Michael Shea (diplomat)

For the American fantasy writer, see Michael Shea.

Michael Sinclair MacAuslan Shea (born 10 May 1938, Carluke, Lanarkshire, Scotland – 17 October 2009) was press secretary to Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom from 1978 to 1987. Earlier he had been a career diplomat and was also an author.

Shea attended Lenzie Academy, where his mother was a teacher before attending Gordonstoun. He graduated from the University of Edinburgh, having read Economics; he also completed his doctorate at Edinburgh^[1]mic development in West Africa. He entered the Foreign Service in 1963 and served in Ghana, West Germany, Romania and New York.^[2] After helping arrange the Queen's official visit in 1976, Shea became her press secretary two years later.

He was the centre of a "mole hunt" in 1986 for the person who gave a briefing to a journalist on Sunday Times in which it was said the social policies being followed by the Thatcher government were causing the Queen "dismay",^[3] and Mrs. Thatcher's negative attitude to the Commonwealth of Nations caused displeasure.^[4] Members of Parliament called for Shea's resignation if he was responsible. The Queen's Private Secretary Sir William Heseltine responded to the controversy in a letter to The Times confirming Shea as the contact, but asserting that Shea's comments had been misreported.^[5] Shea left royal service the following year, although he denied that there was any connection with the earlier controversy.^[3]

While First Secretary in Bonn, then the capital of West Germany, Shea began his career as a writer. A thriller, Sonntag, was published under the pseudonym Michael Sinclair in 1971, the first of 20 books. After he resigned as the Queen's press secretary, Shea worked for six years at Hanson plc as director of public relations. He can be heard in a private interview given to Brendan Bruce (former Conservative Party Director of Communications under Margaret Thatcher) for his book 'Images of Power' (Kogan Page 1992) in the British Library Sound Archive ( BL reference C1251/21 http://cadensa.bl.uk/uhtbin/cgisirsi/gR0fld7fWI/WORKS-FILE/11570052/123)

Michael Shea was married to Mona Grec Stensen, a native of Norway; they married in 1968. The couple had two daughters. He was a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order (LVO) from 1985 and Commander (CVO) from 1987.^[1]

His last years were affected by the onset of dementia. He died at age 71 in 2009.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Dennis Griffiths (ed.) The Encyclopedia of the British Press, 1492-1992, London: Macmillan, 1992, p.516
2. ^ David McKittrick Obituary for Michael Shea in The Independent
3. ^ ^{a b} Obituary in Daily Telegraph
4. ^ Stephen Bates Obituary for Shea in The Guardian
5. ^ Obituary for Michael Shea in The Times

Persondata
Name	Shea, Michael
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Short description
Date of birth	10 May 1938
Place of birth
Date of death	17 October 2009
Place of death