2024-03-26 14:51:41
The recent health problems of Charles and Kate, and rumors about the princess’s health, are forcing the royal family to be more transparent.
No more secrecy policy? The British royal family, overwhelmed by a surge of conspiracies surrounding the disappearance of Princess Kate from public life, was forced to shake up its communication to adapt it to social networks.
On Friday, after two months of near silence from those around her, Princess Kate finally made a pre-recorded television address where she announced that she was suffering from cancer.
“It’s unprecedented to make a personal announcement on television” for a health problem of the royal family, notes Nick Couldry, professor of sociology of media and communications at the London School of Economics.
“A hackneyed strategy”
For Michelle Lawless, executive director of services at the communications agency Media Minefield, “this situation shows that the communications team at the Palace” of Kensington, the official residence of Prince William and his wife Kate, was working “with a strategy hackneyed.”
The royal family has historically kept the health problems of monarchs secret, including that of King George VI who died of lung cancer in 1952, precipitating Queen Elizabeth II’s accession to the throne. .
The latter’s state of health remained a mystery until her death, in 2022, of “old age”, according to her death certificate made public.
In January, Kensington Palace simply said that Princess Kate would be recovering for several weeks after a mysterious abdominal operation.
Rumor mill
Prince William’s absence from an important commemoration for “personal reasons” only fueled the rumor mill.
A photo of the princess and her children posted on her been manipulated.
“I understand the desire to have one’s privacy respected, particularly when it comes to a health problem, but if you say nothing thinking that it will go away on its own, the opposite happens.” notes Michelle Lawless.
Conversely, Buckingham Palace decided to announce in a press release in February that King Charles was suffering from cancer – without however saying which one. He thus demonstrated unprecedented transparency for a British monarch, and “his situation (was) treated very differently” in the media and online, she observes.
For Nick Couldry, even beyond the rise of social networks, the fact for the Windsors of having been forced to move to more transparent communication is part of “a longer trend (…), the need for institutions like royalty but also for political figures to reveal more of their personal lives.
“You have to be more authentic to be legitimate and to gain people’s trust,” he concludes.
“We live in a society where we want to be able to identify with celebrities,” notes Michelle Lawless.
Princess Kate and King Charles, by speaking about the health challenges affecting them, were able to show their vulnerability, their humanity, silencing part of the rumor mill.
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