Since January 17
the Kensington Palace communications team lives in a veritable maelstrom of statements and speculations. Even requests for forgiveness. It was that day when they committed the original sin that any communication expert would avoid: lack of transparency. Since then, the health of Kate Middleton, the current Princess of Wales, has become a hodgepodge of speculation that does not contribute to the peace of mind that is so necessary when she is convalescing.
The penultimate failed episode was the photograph that
on the occasion of Mother’s Day in the United Kingdom made Kensington Palace public. In it we see a very happy Princess of Wales with her three children laughing heartily. The first thing that caught our attention was that no precise date was provided as to when it had been taken, it was simply stated that it was in January. The rest of the work was done by the millions of eyes that scrutinized the snapshot and, as if it were the game of seven differences, they exposed Guillermo and Kate’s communication team.
As current affairs are very much alive, while we speak with two communication experts to prepare this report, it is Prince William’s own wife who takes the floor to
sing the mea culpa: «Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I want to express my apologies for any confusion caused by the photograph we shared yesterday. I hope everyone who celebrated it had a happy Mother’s Day. C».
Es
Diana Rubio, expert in political communication and protocol, who alerts us to this new statement and sends us the following message: «Kensington’s reaction to the photograph has taken too long to arrive. If there is something that we did not expect, it is that it was the Princess of Wales herself who retouched and published the photograph, in an institution where everything is measured with a strict and rigorous protocol.
We go back to that first press release that already cast a shadow of doubt: «According to what they stated, she had already been on sick leave since Christmas. It was a strange situation because they gave a statement with past information. That was the first mistake, from my point of view. After
opacity must be added with which they refer to their illness. An abdominal operation can be caused by millions of things. Another element is the lack of coherence, because they have always been very open and carried transparency, innovation as their banner… They showed what we all wanted to see from the British royal house. Until now, they have stopped dead,” explains Diana.
The Princess of Wales and her children, in the controversial photo. / KENSINGTON PALACE
«There is a huge contrast in how Buckingham handles the situation and how Kensington does. When the statement from the Princess of Wales came out and then that of the king, the first was the result of improvisation. It was very strange that both of them came out with such a short time difference. One so long without saying anything and the other, so concise. Something happened there. What’s more, these days they changed their head of communication,” he says in reference
off Victoria O’Byrneapparently to care for a sick family member, and the signing of Lee Thompson, who worked for the powerful NBC audiovisual group.
In some particularly difficult months for the English royal family, Buckingham Palace seems to have found a better way to get information regarding the monarch’s health: “King Charles III immediately thanked the people who were interested in his health and
its policy has been more transparent than that of the princes of Wales. It is not understandable that there are no images of her or clear information regarding what is happening. Especially considering that they had us used to being categorical regarding any issue and now they are evasive,” says Rubio.
«Another very striking moment was that Prince William declined to attend the funeral for his baptismal godfather, Constantine of Greece, supposedly to take care of his wife, for personal reasons, they said. It was quite ugly that Queen Camilla went to that memorial because she is probably the one who had the least relationship with that family.
It wasn’t good that it wasn’t because it barely lasted an hour,” Diana emphasizes.
An unexpected change in communication strategy
Likewise, she is very severe when evaluating Kensington’s communication, which
will have to take a turn if you want to right the course: «Such rigidity and opacity in your communication shows an enormous lack of coherence. Until now they had a very coherent policy, based on many happy and uncorseted images that helped to remove that sometimes crusty patina that some might associate with the British royal house. It is a very serious mistake that they are so categorical in saying that they are not going to provide information and that, furthermore, they do not have a clear spokesperson. What they do is increase speculation.”
An indication that events are not following a natural course is
the overwhelming silence of the British tabloids, the once implacable English press that did not mind even publishing private conversations between Carlos and Camilla when they were lovers. Or even violate the law by tapping the phone of Prince Harry, who has just won this legal battle, although he has not managed to reverse the sentiment of public opinion that is very opposed to the Sussexes and until now very much in favor of the princes of Wales.
«Kensington’s change in communication is associated with the request to the media for silence and respect for their situation. There is some issue that society in general misses. It has gotten out of hand and with the image of Kate with her children a new stage begins, but for the worse.
Photoshop is understandable to remove wrinkles or improve colors, but what they have done has no justification,” says Diana.
Kate Middleton’s convalescence continues to be a mystery that is getting bigger and bigger. / GTRES
Of the same opinion it is
Álex Comes, director and political communication consultant at LaBase, a company specialized in public affairs and political and institutional communication: «The main problem when these things happen is that to try to cover something up you generate a bigger crisis. In this case the British royal house is committing a lack of transparency. And it is paradoxical because they have always been characterized by having good communication. At an international level they have always stood out for this.”
«Your mistake is quite serious, the lack of transparency and clarity. His communication policy is being very opaque. That’s when the speculation begins.
conspiracy theories. Furthermore, in this case they have fed her with an edited photo that is easily recognizable. The situation has become very complicated for them. “This last statement, no one knows if Kate Middleton wrote it or not, even if she signs it.”
And he adds: «The explanations are hardly credible, because who is going to give credibility to the fact that she herself retouches the photos? If this statement had been on video so we might see her and address certain theories and speculations, it would have helped stop the problem. Honestly, I think
This statement is not going to help clarify or shortcut anything».
When the press is the one that manages the message and the times
Álex Comes is of the opinion that you cannot cover the sun with a finger and verbalizes what, from his point of view, would be the right thing to do for
manage crisis situations like this: «The path that any public institution has to follow is that of transparency. We live in such a connected and informed society, in which information has so much power, that it is impossible for something like this not to end up appearing in the media. What better way to do it than to be the one who directs the message and controls the information. The problem is that if you do not control the message and it is the media that does it for you, it gives rise to possible speculation as to why it has not been clear and transparent.
And he concludes: «The big mistake is
the lack of clarity, beyond other small errors. The failure to specify and be specific in the information they have provided from Kensington Palace. “Everything derives from the same error, not being clear.”
The right to privacy versus the public interest
Like Diana Rubio, Álex highlights the information gap of
the british press: «It is quite curious and striking how the sensational British media like The Sun have not echoed this situation. In the United Kingdom the issue of the monarchy is a very serious matter for the majority of citizens. It is incomprehensible that in the society in which we live there is such a lack of clarity on the part of the institution. What do you think might happen if they had given the real information regarding what is happening with Kate? It’s hard to understand her motives. Beyond the fact that everything is very contradictory, it is difficult for me to think what she might have gone through or what might be happening to her to have carried out these communicative actions. I can not explain”.
Álex Comes concludes by highlighting the problems they will have to face from this moment on and the extra effort that will be required to make any communication from Kensington Palace credible: «Their problem now is that there is significant reputational and credibility damage. A clear example is the statement they just issued. In other circumstances and in another context, anyone would have believed the statement at face value. With such recent history, it will be questioned whether what they are communicating is true.
Now they will have to attach real evidence of everything that is said so that it is credible.
