The British monarchy was built on distance duty and centuries-old ritual but with one key move it is transforming into a more ‘accessible’ institution.
Former Palace communications secretary Simon Lewis explained how the late Duke of Edinburgh’s 1998 digital ambitions brought The Firm closer to its people.
The former royal adie caimed that Prince Philip outlined a forward-thinking “vision” in 1998 for harnessing the internet to make the monarchy more accessible to audiences around the globe.
Simon Lewis, who became the first communications secretary at Buckingham Palace that year, showered priase on the late royal for his unmatched achievement.
Philip’s enthusiasm for technology was already well documented. Lewis’ account sheds new light on how the late duke recognised the World Wide Web’s potential to help the royal family during a particularly sensitive period when they were facing the aftermath of Princess Diana’s death in August 1997.
Lewis also appears to be impressed of Queen Elizabeth II’s “an amazing job” in the wake of Prince Willima and Harry’s mother’s tragic death.
“The Queen, first of all, held her nerve on behalf of the institution, the family, and the Queen got out there and did what she always did best, which was just connecting with people in a very Queen-like way,” he said.
He gave particular credit to Philip’s digital foresight at a time when just 100 million people were online worldwide.
“I sat with him once, and he laid out for me a vision for using the web, the internet, to make the Royal Family much more accessible globally,” Mr Lewis continued to tell The Royals podcast produced by The Times.
Lewis spoke of the royal website, which he oversaw during his tenure, as “the fundamental rebasing of the relationship,” enabling the public to access information about the institution directly rather than relying solely on traditional media.
The monarchy’s first website went live in March 1997, when the internet was still in its infancy. Today, more than six billion people are online worldwide.
However, the former aide maintained that Philip was the first figure within the Palace to grasp the internet’s power to promote the monarchy on the world stage.
2026-08-07 13:03:00
