Public Speakers in Scotland

Len Murray

Len Murray is widely recognised as one of the country's top after-dinner speakers. He has been variously described as: "hilarious", "incredibly funny", "brilliant", "highly entertaining", "superb", "great" and "side-splitting".

He is a Knight Commander of the Holy Sepulchre, a Knight of Grace of the Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, (Knights Hospitaller), a Justice of the Peace, a Bachelor of Law from Glasgow University, and a Solicitor to the Supreme Courts of Scotland.

He is vastly experienced in corporate and sporting events of all kinds and is a former winner of the prestigious Wag of the Year competition.

Len is a Glaswegian by birth, though he now lives in Milngave. He practised as a solicitor in Glasgow for over forty years and is now retired. He says that he wishes he had done so years ago. So do many of his former clients.

Len practised in the Scottish Courts throughout his professional life and he built up one of the most respected law practices in the country. He was once described by a High Court judge as "the most respected pleader of his generation." His colleagues nicknamed him 'The Silver Fox' though they could never be persuaded to say why.

He served on many of the professional bodies connected with the practice of the law and for some years he was Vice-Chairman of the Central Committee of the Law Society of Scotland. He was also a member of the part-time staff of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities and a guest lecturer at the Scottish Police College, Tulliallan. He also served as a Temporary Sheriff and was a part-time Chairman of Employment Tribunals for many years.

He has spoken in presence of HRH the Prince Edward and along with a vast number of celebrities from different walks of life: Billy Connolly, Tommy Docherty, Denis Law, Jimmy Greaves, Ian St John, Denis Taylor, John Virgo, David Mellor, Andy Cameron, Johnny Beattie, Bill Barclay, Dean Park, Lord Macdonald, Lord McCluskey, Sir David Steele, Sir Tom Farmer and many others.

Apart from his abilities as an after-dinner speaker, Len Murray is generally recognised as one of the foremost speakers on Robert Burns. He has spoken at over 300 Burns Suppers in many parts of the United Kingdom and abroad. He has been invited to Alberta, Winnipeg, Calgary and Nova Scotia in Canada, as well as the United States, Bahrein, Sri Lanka, Cairo and many other places. He is an Honorary President of Greenock Burns Club, the oldest Burns Club in the world and a Life member of that Club.

Paul Kidd MNO (of merit)

Former Butler to H.M. The Queen and

Senior Footman to H.M Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother

Paul Kidd has enthralled audiences all over the UK and overseas with his talk about his life with the Royal Family. Entitled "Reminiscences of Royal Service", his talks are full of hilarious anecdotes, those little things that did not go according to plan, and other things too that the world knows nothing about.

Paul has three talks on the same subject (each lasting about an hour) and each is a complete talk in itself and all of his reminiscences are utterly complimentary to the Royal Family.

For example...

Paul vividly remembers the first time Prince Philip spoke to him - he said "Shift!" Find out why in "Reminiscences of Royal Service".

Paul will never forget the day the Queen and her family were entertaining some Scots Guards Officers and their wives to dinner at Balmoral Castle. Her Majesty stooped down to get something out of her handbag but saw something she had not bargained for! What Her Majesty saw and her reaction is all revealed in "Reminiscences of Royal Service."

We are told that we should never cry over spilt milk, but what does a butler do when red-hot gravy is spilt down the Queen Mother’s cleavage? Better still, what did the Queen Mum do? Find out what in "Reminiscences of Royal Service".

Paul met and personally looked after many Kings and Queens and Heads of State from around the world when they stayed as the Queen’s guests at Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, etc. "I will never forget," says Paul,"the day President Ronald Reagan and Mrs Reagan were at a State dinner held in their honour at Windsor Castle. The President stood up to address the Queen, her family and assembled guests but, for some reason, throughout his speech, Mr Reagan could hardly take his eyes off Nancy’s lap."

Paul, who was standing behind the Queen’s chair, discreetly moved in a little closer to find out what the fascination was. What did he see? All is revealed in "Reminiscences of Royal Service."

Princess Anne has a reputation for sometimes putting her foot in it! Paul remembers when he was walking Her Majesty’s dogs around the grounds of Sandringham House . Princess Anne, accompanied by the then Lady Diana Spencer, drove up the driveway in her Range Rover. She pulled up outside the front door of Sandringham House and on alighting from her car, literally put her foot in it and almost ended up flat on her back!

Paul remembers Her Royal Highness shouting out some startled excalmation before she recovered her composer. What Princess Anne said and how Paul replied, is all revealed in "Reminiscences of Royal Service."

Royal servants are not allowed to take tips from visiting Royalty or Heads of State. However what Paul did get, was a signed photogragh of them. On every talk, Paul brings a display board full of these signed photographs, so the audience can view it before and after the talk.

Another popular add-on to his talk is a questions and answer session where the audience can ask him questions about his service with the Royal Family. This is very entertaining and there is usually no shortage of questions. In fact, this is one of his most popular formats when working on cruise ships in America and the Carribean.

Although, Paul reached the pinnacle of his profession with the Royal Family, he is down-to-earth, humourous, and charming. A true Lancashire gentleman.

His talks are suitable and entertaining for any type of audience, including all-male, all-female, and mixed.

He given his talks to groups of all sizes - from twenty up to thousand people.

He is a truly professional and entertaining Public Speaker for any event.

Profile

Born in Lancashire, England, in 1953, Paul Kidd entered the Royal Navy after leaving school and travelled extensively around the world.

In 1975, he was appointed as Steward to Her Majesty the Queen at Buckingham Palace where he lived and served until 1979.

In 1978 Mr. Kidd accompanied the Queen on her State Visit to West Germany when, at the end of the five day visit, President Scheel bestowed upon him "The Most Noble Order of Merit" for his services to West Germany. Mr. Kidd is one of only 32 people in the world to hold this title.

In 1979 Mr. Kidd was promoted and was transfered to Clarence House, ST. James’ Palace where he joined the household of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother.

Three years later he was taken ill and, after undergoing surgery, it was discovered he had cancer and was given only a few months to live. Reluctantly, Mr. Kidd relinquished his Royal service and travelled back to his home in Cheshire.

After further surgery and treatment at Manchesters Christie hospital, Mr. Kidd has made a complete recovery and now travels throughout the UK and overseas enthralling audiences with his informative and humorous talk about his years with the Royal Family, which is interesting and full of amusing stories and utterly complimentary to the Royal Family.

Mr. Kidd has appeared on a number of Television Shows about the Monarchy, including the world’s largest televised debate on the subject of the British Royal Family - "Monarchy" on Channel 4 in 1997.

More recently, he has appeared on the Caroline Rhea Show in New York and with the comedian/actor Robin Williams on Sky.

To obtain more information about our Public Speakers, please contact us on on 0141 577 6604.