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Alastair Bruce, OBE

Alastair Bruce, OBE, is Sky News’ Royal, Religious and National Events Commentator. He has worked for Sky News for 16 years and has commentated on most big events, including the funerals of the Queen Mother and Diana, Princess of Wales, as well as events from the Vatican. He is now looking ahead to the coming Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the Pope’s visit to Britain this September.

Alastair has written many books, including The Oldest, published in October 2005. The 3rd Edition of his book Keepers of the Kingdom will be published this year. He has worked with several independent production companies in the preparation of TV documentaries which are regularly aired on Public Broadcasting, Discovery and A&E channels. Among these are Nicholas and Alexandra, Victoria and Albert and Days of Majesty. He recently worked as Historical Adviser for the film The Young Victoria, starring Emily Blunt, and he advises a number of other film and theatre projects on historical content.

In 1998, The Queen appointed Alastair as one of her heralds in the appointment called Fitzalan Pursuivant of Arms Extraordinary, with some responsibility for the heraldry of Britain and its Royal Family. He also offers advice on how the nation should ‘celebrate’ itself. Alastair has been one of The Queen’s Body Guard in Scotland, the ‘Royal Company of Archers’, since 1990.

Alastair was a regular soldier for four years, seeing active service in the Falklands War of 1982. He is still a reserve officer, serving as a Colonel in the Territorial Army. In 2004 he took command of a reserve unit, the Media Operations Group, which handled the media representation of military activity. In March 2004 he completed his period of mobilised service on active operations in Iraq, serving in Operation TELIC.

Alastair has lectured widely in Britain, Europe and the United States. His subjects range from the last Tsars of Russia to Britain’s monarchy and the Vatican in Rome