2000, 2005) ITV; HardTalk (2004) BBC; Breakfast with Frost (2004) BBC; Dateline (2004) NBC; Larry King Live (2004, 2005, 2006) CNN; Richard & Judy (2004, 2005) Channel 4; The Money Programme (2005) BBC; Topic A with Tina Brown (2005) CNBC; Panorama (2005) BBC; Arena (2005) BBC; Sky News (2006); CNN Reports (2006); The Today Programme, Five Live, Broadcasting House (BBC Radio) and documentaries in the UK, US, Canada, Japan, France and Germany.

His speeches on royalty are tailored to reflect topical events and have been well received by prestigious audiences in Britain, Canada and the USA. As an organiser recently commented:

“Your presentation before the spouses of U.S. Members of Congress was one of the highlights of the event, and they have been singing your praises ever since. Your description of your long service to the late Princess of Wales was done with great taste and affection, and your discreet insights into Palace life and royal travel were fascinating.”

Patrick is currently working on a variety of publishing and television projects in the UK, USA and Australia. A qualified private pilot, he has recently added travel writing to his portfolio of work.

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