TELEVISION and radio journalist Dickie Arbiter will be a special guest at Stourbridge RNLI branch’s latest fundraising lifeboat dinner.

The former royal press secretary will speak at the event, which takes place at 7.30pm on Thursday, March 30, in The Granary Hotel, near Kidderminster.

Dickie retired from Buckingham Palace in 2000 having served as a press spokesman to The Queen for all royal ceremonial occasions and major engagements in the UK, including state visits and events.

Additionally, Dickie handled all the operational media requirements necessary for royal funerals, including that of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, who he also managed media relations for.

A fine speaker with a fabulous collection of interesting and entertaining anecdotes, Dickie has an encyclopaedic memory and is full of wonderful facts and stories, remaining a regular royal commentator for major television and radio networks worldwide.

Stourbridge RNLI branch chairman, Chris Fonteyn, said: “Dickie has spent nearly 50 years covering royalty, heads of state, and other globally recognised figures.

“His unprecedented access to so many notable figures will allow him to relate to us his incredible experiences first hand.

“We are sure he will make our dinner a very special, memorable and successful occasion which is being held to raise vital funds for the RNLI and its volunteer crews. The RNLI being, of course, one of the charities of which Her Majesty The Queen is Patron.”

Tickets, which must be booked in advance, are priced at £24 per person and include a set three course meal and after dinner coffee.

For more information, or to buy tickets, call Chris on 01384 376865.