CIPR writes to His Majesty The King to mark Coronation

The President of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), Steven Shepperson-Smith, has today written to His Majesty The King to mark the occasion of his Coronation.

The letter, published below, outlines the role and responsibilities of the Institute as required by our Royal Charter, granted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005. It also reinforces the value and importance of competency, integrity, and ethics amongst public relations professionals as a way of building trust in the face of current and future challenges the country faces including climate change and the rapid emergence of artificial intelligence.

CIPR letter to HM The King

Sir,

On behalf of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR), which represents the community of public relations professionals in the United Kingdom as well as of many others in your other domains and territories, I wish to offer you this expression of our highest esteem for Your Majesty and our assurance of loyalty to you in your service of our nations.

The late Queen Elizabeth II was gracious enough to grant us a Royal Charter in 2005 for the purposes of:

• promoting, for the public benefit, high levels of skill, knowledge, competence, and standards of practice and professional conduct on the part of public relations practitioners;
• promoting the study, research and development of the practice of public relations and publishing or otherwise making available the useful results of such study and research; and
• promoting public understanding about the contribution of effective public relations in encouraging ethical communication and in enhancing the efficiency and performance of all sectors of the economy.

The CIPR is proud today to have over 10,600 active members in nearly 90 countries, all of whom are automatically enrolled to complete continuous professional development, and over 2,000 people training with us each year. Over 500 members have now been awarded Chartered PR Practitioner status, the highest level of accreditation in public relations.

We are proud and humble about being the only public relations organisation in the world with a Royal Charter and, on the occasion of your coronation, we renew our commitment to these purposes and pledge ourselves to faithfully deliver them throughout your reign.

Your Majesty, the beginning of your reign is marked by many advances in the technology of communication, in particular related to the likely seismic impact of generative artificial intelligence systems. There is also the ongoing challenge of countering fake news and so called, greenwashing. As a result, the importance of professional communicators acting with the highest rates of competency, integrity and ethics has never been greater.

We believe that professional public relations can be a highly effective force for resolving social conflict, building trust and improving the society in which we live, by encouraging symmetrical, two-way communication between citizens and the public and private organisations with which they interact.

Your Majesty, we rejoice in your accession. For many years we have witnessed your endeavours to build bridges between people of different faiths and backgrounds, to support young people in developing their abilities and to promote responsible business and the protection of the environment.  We believe that all of these goals can be delivered more effectively with the help of better communication, and we pledge ourselves to continue our work in support of these ends.

Your Majesty, as you approach the solemn moment of your Coronation, and in all the kingly service that you will continue to give in the years to come, I assure you of the continuing support of the CIPR.

I have the honour to be, Sir, Your Majesty's humble and obedient servant,

Steven Shepperson-Smith, President, the Chartered Institute of Public Relations