You only have to be on Twitter for a minute before you see every British publication printing a headline about Kate to know that 'privacy' is not what they want for Kate. What they want is privacy from the Internet and social media so they can remain the lead sources that make money. And I think that is really the lesson the Royal Family should take: they need to update their PR plan to take into account the way the world processes information now.
And not touched here is if they aren't writing about Kate they are writing about Meghan and Harry in relation to Kate: should they come back, they need to make up, etc. Kate is allowed privacy that Meghan was not (I know Elizabeth has talked about this before).
This is such a sticky situation, and so difficult to navigate. I appreciate the perspective here.
It’s not possible to fit every piece of context into one article, but I do think that the speed at which the conversation on social media turned toward extremely dark/violent conspiracies is indicative of a true PR problem for the BRF. People - especially women - have zero trust in any public institution to protect them or other women, and that goes double for a family with a well-known history of questionable (at best.) treatment of the women who marry in. It feels like women are exposed and vulnerable everywhere, and that makes it really easy to believe that the public “needs” to bring light to a potentially dangerous situation. (I’m not saying that accounts for all of the sordid gossip-mongering, but I do believe it accounts for a large part of the online discourse). Imagine if a female public figure like Beyoncé or Michelle Obama had issued the same statement as the January statement. There simply would not have been the same outcry because these women are not a part of an institution that a lot of people are VERY quick to believe is capable of victimizing vulnerable people/women. To me, the darkness and the speed at which we arrived there are belying a lot of very negative underlying feelings in the USA toward this institution.
Also - Look at the Free Britney situation. A vulnerable woman with a large public following “disappeared” and now directly cites the alarm bells raised by fans as leading to an improvement in her situation. The public gaze is not merely a lamentable reality in 2024; it’s an overcorrection of one thousand years of women suffering in invisibility. It’s understandable to me, though complicated.
None of this makes it okay for Catherine to have to suffer public scrutiny in this way, and I feel so much for her and her children. Her statement was incredibly poignant and brave and I hope they’ll be left in peace for as long as she desires.
As a person who lives outside the USA, I have been shocked at how easily influenced Americans are by conspiracy theories. And not just in social media, a lot of reputable news outlets were running outrageous stories about Kate and William.
The repercussions of this, specially in an election year, are very troubling for the USA.
I am glad some of the furor of the past weeks has died down. However, I also don't think the palace gets to have it both ways. We know how the different houses have used the press against each other for their own gain. If they want principled coverage when it benefits them, then they have to stop the leaks and planted to stories to distract from things that might be looked at with a more critical eye. If you don't want tabloid type shots of regular life to be the norm, then you also don't get to run with it when it serves your purpose.
Second thought: if Charles wasn't also facing health concerns at the same time, I wonder if this would have gotten as wild as it did. He is the King and needs to be seen as going about the government's business, but the videos with the Prime Minister and looking at the get well cards made the absence of similar communications from Kensington Palace seem more glaring. It's interesting to me that the two camps weren't a bit more coordinated with their strategies. Not that Catherine should have to be filming videos while she was recovering, but something written by her and not just statements on her behalf might have gone a long way. We are used to seeing them out and about, so to have 2 of the more popular family members sidelined at the same time was unfortunate timing for them.
You only have to be on Twitter for a minute before you see every British publication printing a headline about Kate to know that 'privacy' is not what they want for Kate. What they want is privacy from the Internet and social media so they can remain the lead sources that make money. And I think that is really the lesson the Royal Family should take: they need to update their PR plan to take into account the way the world processes information now.
And not touched here is if they aren't writing about Kate they are writing about Meghan and Harry in relation to Kate: should they come back, they need to make up, etc. Kate is allowed privacy that Meghan was not (I know Elizabeth has talked about this before).
This is such a sticky situation, and so difficult to navigate. I appreciate the perspective here.
It’s not possible to fit every piece of context into one article, but I do think that the speed at which the conversation on social media turned toward extremely dark/violent conspiracies is indicative of a true PR problem for the BRF. People - especially women - have zero trust in any public institution to protect them or other women, and that goes double for a family with a well-known history of questionable (at best.) treatment of the women who marry in. It feels like women are exposed and vulnerable everywhere, and that makes it really easy to believe that the public “needs” to bring light to a potentially dangerous situation. (I’m not saying that accounts for all of the sordid gossip-mongering, but I do believe it accounts for a large part of the online discourse). Imagine if a female public figure like Beyoncé or Michelle Obama had issued the same statement as the January statement. There simply would not have been the same outcry because these women are not a part of an institution that a lot of people are VERY quick to believe is capable of victimizing vulnerable people/women. To me, the darkness and the speed at which we arrived there are belying a lot of very negative underlying feelings in the USA toward this institution.
Also - Look at the Free Britney situation. A vulnerable woman with a large public following “disappeared” and now directly cites the alarm bells raised by fans as leading to an improvement in her situation. The public gaze is not merely a lamentable reality in 2024; it’s an overcorrection of one thousand years of women suffering in invisibility. It’s understandable to me, though complicated.
None of this makes it okay for Catherine to have to suffer public scrutiny in this way, and I feel so much for her and her children. Her statement was incredibly poignant and brave and I hope they’ll be left in peace for as long as she desires.
As a person who lives outside the USA, I have been shocked at how easily influenced Americans are by conspiracy theories. And not just in social media, a lot of reputable news outlets were running outrageous stories about Kate and William.
The repercussions of this, specially in an election year, are very troubling for the USA.
I am glad some of the furor of the past weeks has died down. However, I also don't think the palace gets to have it both ways. We know how the different houses have used the press against each other for their own gain. If they want principled coverage when it benefits them, then they have to stop the leaks and planted to stories to distract from things that might be looked at with a more critical eye. If you don't want tabloid type shots of regular life to be the norm, then you also don't get to run with it when it serves your purpose.
Second thought: if Charles wasn't also facing health concerns at the same time, I wonder if this would have gotten as wild as it did. He is the King and needs to be seen as going about the government's business, but the videos with the Prime Minister and looking at the get well cards made the absence of similar communications from Kensington Palace seem more glaring. It's interesting to me that the two camps weren't a bit more coordinated with their strategies. Not that Catherine should have to be filming videos while she was recovering, but something written by her and not just statements on her behalf might have gone a long way. We are used to seeing them out and about, so to have 2 of the more popular family members sidelined at the same time was unfortunate timing for them.
I really appreciate this post. It explains a lot. Thank you.
Fascinating read! It’s interesting to hear other
Journalists thoughts on the situation.