William_Heseltine
William Heseltine
Australian civil servant
Sir William Frederick Payne Heseltine GCB GCVO AC QSO (born 17 July 1930) is a former Private Secretary to Queen Elizabeth II. He was in office from 1986 to 1990.
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Sir William Heseltine | |
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 Heseltine in 1968 | |
| Private Secretary to the Sovereign | |
| In office 1 April 1986 – 19 October 1990 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Preceded by | Sir Philip Moore |
| Succeeded by | Sir Robert Fellowes |
| Acting Secretary to the Governor-General of Australia | |
| In office May 1962 – August 1962 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor General | The Viscount De L'Isle |
| Preceded by | Sir Murray Tyrrell |
| Succeeded by | Sir Murray Tyrrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1930-07-17) 17 July 1930 (age 93) Wyalkatchem, Western Australia, Australia |
| Alma mater | University of Western Australia |
Heseltine was born at Wyalkatchem, Western Australia, in 1930.[1] He was educated at Richmond Primary School, Christ Church Grammar School, Claremont, Western Australia, and the University of Western Australia, where he received a 1st class BA (Hons) in history. Heseltine joined the Prime Minister's Department (Australia) in 1951, where he remained until 1962. He was Private Secretary to Sir Robert Menzies, Prime Minister (1955–1959), and Acting Official Secretary to The 1st Viscount De L'Isle, Governor-General, May to August 1962. In 1960–1961, he was temporary Assistant Press Secretary to the Queen.
From 1962 to 1964 he was Assistant Federal Director of the Liberal Party of Australia, and in 1964 was attached to The Age (Melbourne). In the same year, he was attached to Princess Marina for her tour of Australia. Heseltine joined the Press Office of The Royal Household as Assistant Press Secretary to the Queen in 1965–1967. He was Press Secretary 1968–1972.
In 1972, Heseltine was moved to the Private Secretary's Office proper, becoming Assistant Private Secretary. In 1977, he was promoted to Deputy Private Secretary and, in April 1986, to Private Secretary to the Sovereign, and Keeper of the Queen's Archives. He retired in October 1990.[2]
He was appointed an Extra Equerry while Deputy Private Secretary to the Queen. He has been a company director from 1991, including chairman of NZI Insurance Australia Ltd 1992 (deputy 1991–1992); director of NZI Insurance New Zealand 1996; P&O Australia Ltd 1990–; and West Coast Telecasters Ltd 1991–1996.
- Privy Counsellor, 1986 (PC)
- honorary Doctorate, Murdoch University, 1992.
On leaving Royal service, Sir William retired to the historic town of York in his native Western Australia.
| Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath (GCB) | 1990 | |
| Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) | 1986 | |
| Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) | 1977 | |
| Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) | 1990[3] | |
| Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (KCVO) | 1982 | |
| Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) | 1969 | |
| Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) | 1961 | |
| Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) | 1988[4] | |
| Centenary Medal | 2001[5] | |
| Companion of the Queen's Service Order (QSO) | 6 February 1990 (New Zealand) | |
| Grand Decoration of Honour in Silver for Services to the Republic of Austria | 1969 (Austria)[6] | |
| Royal Household Long and Faithful Service Medal | 1985 (Queen Elizabeth II Version) | |
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- Emery, Kate (14 April 2014). "Meet the royals of Wyalkatchem". The West Australian. Retrieved 1 October 2022.
- "Royal Appointments: Heseltine Private Secretary". The Canberra Times. Press Association. 2 October 1985. p. 5.
- It's an Honour: GCVO, 19 October 1990, Private Secretary to HM The Queen 1986–90
- It's an Honour: AC, 26 January 1988, For service to the Crown as Private Secretary to The Queen of Australia
- It's an Honour: Centenary Medal, 1 January 2001, For service to Her Majesty, The Queen.
- "Reply to a parliamentary question" (PDF) (in German). p. 275. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
| Court offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Private Secretary to the Sovereign 1986–1990 |
Succeeded by |