Michael De-la-Noy


Michael De-la-Noy was a British journalist and author. He wrote more than 20 books, the most successful being The Queen Behind the Throne. De-la-Noy was also noted for being fired in 1970 as press secretary to Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey after writing an article in support of a bisexual and transvestite colonel, which was seen as too liberal for the Church of England.

Biography

De-la-Noy was born in Hessle, Yorkshire, and grew up in London. He was educated at Bedford School, although he ran away from the latter at the age of 13. He worked as a reporter for two local papers, the Bedfordshire Times and the Brighton and Hove Herald, before joining the employ of Anglican clergyman Timothy Beaumont. It was after this job that he went to work for Archbishop Michael Ramsey, for whom De-la-Noy became press secretary in 1967.
De-la-Noy's many books included biographies of Denton Welch, Edward Elgar, the Queen Mother, Edward Sackville-West, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, and other works such as The Honours System and Acting as Friends: The Story of the Samaritans.
De-la-Noy died of cancer at the age of 68; he was survived by his partner of 30 years Bruce Hodson.

Selected bibliography