Lacey's 1981 work
The Kingdom, about the
Saudi royal family and its 2009 follow-up
Inside the Kingdom have now both been cited as standard study texts for the diplomatic community working inside the Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
David Brancaccio said: "In Saudi Arabia, Robert Lacey had the kind of access most journalists only dream of." To research and write the book Lacey took his wife and children to live for two and a half years in
Jeddah in the late 1970s. Friends he made there included journalist
Jamal Khashoggi. Lacey co-wrote his last three articles before Khashoggi was murdered in 2018. In 2009 Lacey made the controversial documentary
Rehab for Terrorists?: Can Terrorists be Rehabilitated with Kindness? for the
Now show for the
PBS channel and appeared as a commentator on the subject for the channel. Lacey is a royal correspondent, appearing regularly on ABC's
Good Morning America, and was in London for the channel covering the
wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. Lacey remains active in academia, giving lectures "around the world". Lacey is the historical consultant to the
Netflix series
The Crown. The series has been widely criticised in the UK - despite its commercial success - for its historical inaccuracies and artistic inventions; former National Trust chairman and ex-Times editor Simon Jenkins branded it "cowardly...fake history". Robert Lacey is trustee of
Kent Opera, which provides training and development for professional and amateur
opera singers and educational and community workshops linked to operas. During a live BBC broadcast covering the arrival of the coffin of the late Queen Elizabeth II in Edinburgh Lacey spoke of his admiration for John Knox, who he controversially claimed had "cleared the Catholics out of Scotland". Lacey's comments attracted almost 300 complaints and were reported in the national press. ==Family==