Members of the Catholic Business Network of Northern Virginia had
a tangential brush with royalty when Patrick Jephson, former equerry (military
aide) and the only private secretary/chief of staff to Princess Diana (1988-96)
spoke at the annual meeting at Epiphany of Our Lord Byzantine Catholic Church
in Annandale May 29.
CBN is an independent, non-profit organization of businesses and
individual professionals who come together to represent community interests and
advance Catholic morality, values and ethics in the workplace.
The meeting opened with a performance of the Linton Hall Fife and
Drum Corps from Bristow, including songs “You’re a Grand Old Flag,” and “The Star-Spangled
Banner.” Jephson’s presentation was followed by the installation of CBN’s new
board of directors.
“It has been an honor to serve as president for the last two
years while working with an astute team of leaders to rejuvenate the
organization for a stronger and more vibrant future,” said outgoing President
Georgia Graves. “I hope (the meeting) will encourage Catholics from all walks
of life to participate with us in fellowship and in support of Catholic
education.”
Jephson presented “Leading from the Heart: Princess Diana’s
Global Humanitarian Vision.” He shared photographs of his time in the Royal
Navy and how he came to the job with the princess.
“I never thought I’d get the job. The selection process was lunch
with Princess Diana at Kensington Palace and there were six candidates,” he
said. “I was on loan from the Navy for two years. At the end of those two years
she and Prince Charles were splitting up. She asked me to leave the Navy and
work for her full time, setting up her household, support organization and
office. She said, ‘Then Patrick, we’re going to go conquer the world.’ I
thought it would be the rest of my life, but fate had other plans.”
Jephson said Princess Diana was a royal professional.
“She had an innate sense of regal behavior about her. She had the
ability to see into people’s hearts and read their moves and minds,” he said.
Jephson said it was a very high-profile, but also a very
high-stress job. “Running Princess Diana’s organization, setting it up and
running it, in the late ‘80s and ‘90s when so much else in the royal household
seemed to be falling apart, was a very huge honor but also extremely hard work,”
he said. “I spent a lot of time trying to look calm but making sure everything
went smoothly.”
One of the times he had to look calm while calculating the next
step was during a meeting of Princess Diana and Mother Teresa.
“Diana was always acutely aware of her need for wisdom and
guidance,” he said. “We were invited to share in prayer in Mother Teresa’s private
chapel in Rome. How special it felt to be praying with them. We were kneeling and praying but soon I
prayed it ended soon to catch the airplane.”
Mother Teresa’s prayer ended right on time.
Princess Diana understood image, said Jephson. “She had a natural
understanding of the fact that if you want to promote a humanitarian cause,
give people a picture to look at. So much of my job was setting up the picture,
so that one glance would tell people what Diana was doing and why, and why it
mattered.”
Jephson is a consultant, journalist, broadcaster and New York Times and London Sunday
Times bestselling author. A naturalized U.S. citizen based in
Washington, he is founding partner in the specialist communications consultancy
JephsonBeaman LLC. His latest book is “The Meghan Factor: A Royal Expert’s
Insight on America’s New Princess — and How She Could Change the Windsor
Dynasty Forever.” He also wrote “Shadows of a Princess.”
“One felt when working with Diana you were serving the greater
good, which was all the reward you could possibly ask,” said Jephson.
Find out more
Go to cbnnova.org or jephsonbeaman.com.
