William’s Big Issue Moment Shows the Gears Turning on New PR Strategy
Will viral moments connect the Royals to the next generation?
Prince William was out on the streets Wednesday in exactly the kind of low-key, guerrilla PR moment that is engineered to go viral. The brilliance of the stunt is partially due to the lack of press or photo call, it appears William went out in a low-key way and trusted the machinery of social media to amplify his appearance.
Having previously announced his support for homelessness charities and offering to turn some royal property into shelters, all indications show that William will be a very different kind of monarch from his grandmother. As the Elizabethan era comes to an end, the Queen will be remembered as the last of the old style of monarchs who embody the state itself, a beloved figure of awe whose symbolic power lies in her hesitation to wade into worldly affairs. William’s activities signal that he will be more active, like some European monarchs, a figure representing charity and championing good causes in the public eye.
Make no mistake there continues to be a PR offensive. The pageantry of the Jubilee and the media surrounding it was designed to showcase and consolidate the A-list: Charles, Camilla, William, Katherine, and the kids. The first photos of Harry and Meghan’s daughter, released the same week, were drowned out by comparison and his presence at the Jubilee was rather downplayed. The projection of an image of succession is in full force.
In stunts like Williams’s Big Issue moment, you can see the cogs of modern PR whirling. There is a continual battle to get traction away from Harry and Meghan. This latter couple embracing the extremes of activism and progressive has drawn William to the middle, and it is clear at this stage that William will self-fashion as a different kind of King. His rule will be characterized by a willingness to discuss the real issues, to get out and listen to peoples’ woes, and to project empathy. Homelessness, mental health, even identity politics might be on the agenda of this future ruler. No longer the powerful symbol of remove and emotional reserve, the activities of a modern PR machine will drag the monarchy to speak and act with clear values at the forefront of their self-fashioning.