Sir William Heseltine, who has died aged 96, has a strong claim to have been one of the most consequential royal courtiers during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, and was perhaps her favourite. Not only was he the first Australian to enter the tweedy aristocratic atmosphere of the royal household, but during his 27 years at the palace, rising from an assistant information officer to being the queen’s private secretary (1986-90), he initiated changes that have shaped public perceptions of the family firm ever since.
In the words of the royal biographer Ben Pimlott, whereas Heseltine’s predecessors had done everything to keep the press out, he “saw it as his job wherever and whenever possible to let them in”. Heseltine, said Pimlott, “was the first press secretary who recognised a need to sell royalty to the public and, if necessary, to shape its behaviour accordingly”.
