Backseat PR drivers: Just for fun how would you manage the Royal PR?

[wordler]

Light-hearted or serious suggestions - let's get all those bright ideas from us backseat drivers on the royal and ex royal communications output / and or what to do to improve their public images going forward. Or what not to do.

Pick a team or do them all:

Charles and Camilla

The Wales Fam

Harry and Meghan

The best of the rest - Edinburghs, Anne's clan

For the brave among you - The Yorks

Republicans, play along with your worst suggestions that you hope they will do to bring down the monarchy.

Regarding projects for the Prince and Princess of Wales, I don't mind Earthshot. Climate change is the pressing global issue of our time, and as a future King, involvement with a major international board awarding prizes to grassroots organisations effecting change on the ground is a good thing. Although it does leave him open to criticisms of hypocrisy, travelling by private jet and the like, I still think it's a positive thing for a future King to be involved with.

However, while Earthshot is fine for the 'international statesman' thing, William also needs a more 'down to earth' charity akin to the Prince's Trust. The 'homeless' stuff, while worthy, isn't really suitable. As others have said, it leans too close to the political and, fairly or unfairly, will also attract the 'Why can't you give one of your palaces to the homeless?' type retorts. Realistically, what is a member of the royal family going to do about homelessness? He can 'raise awareness' sure, but in terms of tangible results, that's really the government's job.

I'd say the same about Kate's 'Early Year' project. Too vague, too intangible and potentially too political. As others have said, health permitting something sporty or outdoorsy would play more to her strengths. She's great with people, especially children, and isn't afraid to 'muck in'. The 'Early Years' project just isn't a good fit for her and her speeches have been a bit 'Captain Obvious'. Something more hands on would suit her much better.

Sorry, I see that a few others have already suggested this. For ALL of them, I'd like to see more actual work They are incredibly privileged & need to earn the respect of the public. I think the Crown is a pretty poisoned chalice. But if they want to hold onto it, they'd do better to actually use their position for good. QEII worked hard. Anne does. Sophie too. Diana (who had her faults) walked across a field of landmines & held hands with victims of Aids. It helped raise awareness which is good.

I think William and Harry are actually very alike.

They both want the benefits of being royal but resent the boring bits.

William needs to get over that now

That's a really good point.

Love this idea for a thread too OP.

I never liked Diana at the time but looking back I can see that she was very damaged before she even joined the royal family and basically didn't have a chance.

Despite that, when you thin back the images that come to mind are the landmines and shaking the hands of an AIDS patient.

Her AIDS work was absolutely monumental as the stigma about it at the time is hard to remember today.

I can't think of anything the current royals can do that would be similar.

I would love an annual documentary shown on New Year’s Day that highlights one of their big causes. The royals are so well trained at asking questions, getting people to talk about what they do day to day and shining a light on the cause that it would be very interesting. All the Earthshot prizes and interviews about them and production of.

Camilla and Sophie VAWG causes, Anne’s Save the Children and interviews with Women’s Aid and victims who’ve come out the other side and practical ways of helping.

Early Years - key things for children at different ages, how the research was done, how to implement the results and how it helps in a practical way.

DofE documentary as PP says above.

and at the end of every documentary, Anne’s every engagement of the previous year in fast forward to show how much unglamorous sodding work she does!

it basically shouldn’t be about them but people will watch if they’re in them.

They also need to look at the causes and divide them up between them.

At one point we had Camilla, Meghan, Sophie and Beatrice all wanting to do VAWG.

Yes it's a great cause but they can't all do it.

The Queen Mother was Scittish nobility, and Charles and the late Queen both identify/ed with being Scottish. Charles famously referred to Scotland as his spiritual home.

No 😂 we Scots don't mind a bit of cultural appropriation 😂 we understand 😉

Sorry but you don't get the job 😂

Anyone who uses. " should of " (twice) need not apply for this PR role. 🙄🙄🙄

I'm not sure this counts as PR but is advice for the royals which, if they did it, would probably result in more positive PR.

Charles: ensure you are never again seen losing your temper. It comes across as 'petty/spoilt tyrant'.

Camilla: keep your relatives on a tight leash. For their own sake, apart from anything else. The royal spotlight can be harsh. By all accounts, they are set anyway (trusts and the like).

William: I've always perceived him as a reluctant royal. He should stop 'half-arsing' it. I agree it was a major error to pass on the Princes' Trust. I don't think he's found the 'project' that will be forever linked with him yet and I think he might be King (or as good as) in 10 years so he should get a wiggle on, avoiding political stuff obviously.

Catherine: I don't know if she's been holding back because William's schedule is light so hers needs to be lighter still. But, seriously, she needs to start working harder. I know 2024 has not been her fault but she didn't make hay while the sun was shining and so she now has a steeper hill to climb. When her health allows, I hope she starts climbing.

Harry & Meghan: they should focus on peace and happiness instead of money and fame. I don't think they're ready for this yet though. In which case, bring on the next faux-royal tour. As a royal watcher, I do find them entertaining.

Anne: carry on as normal.

Andrew: go away and stay there. Forever.

Edward & Sophie: should keep doing what they're doing. I suspect their profile will rise as Charles and Anne start to slow down. I agree with PP that Sophie should be rewarded with nice jewellery!

Zara & Mike: the latter should stop talking about the royals.

Beatrice: keep on keeping on.

Eugenie: be wary of Harry & Meghan.

Great idea for a thread. I think they need to look at the DCs to give them something to have as a career. And I think have Prince and Princess school (think one of Scandi RF have this) so that people marrying in can learn about what their future will be like.

@WatchOutMissMarpleIsAbout Good idea about 'royal school' for future 'married ins'. If the 'curriculum' was agreed before any future partners are on the scene, it means it won't feel personal to them.

I agree with some of what people have said about 'half in, half out' in the future. In a way, William successfully managed that with his rescue helicopter stuff. It's just that the job has got to not involve any sort of (self-)promotion element.

I love the idea of royal school.

William got really lucky with Kate - plus she gets to be actual queen.

Harry had a much tougher job to find someone who would put up with the media onslaught, the mad job and not even getting the top job. And then he supposedly gave Meghan a rubbish explanation of what it would actually be like.

Looking ahead, Charlotte should be OK, men coming in don't get the same scrutiny. But George and especially Louis will have a tough job convincing a sensible woman to touch them with a barge pole.

@AnnaMagnani

Wills made a big mistake in not taking on the Prince's Trust, one of the few royal charities that makes a serious difference.

Very much agree with this I was incredibly disappointed in William when he didn’t take the Trust on, I imagine Charles was as well, it’s been his lifetimes work and had made a huge difference to so many lives, it must really sadden Charles and also be quite a worry because once he dies who will head it up? I was initially assuming that William would take it on and then George when the time came so that the trust carries on down the POW title but that’s not going to happen now. The old Prince Harry that we (thought we knew) and loved would have been another ideal candidate to carry the trust on but now we know the real him he clearly isn’t suitable and of course has burnt his bridges anyway.

And a big yes to cracking open the vaults and dusting off the many tiaras and jewels, stop with the faux modesty of not wanting to flaunt your wealth, I still haven’t got over the lack of bling at the Coronation, the European royals have no shame in wearing their magnificent crowns, tiaras and jewels at every available opportunity, I want to see the glamour and the bling please, utterly board of the Catherine wearing the lovers knot tiara and don’t get me started on Sophie’s abomination.

This feels like a thread by the royal family’s market research department.

Well, it's not, but if someone at the Palace would like to hire me I would be open to offers!

It's more that almost every single thread in this topic descends into what someone is doing wrong - no matter which royal event it is about. So I thought it was time we consolidated all our wonderful suggestions in one thread!

It's also interesting to me as reputation management isn't restricted to famous people and celebrities anymore in this internet age. What we are actually doing vs what we are perceived as doing by our digital footprints etc is becoming increasingly important to many of us.

I would happily apply for the post! 🙋🏻‍♀️ the royals probably could do with some normal everyday folk to tell them how to shape up!

God, no! Bedford couldn't cope with the Sussexes! (Bedford NY obvs). I think the fact they're in CA is part of their lure. Harry gave it all up to live in the sunshine and be happy and for his kids to live in privacy. I honestly want him to stay there and actually just be happy. He doesn't owe us or the royal family anything more.

William, I don't know who told you to grow a beard but that's kind of working for you. What's not working for you is wearing the same shorts and polo shirt as your children that makes you look like an overgrown bald child and then pawing at your wife in same shorts and polo to show happy you are. That part of the video was seriously gross.

Charles and Camilla, they don't need any advice. The fact they have gone from the Tampon Two to so many people in the UK thinking he's making a great King proves they're doing just fine.

I disagree about Kate and early years. I think her apolitical role allows her to draw attention in a broad way to something society should be more conscious of. I also think Earthshot is a great initiative.

i think the problem is that William is very private in a way that an heir/monarch can’t really afford to be. But I think he deserves sympathy given what his mother went through plus the media treatment of Kate. I also think being there for their children is laudable and probably the right thing in the longer term but they should be more ready to show us a bit of bread and butter work as pp said. Kate is so private it sometimes seems there is no ‘there’ there and not much to relate to. It really is unfortunate that she has never had a proper job. Sorry if that sounds unkind. She’s not dim, she’s clearly very driven in certain ways, maybe such a perfectionist that she can’t be herself in public for fear of making a mistake - and yes her speeches are dull as anything. So I’d get them both to loosen up a tiny bit and be seen doing more day to day work. Even if it’s near the kids’ schools for the next few years.

Agree Charles should chuck some bling in Sophie’s direction!

@Sussurations

I think the thing with early years is that what she has been doing for years now is delivering Captain Obvious speeches that say "early years are very important". No one really disputes that and early years have got more and more attention over the last 15-20 years in educational research and policy.

So it doesn't really feel like it's doing anything other than giving her photo opportunities

If she had picked a cause that wasn't getting much attention, even if all she did was say "xxx is important" it would have more traction. Diana did this with big controversial stuff like AIDS but Kate wouldn't have to be that controversial.

Something like sport in schools is both genuinely important and hasn't had much focus in recent years.

I disagree about William taking on The Prince's Trust. It is so identified with Charles, and still going great guns as The King's Trust, I doubt he would have been able to hand it over completely. Maybe William decided he would rather not have his father looking over his shoulder and it would lessen the possibility of conflict by not picking it up. I suspect in the future it may become The Prince's Trust again with George.

Sophie wrote some clunky jewellery on her wedding day, I know the necklace was designed by Edward so I wonder if the tiara was too and she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Maybe as we now have fewer working royals and the late Queen is no longer there to maintain the standards of the 1950s the bling will get passed around more though.

I don't think half in half out ever works, the lady time they tried it was with Edward and Sophie and that was a disaster. I suspect it won't be tried again however much Harry wants it.

I'm on the fence about the Wales' workload. Partly because I have no idea how much the Duchy of Cornwall and the rest of the patronages take behind the scenes for William. Partly also because I suspect any plans they had have been knocked off course by Catherine's illness. In addition both Early Years and Homeless are vast and complex subjects that take decades to improve, there is no quick fixes.

They do seem determined to centre their family life and I can't really blame them. I think it will help address some of the issues the previous generations had with absent parents and not finding their role in life.

I do think that the Royal summer disappearing act is a hangover from the late Queen that needs to go, for every working royal. It is old fashioned and inappropriate in modern society. But royal change happens slowly so I expect this will take time too.

I agree about Kate and the early years. Most of what she says is obvious and the changes that need to be made in this country are decisions that need to be made by government such as funding and curriculum. I think she should channel her energy into grassroots charities that directly help families. To be fair, she took the children to a charity near my home which does amazing work supporting families in need with clothing etc.