Michael Shea (diplomat)

Michael Sinclair MacAuslan Shea, CVO (10 May 1938 – 17 October 2009) was Press Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II from 1978 to 1987.

[2] After helping to arrange the Queen's official visit to the United States Bicentennial celebrations in 1976, Shea became her press secretary two years later.

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.

Shea was portrayed by Nicholas Farrell in episode 8 of series 4 of The Crown, in a storyline focusing on apartheid and the alleged rift between Margaret Thatcher and Queen Elizabeth II.