Palace PR strategy in the wake of AMW-Epstein scandal

[Asmuchastheypossiblycan]

I’ve just seen who I think was a Sky news reporter, reporting on the King’s visit to the Colchester area today, laying out what is obviously the current BP PR strategy in the light of reason developments in the AMW-Epstein scandal.

She said that the Palace wanted it to be made very clear that the RF are very much not ignoring this story and wanting it to go away, and referred her back to Edward’s words about the victims earlier in the week.

But that their policy nonetheless was going to be carry on with their engagements as usual, as they have faced difficulties before, and will do so again.

I’ve no doubt that this is difficult for KC and family but AIBU to think that in the light of what has happened, and the covering up of ALW’s financial and sexual wrongdoings, this isn’t really good enough?

Surely it’s not right that AMW is above the law?

Also, a man in the crowd shouted out a question to KC about whether AMW would be investigated, and two policeman moved him away!

Last time I looked, I thought we lived in a democracy which welcomes free speech?

Why aren’t reporters and members of the public allowed to air their views on this situation and express that AMW should be investigated?

Otherwise isn’t the Palace PR strategy in reality advocating “one rule for them and a different one for us?”

It really is. It goes back to the early days of the late Queen. Astounding facts abound, one that I always remember is that William was the first royal to have staff from a comprehensive school! No wonder a lot of advice seems out of touch, it's because it is.

I'm not surprised by William's statement, I'm betting that up until now he and Catherine haven't been allowed to release anything and from the Duchess of Kent's funeral it was very obvious that both of them were done with being polite to Andrew for the cameras, or agreeing to drive him anywhere.

It's easy from the outside to say what should have been said and done but ordinary families, I have some experience of this, find it really hard and confusing to accept that someone they are related to is guilty of sex crimes, add in palace politics and structures and the government and constitutional implications and I think all the floundering around is understandable and not indicative of a wider conspiracy. But I also believe that it shows a weakness in the system and lessons need to be learnt.

The Royal family are a bit of a lightening rod and what they are showing at the moment is that the government is too reluctant to enforce the constitutional part of the monarchy but happy to pass any blame their way that results from their own inaction (see prorogueing). There should have been an intervention when Andrew was removed as trade envoy, it should have been made very clear after people were aware of his friendship with Epstein that he needed to step down. The monarchy doesn't operate in a vacuum, why didn't the political wing of the system step in when the monarch didn't?

They supplied proof of employment to whoever runs that sub reddit, and a moderator.

Funny how anyone that remotely has any inside knowledge of the royals is discredited. They came across well. It was fair. And not deliberately targeting any one person (although Andrew is even worse than we could imagine)

however nobody should believe everything they see from random people on Reddit!
They weren't a random person, see above, they applied their credentials to the Moderator.

They weren't salacious or unbelievable in any way. But royalists would obviously not like to think anyone could have inside knowledge about the royals outside of palace walls, it might make them need the smelling salts!

The bottom line is, they were rather boring and uninteresting!

Agree, anything like that is best taken with a pinch of salt.

@MrsLeonFarrell
William and Kate weren’t ’done’ with Andrew when they were part of the attempted rehabilitation of Andrew

Epstein was convicted of child solitication in 2008 . The Windsors all knew this and have known for years .

Your point actually reinforces how hypocritical and insincere the Windsors response has been

The little they have done is purely as a result of the release of Epstein files and other information
There is much more still to be released .

I agree up to a point! 😊

I don't understand the floundering around. They have literally hundreds of staff working for them. From PR people, crisis managers, digital analysts, private secretaries, media relations people, communications staff... yet they work at a snails pace and often get it very very wrong.
They only issue a statement when forced to, often by public opinion
The statement they often issue is just a copy of what someone has said before
It is often boring, bland and doesn't suit the situation
They just appear useless at their jobs!

I didn’t say they didn’t provide paperwork I said I’d be interested as to what it was.

You have also read my post and jumped to several conclusions of which none are correct 🤷‍♀️

I answered two posts in one.
And then spoke in generalities of what I think that OP in the thread conveyed. It wasn't all directed at you 😊

Spelling!

This is my point, that their advisers are not fit for purpose and that some overdue reform needs to happen as the result of this. Families flounder, but the monarchy is not just a family and needs competent, effective advice to ensure family related problems, such as how to deal with a sex offender Uncle, are dealt with effectively as far as the institution is concerned. As you say in your post that hasn't happened and it's a disaster in this day and age.

I do actually agree with you, it was fair in nature and quite boring and uninteresting.

I dare say if I was someone who had read any books about the RF (I haven’t) and if I applied a bit of imagination then I could probably have come up with a very similar AMA.

Sorry, I’m not buying it 😊

Yes, I get you... but when I said 'boring and uninteresting' I meant that's how the royals came across!

Is this the work of their new PR person, the one who worked in crisis management?

I can almost feel your disappointment 😂

The AMA person had me fooled, fair play. 👏🏻 I’m usually a cynical bugger.

Yes it was nondescript enough to be believable but the timelines of her working there didn’t line up. , always double check redditors previous posts and comments before taking it as gospel.

Trying to visualise what I’m thinking

Great picture. Its not just about AMW. He is just what happens when all the things you try to keep secret and swept under the carpet for decades all comes spilling out into the open. As they said on 'When it Hits to Fan' all of them get pulled into the Black hole. And deservedly in their case.

I agree with a lot of what you are saying MrsLeonFarrell , especially the bit about families. It does show up the inadequacies of a hereditary system I think.

I think the nub of the matter, illustrated in your final para., is when concerns are raised by civil servants, or politicians for example, and nothing gets done, what is the actual mechanism as to how this occurs and what powerful influences are affecting the outcome? By definition, we probably won’t ever know precisely and of course this is the way the world turns unfortunately.

But, I know that there have been attempts at enquiries made in to AMW’s activities for a very long time..

To quote Lownie in Entitled; ,
“On 10 April 2001, sixty-five MPs signed a motion calling on the RF to set up a register of royal interests, setting out their business affairs for public inspection.”

This had the support of Chris Smith the culture secretary at the time who said,

“The necessity of all of us, be we MPs or indeed. members of the RF, to operate at all times with the highest degree of probity, is something that we all need to bear in mind”

“The Palace did apparently conduct a review of royal business interests, with a view to setting out rules, not least for PA, but no register was ever set up”

(Interestingly, I have just read on a page nearby that passage in Entiled, that Mandelsohn endorsed Andrew’s appointment as Trade Envoy. )

As far back as 2005, the National Audit Office was querying the extravagance of AMW’s travel expenses.

In 2008 The Guardian published a leaked diplomatic cable from the US Ambassador present at a meeting in Kyrgyzstan with major British investors which flagged AMW’s crass comments, which Vince Cable, Business Secretary at the time, announced as “not helpful”.

The photo of AMW with VG came to light in 2011 via the DM to which BP issued a defamation warning and Chris Bryant along with other MPs called for AMW to be removed role his role as special representative.

In 2015 the Daily Mirror was publishing headlines about AMW’s alleged abuse of underage girls and the DM was asking 10 questions of BP about AMW which were ignored as were VG’s lawyers allegations.

Private Eye then reported that “three individuals” had put their concerns in writing to Queen E2 in 2015 and they received curt acknowledgements of receipt and nothing else.

At the same time, Stephan Day, a former British Ambassador to Tunisia, wrote to the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, asking for AMW to be sacked because “his hobknobbing with dodgy Arab businessmen was doing serious damage to the RF and.to Britain’s political, diplomatic and commercial interests.”

And so on … I am sure I have missed other instances where AMW’s activities attracted concern in official circles … and were reported up the ranks.

So was it MP’s fault that AMW wasn’t stopped and reprimanded earlier?

Or was it the civil service?

The police?

The intelligence services? (Lownie says not.)

Or was it the monarchy’s fault?

Imho, there is no avoiding that the buck stopped with QE2 and now KC3, and as he is even now not acknowledging a cover up, or any concerns about national security, I would suggest the latter!

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/oct/19/mps-urged-to-confront-royal-family-over-prince-andrews-epstein-links

They are all behaving as if we have an absolute not a constitutional monarchy. I don't think anyone you have listed is free of responsibility and I do think all of them have failed in their duty to the public. If we are going to avoid another Andrew then every part of the system that let him get away with things needs fixing.

And in breaking news 'Buckingham Palace "stands ready to support" police in Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor inquiries'

About time they came out and said so publically.

Kicking and screaming though

What took so long?

They need to recognise that their cover ups, superiority complexes and their family structures have also caused this. AMW isnt just one bad apple. The rest of them were more concerned with hiding misdemeanours from a family member so that people didnt find out than they were about transparency or doing the right thing. They all needed a crisis manager/PR to tell them to parrot a statement about ' concern for victims of abuse'. They all enabled him.

The police have to get to.him first. I don't think they can just go and question him. Perhaps he can invite them to afternoon tea and in the presence of his lawyer answer (or not) any questions they may have. Don't hold your breath.

Yes I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that interview!

I mean honestly, that statement is better than nothing, but pretty poor imho.

Surely the question KC3 should be answering is, “if you have had concrete evidence of AMW’s sexual abuse of young women before now, why have you not brought this to our attention?”