There’s no denying it’s been a difficult few months the for The Royal Family, as revelations surrounding The King’s younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (formerly known as Prince Andrew), and his connection to Jeffrey Epstein continue to unravel. As pressure and scrutiny on other members of The Royal Family has increased, ‘The Firm’ appears to have employed a number of subtle tactics to help steady the ship, particularly since his arrest on 19 February. Here, we take a closer look at five strategies we think The King, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and other members have turned to in recent months…
‘Just like us’
One tactic we think the royals have leaned into is appearing ‘just like us’ – or as close as they can be. The idea would be to create relatable, human moments to make them feel more approachable and remind us that they’re real people, too – ultimately, to close the distance between ‘us’ and ‘them’. One example was The King’s surprise appearance at the Sandringham 5k Park Run during a tense weekend of headlines in January. On the morning of Saturday 31, unsuspecting runners were greeted by a cheery King Charles along their first lap, waving them on towards the finish line.
Another example was The King hosting a worthy event on 11 February in the form of a reception at Windsor Castle in honour of carers. The King and Queen welcomed everyday carers from all backgrounds to the castle for the special event, and they took time to meet with their guests and hear their stories. That’s not to say that the event was thrown to blot out any less-than-shining headlines on other topics, but it did provide an alternative talking point around the royals. At the same event, Queen Camilla was also spotted saying hello to Prime Minister Keir Stamer. Rather than the traditional bow or curtsey, as might be expected in royal company, he greeted her with a kiss on each cheek. And when it came to The King, Keir even patted his shoulder, like he was chatting with a mate in the pub. See? Just like us.
The Royal Women
The senior working women of The Royal Family (which excludes Andrew’s ex-wife and daughters, Sarah Ferguson and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie) have been largely separated from the trickier conversations and controversy around Andrew. For this reason, we think their public presence has been even more important than usual, providing a positive example of the work the family do.
The Duchess of Edinburgh joined The King and Queen for their carers’ reception, for example, while Princess Anne took over the official royal Instagram account for her very first post. The Princess Royal shared a personal video to camera to wish luck to the athletes at this year’s winter Olympics, which reminded us that she, too, had represented her country in sport (in the 1970s).
Buckingham Palace also released a statement on 30 October which stressed that The King and Queen’s sympathies were with the victims, enforcing Queen Camilla’s stance on the matter. In early February, The Queen visited the Avon and Somerset Police’s headquarters ‘to hear about their work tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence,’ which appeared to make clear her support for women affected by abuse. She took this a step further by delivering a speech to mark International Women's Day at St James' Palace. 'To every survivor of every kind of violence, many of whom have not been able to tell their stories or who have not been believed, please know that you are not alone,' The Queen said. 'We stand with you and alongside you, today and every day, in solidarity, sorrow and sympathy.'
What to read next
Meanwhile, the Princess of Wales has continued her own engagements, including travelling to a family-run factory in Wales on 3 February. There, she was snapped cosying up with their dog and revealing that her own family had taken on a new puppy – any positive headlines divorced from Andrew (whether direct or indirectly) are surely more than useful for The Royal Family right now.
Project Planet
One of the most organised PR moves from The Royal Family so far this year has been the release of a new documentary with Amazon Prime, centred around The King’s environmental efforts. Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision (trailer at the top of this article) showcased King Charles’ lifelong commitment to conservation. Historical clips showed him delivering controversial speeches warning of the dangers of pollution – as well as the backlash he faced but refused to back down from.
Carrying on the baton, Prince William spent part of February in Saudi Arabia on a trip that largely focused on environmental topics including local farming, species reintroduction and habitat restoration. The visit was documented across 13 Instagram grid posts, among other outreach, which far outweighs the usual coverage given to most trips and engagements. The message we took from all of this? To remind the public that the royals have done – and continue to strive towards – good for the planet and its future, whatever headlines closer to home are focusing on.
Straight from the source
The newest tactic of the Royal Family? Addressing events, and their severity, directly, and The King has been the most forthcoming so far.
On the 30 October, The King announced that he had begun, ‘a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew,’ via a Buckingham Palace statement. ‘Prince Andrew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. His lease on Royal Lodge has, to date, provided him with legal protection to continue in residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation. These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him.’
In layman’s terms, this meant that Andrew would no longer be addressed by any of his titles or have access to the privileges they afforded him – and would have to leave his royal residence. More recently, on 9 February, The King confirmed that he was ready to assist the police in any way necessary, with a Palace spokesperson saying, ‘While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect,’ according to the BBC.
An unexpected statement followed from the Prince and Princess of Wales. While removed, to a degree, from direct association with Andrew, the future King and Queen chose to address the situation in a statement from Kensington Palace. On Monday 9 February, a spokesperson confirmed that ‘The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations,’ and added that ‘their thoughts remain focused on the victims.’
The most direct address of the situation of all, however, was released by Buckingham Palace, and shared across the Royal Family's official social media accounts on the day of Andrew's arrest. Spelling things out, The King's statement read, 'Let me state clearly: the law must take its course.' The King appeared to be making it known that he was aware of the situation and wouldn't be giving his brother any special treatment.
Stiff upper lip
Perhaps the most characteristic strategy we think we’ve deduced is the royals’ effort to continue business as usual – or employing a ‘stiff upper lip’. Despite the negative headlines, they have continued their engagements as scheduled – and with a smile. On the day Andrew was arrested, multiple members of the Royal Family had prior arranged public engagements - and all went ahead. The King was front row at a fashion show on the opening day of London Fashion Week, The Queen had an audience at Clarence House and Princess Anne visited a prison in Leeds.
The King had finished his most recent statement saying that 'my family and I will continue in our duty and service to you all'. And they did, demonstrating that whatever is thrown at The Royal Family, they keep calm and carry on.
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has always denied any wrongdoing.
