Dickie Arbiter LVO
Best known of all the former Royal Press Secretaries
*Fees are a guide only. Exact cost will be dependent on requirements and are subject to change.
About Dickie Arbiter
Dickie Arbiter LVO was Press Secretary to King Charles III when he was The Prince of Wales, and to the late Queen Elizabeth II. As such, Dickie has had unprecedented access to some of the most notable figures of our time. With almost five decades of experience covering royalty as a broadcaster, journalist and Royal Press Secretary, he is regarded as one of the most knowledgeable experts on the British Monarchy working today.
Dickie Arbiter LVO is also the only Royal Commentator who has witnessed the death of King George VI, the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and her Silver, Golden, Diamond and Platinum Jubilees.
Dickie Arbiter began his television and radio career in the early 1960s in Southern Africa. After returning to the UK in the early 1970s, he began travelling extensively both at home and abroad, covering the British monarchy, his area of expertise. In 1988, he joined the Buckingham Palace Press Office, serving as a press spokesman to King Charles III when he was The Prince of Wales and Her Majesty the late Queen.
With his vast working knowledge of the British Royal Family, Dickie is a regular Royal commentator for major UK, US, European, Australian and Far Eastern television and radio networks. Dickie Arbiter retired from Buckingham Palace in 2000 and is now widely recognised as a leading royal commentator, often called upon by the world’s press due to his decades of first-hand experience covering royalty and global public figures.
Dickie has a passion for horse riding and enjoys reading biographies, the theatre and ballet.
To book After Dinner Speaker Dickie Arbiter, contact The Speakers Agency on +44(0)1332 810481 or email enquiries@thespeakersagency.com
The British Monarchy Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
There have been kings and queens in the UK for over a thousand years, and despite quirks of nature and accidents of birth, the join from one reign to the next has been almost seamless. There have also been scandals – some would call a constitutional crisis – but throughout the monarchy has survived. Dickie dips into the history of the monarchy from the Hanoverian Georges to the present day Elizabethan age and the scandals that rocked it.
The Palace and the Press
Love them or hate them the media have always targeted the soft underbelly of the monarchy. No one in the family is excluded by them and in his talk Dickie highlights some of the highs and the lows the Royal family have had to endure, including The Queen, Prince Charles and Camilla, William and Catherine, Harry and Meghan, Andrew and Fergie and Edward and Sophie – none of them have escaped analysis under the media microscope.
The Relevance of Monarchy
The Queen’s critics argue there is no place in the 21st century for a monarchy. The Queen, and that means the monarchy, stands accused of being out of touch, rich and costing the taxpayer too much. By today’s standards, the Queen is way down in the rich list pecking order as published annually by The Sunday Times. Dickie explodes the ‘rich & cost’ myth and draws comparisons between the cost of The Queen and other notable heads of state.
Spotlight on the Monarchy
Not long after Queen Elizabeth II came to the throne in 1952 that she began to feel the full glare of the media spotlight. Television came of age with its coverage of her Coronation, since when neither TV nor photographers have left her, or other members of the royal family, alone. There was that BBC 1969 Royal Family documentary – shown four times since made and subsequently then locked away on orders from The Queen; Edward’s disastrous BBC Royal Knockout; Charles’ admission to adultery interview on ITV; Diana’s BBC Panorama interview; Andrew’s BBC Newsnight car crash interview and Harry and Meghan’s “their truth” confessional to Oprah Winfrey. Today Dickie sheds light on how TV and photographers combined could have destabilised the monarchy but instead damaged only the individual rather than the institution.
Testimonials
"Thank you so much for a really enjoyable talk at Hurlingham. One very subtle compliment was that you had 'given us some wonderful insights without giving away any secrets' and that undoubtedly kept the audience attentive."
Hurlingham Club London
"Dickie Arbiter proved to be one of our most popular speakers at our twice monthly lunch clubs, with fascinating insights into the relationship between the Royal family and the press. We are hoping to persuade him to return in the future."
Langham Hotel
"I have received rave reviews from your time on board, thank you for a good job well done. Everyone is saying that you were the perfect guest speaker for this maiden voyage, which is lovely to hear!"
P & O Britannia
"It was delightful to meet you and you were a tremendous hit on Friday - thank you again."
The Malpas Festival
"Thank you so much for last night it was brilliant. I have received lots of positives thank-you's, so thank you!"
Meridian Group Woldingham
