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Brian MacLaurin is a former national newspaper reporter and broadcaster, and a leading UK public relations operator, widely recognized as the man who introduced Sophie Rhys-Jones (now the Countess of Wessex) to Prince Edward.

MacLaurin, a Scotsman, has recommended a variety of high-profile individuals over the past 20 years, ranging from Chris Tarrant, Noel Edmonds , Colin Montgomerie , to members of the royal family, and companies like Chrysalis , Safeway, Global Radio, Nord and Shell , and the launch of Sony PlayStation.

The beginnings of the career MacLaurin began his career in 1967 as a copyboy on Sunday Express in Glasgow, before joining the Greenock Telegraph. In the early 1970s he joined Scottish Television and later became industrial correspondent for ATV in the Midlands and correspondent for ITN. In 1979 he took his first PR job as Head of Press Office for Scottish TV, before joining Crown Communications as Director of Communications in 1989.

In 1993, MacLaurin launched its namesake public relations agency - building the MacLaurin brand in a business that employs 77 people and turning over nearly £ 6 million a year. Other clients included Emap Elan, the Miller Group, BT Cellnet and Associated New Media, and launch radio stations in the heart of London and the Midlands for Chrysalis.

Sophie Rhys Jones and Prince Edward In July 1993 MacLaurin was organizing a photo shoot between Sue Barker and Prince Edward to advertise a real tennis marathon game Edward was to play for charity. When Barker dropped out at the last minute, MacLaurin took Sophie Rhys-Jones, one of her collaborators, and introduced her to Prince Edward, after which they secretly started dating.

When Andrew Morton, author of Diana: Her True Story revealed to Sophie in December 1993 that he knew of his relationship with Prince Edward, MacLaurin handled the resulting publicity.

topless photos In 1999, The Sun published Rhys-Jones' topless historical images, with Chris Tarrant weeks before his marriage to Prince Edward. MacLaurin defused the crisis with an "ingenious plan" that caused the Sun Editor David Yelland to print a first page of apology for Rhys-Jones and Prince Edward. Yelland later admitted MacLaurin "absolutely took me for cleaning."

Cheriegate In December 2002, Brian MacLaurin and his colleague Ian Monk had the task of advising Carole Caplin and, through her, Peter Foster on their involvement in the so-called "Cheriegate" affair, when Cherie Blair, wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, admitted the swindler Peter Foster had helped her to negotiate the purchase of two apartments in Bristol. It created a "media storm", making headlines in many national newspapers.

Richard Desmond For five years, MacLaurin has managed the PR for Richard Desmond, and "engineered his transformation from libelous porn baron to respectable newspaper owner," feeding the boss Northern & Shell through some of the most "colorful episodes in recent Fleet Street history", including the reported episode, when Desmond goose-stepped in front of the Telegraph leaders.

MacLaurin sale In 2001 MacLaurin sold his company to the Hatch group for over £ 6m - pocketing around £ 4 million as the 81% owner of the company. In 2003, he wanted to "return to the coalface media" and founded Brian MacLaurin Associates when asked to advise John Magnier over his high-profile squabble with Alex Ferguson and whose clients include Global Radio, the largest commercial radio group. of Europe and Andrey Melnichenko, the Russian billionaire.