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?”

I wonder if she didn't want to know, the Queen Mother was the same wasn't she , not interested in anything that would upset the apple cart.

The whole establishment was in the wrong over Andrew MW. A buffoon like him being made trade envoy. Its all wrong. Round the world jaunts and now we know what was included. Priviledge encouraged his corruption.

Andrew emailed the queens private secretary to boast that he, Andrew, had Virginias National insurance number (how?that’s illegal)

The extract I saw looked like part of an on going issue . Hardly news to them.

Epstein was first convicted of child solicitation in 2008 I think . Yet he continued to visit BP.
And have regular email contact back and forth.

And of course we now know that Charles’s aide allegedly supervised the decision to allow royal security - paid for by us- to stay with Epstein for a week in 2010

They make me sick

The previous holder of the position The Duke of Kent managed to do the job for 24 years without any hint of scandal or personal gain. I can’t see how anyone thought Andrew was going to conduct himself in the same way.

The first time anyone ‘pitched’ the idea of Pitch at the Palace huge alarm bells should have been going off.

I'm reading it. And the OP of the AMA has provided proof that they were indeed a member of the Royal Household

So far, I am not wrong on the York daughters. They are doing deals and forging connections with their father's contacts in the middle east. No surprise there.

And Charles's support of Andrew and feeling he's been hard done by.

Details of how royal security was sent to Epstein’s house in New York .

https://archive.ph/i7APz

The first time anyone ‘pitched’ the idea of Pitch at the Palace huge alarm bells should have been going off.

Exactly. Especially as he had been sacked from his position as Trade Envoy. Why give him another chance to grift?

The Queen Mother wasn't Head of State. She had a responsibility to uphold public office. She either stuck her head in the sand or actively obstructed investigations.

Please can you share a link to this. I've tried searching but can't find it

I'm not sure if it might go against Talk Guidelines to link it.
If you put 'Royal Household' in the search bar on the home page, it comes up.

I suspect no one here knows as much as you Serenster

You always seem to be remarkably well briefed…

Speaking of lawyers, I’ve been quite interested in the BP PR push back today.

Andrew Lownie said in an interview that he was due to speak on the BBC Today programme this morning and the interview was dropped at the last moment.

I wonder if they received a legal letter from BP?

Also, rather surprisingly, very few stories have appeared specifically about AMW in the Sunday papers, except one on the front of The Sunday Times suggesting that Charles is trying to contain AMW because he is “unstable”.

I wonder if they have received a legal letter too?

Even Lownie’s own article was pushed back in the pages of the DM.

So although I agree with your hope Serenster that the Palace have been busy instructing their lawyers today, I think it’s unlikely that they have been doing so in order to conduct an independent enquiry in to AMW’s nefarious sexual and financial abuses, while acting as a publically funded UK trade representative.

You know as well as I do, that the palace covered up AMW’s misdeeds way back when he was working as a TE and the late Queen had been informed by senior civil servants and intelligence sources how he had been abusing his position.

And the palace are continuing to cover it up now, even with further, serious, national security implications coming to light.

Charles needs to change his strategy quickly. This has all become too serious not to do so,

.

I don’t know enough about how protective details work but I don’t think they are normally in control of what their protectees do unless it’s to stop them being in danger.

And that goes for anyone who gets this type of security not just the royals.

I think the ‘chain of command’ approval is usually concerned with finance and staffing. So if they’ve approved a team and the financing for a trip I think they then can make decisions about safety but not on whether they find the location distasteful.

Where they stand on witnessing a crime is unclear too. Outside the UK as well? Watching their protectee commit a crime? Watching their protectee watch someone else commit a crime?

Does anyone here know this?

@BerryandMight check the RoyalsGossip sub-reddit.

Very shocked by the account of that card from Charles to Andrew. If true, shows that his private feelings differ from the public pretence.

@wordler I doubt Charles spends his time doing staff rotas . But do you seriously think he’d be unaware ?

What are pre employment checks like for staff I wonder . I know in my profession you need a clean record and there are extensive background checks.

Yet Epstein was convicted of child solicitation and was having dinners in BP.

What are pre employment checks like for staff I wonder . I know in my profession you need a clean record and there are extensive background checks.

According to that ex member of staff, checks take weeks/months and all the family are checked out

Shame they didn't do that for a sex trafficker visitor

Or some of Charles’s friends

@wordler
I mean that the argument that the Windsors knew nothing and Andrew lied to them all has been blown out of the water .
I don’t know much about what the security people are required to do either
I imagine the law is paramount. Paying for security doesn’t mean that they must observe criminal activity and do nothing .

Unless it’s another Windsor opt out .

I suspect no one here knows as much as you Serenster
You always seem to be remarkably well briefed…

Too funny! 🤣 I suppose it’s inconceivable that someone could be inclined to follow facts rather than assumptions and confident enough to voice their own opinions…

(If you met me in person you’d be so disappointed!)

According to the AMA any complaints made by staff about Andrew including inappropriate comments to younger female staff members were dismissed as nonsense by QE2 and the staff were likely to be managed out.

Catching up with this thread…

I agree Wordler that there will be difficult discussions going on, but I really meant what the Palace, and the Government for that matter, should be doing now to restore trust…

I think the government could do the following: :

The Department of Trade and the Foreign Office could release the TE files which should be in the National Archive anyway. That would demonstrate transparency.

The Government could also instigate an official enquiry.

I think those two things would go a long way to restoring a bit of trust.

The Speaker has already said that AMW can be discussed in the H of C so I hope MPs act on that. I hope we hear a few questions being asked about this debacle in Parliament.

And I think King Charles should do the following:

KC3 should make a clear statement that if AMW has committed any crimes he should be investigated by the authorities like anyone else and be subjected to the same laws.

And that would give the go ahead for witnesses and those with information to come forward.

AMW has destroyed all of his notes but we know Palace security logs exist and they could be investigated. If AMW has done nothing wrong then the security logs combined with the FO info would go some way to prove this surely? KC3 could state that he was going to make the security logs available to an independent judge.

KC3 could make an official video announcement, a bit like his Christmas broadcast, denouncing AMW’s activities publically and making it clear that the RF are distancing themselves from him.

I doubt it will happen but I think he should also apologise to the victims and to the country for not stopping AMW earlier, and for the long cover up. Also because a member of his family has allegedly endangered national security.

Probably a pipe dream!

I very much doubt that I’d be disappointed! And I mean that genuinely!

It’s excellent to have measured discussions and discuss differing opinions as objectively as possible.

It’s apparent that Lownie has established quite a few facts, verified from two independent, different sources by him, then by his publisher’s lawyers. And these facts are starting to be backed up by the information revealed in the Epstein files.

I wonder if this will be a topic on ‘when it hits the fan’ on Radio 4 on Wed 11th?

I was listening to the when it hits the fan podcast on AMW and LM. They were saying one think the Palace could do is to have an independent investigation into who knew what, their procedures and whowas in contact with Epstein. I suspect this would be a good idea, but whats more likely is an internal investigation would find some lackeys acted on their own, they would be sacked and moved quietly into a cushy retirement, as is usual. The last thing the Royals want is an independent investigation into the goings on, even though all their cover ups have got them into this shit.

Lol cross post! Simon Lewis was saying the Monarchy will survive as it always has but the Mandleson scandal is different because he passed classified information to Epstein. Now we find out AMW did the same, with Royal staff as go betweens. I wonder if he will change his tune next week? The RF have managed to get the British establishment to cover up its misdeeds but the US dont care thankfully. They may as well unseal all of them now and rip the plaster off. There are milions of papers. Who knows what else he has done?