The Queen's Press Secretary Became a Bestselling Author of Thrillers
Michael Shea was the press secretary and helped the palace through scandals like Michael Fagan's intrusion into Buckingham Palace and Anthony Blunt's unveiling as a Soviet spy.
Shea resigned after a scandalous story broke about P.M. Margaret Thatcher's and Queen Elizabeth II's relationship.
As The Crown shows, Shea was the author of over 20 books, including political thrillers informed by his time working with the Queen.
While season 4 of The Crown is mostly the unofficial "Charles and Diana Show," there's some spotlight given to supporting players in the Buckingham Palace ecosystem. The Queen's Press secretary Michael Shea, played by Nicholas Farrell, is one of them.
In episode 8, entitled "48;1," the Scotland-born press secretary to the Queen is introduced, before being swiftly done away with. Following nine years working for the Queen, Shea took the fall for a PR disaster that struck Buckingham Palace in 1986. After resigning from his palace post, Shea went on to write over 20 books, including political thrillers that drew from his work experiences.
Though "48:1" marks his Crown debut, Shea was actually in the background of many events depicted in the Netflix series. Serving as the Queen's press secretary between the years of 1978 to 1987, Shea helped the palace through scandals like the 1982 security crisis when unemployed decorator Michael Fagan scaled Buckingham Palace's walls and gained access to the Queen's bedroom, or when official art curator Anthony Blunt was revealed to be a Soviet spy.
Here's what you need to know about Shea, and the scandal that he could not fix.
Shea took the fall for a 1986 scandal in which the queen was thought to comment on politics.
In 1986, a bombshell article in the Sunday Times reported that Queen Elizabeth II, then 60, was frustrated with P.M. Margaret Thatcher's refusal to impose severe sanctions on South Africa’s government over apartheid during a meeting of Commonwealth leaders. Published on July 20, the story's headline was, "Queen Dismayed by 'Uncaring' Thatcher."
The report contained evidence of an ideological rift between the two leaders—one elected, and one appointed. "The aides also said the queen feared long-term damage was done to Britain’s social fabric during the year-long miner’s strike in 1983 and 1984, and the monarch felt the government lacked compassion toward the less-privileged," AP summarized at the time.
Essentially, the queen seemed to break her neutrality doctrine and comment on politics. Shea was identified as the "palace mole" who leaked the queen's private opinions to journalists, though he denied doing so his whole life.
Shea went on to become the author of political thrillers.
After leaving Buckingham Palace for his hometown of Edinburgh, Shea embarked on a second life as a novelist. Shea—who is not to be confused with the fantasy writer of the same name—wrote over 20 books, many of which were informed by his time as a royal problem-solver and a diplomat in Ghana, West Germany, Romania and New York.
Take the book Spin Doctor, which followed a man in the same kind of high-stress, high-power role he had at Buckingham Palace.
In the shadowy world of the spin doctor, Dr Mark Ivor is the undisputed king. Many of the country's leading businessmen and politicians rely upon his services as a professional political strategist, working behind the scenes to manipulate the media—planting a story here, a rumour there, a tip-off somewhere else—so that any piece of news is tailored to show his clients in the best possible light.
Or Spinoff, in which the Prime Minister falls gravely ill with a mysterious disease, and his spin doctor, Lloyd Thane, tries to keep his secret for as long as possible. Sense a theme?
Even when Shea's books weren't about fixers, they were set in the realm of politics, like 2002's Endgame, which imagined an independent Scotland. Even his memoir, A View from the Sidelines, was inherently political.
The queen was reportedly saddened by his death in 2009.
Shea passed away in 2009 at the age of 71. According to The Telegraph, Queen Elizabeth was reportedly saddened to hear of his death. Together, they visited 65 countries, per his Guardian obit. Shea left behind a wife and two daughters, not depicted in The Crown.
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