Preventing a PR Crisis in the Royal Family
Recently, Queen Elizabeth II announced that she wanted Camilla, Prince Charles’s wife, to become Queen Consort whenever Charles takes the throne. In a statement on the eve of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, which marked 70 years of her time on the British throne, she noted that whenever Charles became King, the public should give Camilla and Charles the same support that she received throughout her years on the throne.
Endorsement
She also expressed that one of her wishes for when the time comes, was for Camilla to be known as Queen Consort, and continue her Royal service. With Prince Charles being Queen Elizabeth’s oldest son, he’s the rightful heir to the British throne, and upon her death will become the new monarch of the United Kingdom. Camilla is going to become his Queen Consort, which is a term that’s used to describe the spouse of a monarch. The queen publicly endorsing Camilla has now contradicted a previous statement that the royal household made back in 2005, that said the title of the Duchess was going to change to Princess Consort whenever Charles became King.
Potential Reason for Statement
According to some PR experts, this new endorsement from Queen Elizabeth II was made in an effort to prevent a potential PR crisis in the future. One thing that has been lacking in recent years regarding the royal family was support from the public for various members of the royal family. With her statement, Queen Elizabeth II was hopeful that she would encourage public support for the couple, as well as Camilla specifically.
Why it Works
This is a positive strategy from the royal family, because any public debate that might have happened after the Queen’s passing, has now been completely avoided. If the Queen hadn’t addressed the situation before she passed away, it would have been a very serious debate for years in the public’s eye. Since the announcement from the queen, the public support for Camilla seems to have increased, and by ensuring that she will be titled queen instead of princess, it also shows that Charles is not going to be perceived as being any less than any other monarch when he becomes king.
