ABSTRACT
It is hard to avoid noticing public relations these days: it is a pervasive activity in our society. The Establishment and the political class have taken to it with enthusiasm. The Queen has taken on a Communications Secretary as part of the modernisation of the Monarchy at an estimated total salary of £190,000 (The Independent on Sunday, 21.6.98, p. 1), and the BBC reports that Simon Lewis will be the third most senior official at Buckingham Palace. His brief is 'to devise a PR strategy for the Queen and the other Royals' (PR Week, 3.7.98, p. 28), which puts PR right at the centre of the Establishment. 'PR to the Queen - by Appointment' is an entry which adds weight to a CV and which puts PR under constant media watch. It seems in tune with the times that Prince Edward and his wife Sophie RhysJones both run their own businesses - he as a TV producer and she as a PRperson.
