Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

The Queen’s statement was a PR masterclass

The Queen’s statement was a PR masterclass

Meghan is fond of referring to the Royal Family as “the Firm”. She appears to regard it as something of an insult. That’s a mistake, one of many she has made lately, critics say. If the institution is House of Windsor Ltd and the Queen is its chief executive, the monarch is as good as any boss of a FTSE 100 company, as the last 48 hours have shown.
The Queen will have been deluged with (mostly bad) advice from PR “experts” on how to respond to the criticism of the firm made by Meghan and Prince Harry in their interview with Oprah Winfrey on Sunday. Say nothing. Let the already“dead in the water” Prince Andrew carry the can for the alleged racist remarks about the colour of Archie’s skin. Say the palace will investigate any formal complaints of racism, safe in the knowledge that Harry is unlikely to name and shame.

In the end, her statement was a masterclass in how to defuse a very tense situation and get back to business as usual. First, don’t rush it. Going too fast risks errors. Also, a period of radio silence suggests that you do not regard the issue as urgent and, therefore, not too serious. Her statement is very short. If you are trying to take the heat out of a situation, the fewer words you say, the less ammunition you give “the other side” to respond to. It took two hours for Meghan to make her case. The Queen opted for three sentences.

She began, as she should, by acknowledging the couple’s suffering. “The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.” The expression of regret is genuine and warm. Note no formal titles: just “Harry” and “Meghan”.

But the addition of the phrase “full extent” raises the question of whether the couple really told the family how bad things had got. The use of the word “challenging” also implies that Harry and Meghan might have been partly responsible for their woes since they were not up to the challenge of royal life.

The question of what was or was not said to Harry, and by whom, about Archie’s skin colour could not go unaddressed or unacknowledged. “The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning (and) they are taken very seriously,” the Queen said solemnly.

But she seized on the couple’s refusal to name the alleged perpetrator, nor reveal the exact words he or she said, as an opportunity to assert that the issue would be “addressed by the family privately”. She also uses Meghan and Harry’s failure to explain the tone of the alleged remark — blatant racism or dumb question? — to, again, inject a hint of doubt into the claim by noting “some recollections may vary”. The Queen knows the truth will never come out. All she has to do to protect the firm is muddy the waters a bit.

Her Majesty saves the best until last. “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members.” What a fantastic sentence. On its face it seems simple and supportive. But there’s a subtle hidden meaning. The use of the world “always”, rather than, say, “will continue to be”, seems to suggest that nothing Harry and Meghan will ever do will bother the Royal Family enough for them to criticise or cast aside Harry and Meghan in the way that the couple have just criticised and cast aside the House of Windsor. Play the victims if you like, the Queen is saying, but don’t expect us to join in.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×