While training to the higest grade in post graduate broadcast journalism in Portsmouth, Jason benefited from tuition directly delivered by the inspirational print journalist, David Kett, who co-authored materials specially commissioned by the National Council for the Training of Journalists at that time. But the genesis of his interest in the contemporary royals was spurred on by his mother who cast an almost obsessive but keenly analytical eye over 'everything royal' during his childhood, during a period when  silver jubilee street parties in 1977 for Queen Elizabeth II seemed a very big unifying phenomenon throughout the UK with little sign of overt republicanism, except for the terrible troubles haunting Northern Ireland at this time.

As a 7 year old, Jason Tanner remembers Her Majesty passing through Cornwall as part of the jubilee celebrations. More than three decades later, Queen Elizabeth was still working hard to serve the nation when he met her at a reception to honour the nation's unique and special force of volunteers which remain the curiosity if not the envy of many countries throughout the world. The British volunteer movement was very much a consequence of the nation's role in creating the modern industrial world.  

Spurred on by current threats to free speech, he recently became the founding Director of the Defend UK campaign for fairer free speech. British monarchy is an integral part of the story of modern democracy and free speech. 

Jason also writes as an independent, multi–subject news commentator.