The PR silence around Princess Kate’s well-being fuels frenzy about photo mishap

By Terry Flynn, Alex Sévigny, McMaster University

Positive public reaction was probably top of mind for Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, when she purportedly engaged in some homespun editing of a a family picture that has landed her in the international media’s bullseye.

While some might consider the brouhaha surrounding her alleged photo editing mishap a tempest in a teapot, it teaches an important lesson on the value of employing strategic public relations counsel to build trust and transparency and avoid creating a media crisis.

There were several conditions that created a perfect storm for the photo to come under the media microscope. First, the Royal Family has been impacted by serious health issues — Kensington Palace says Kate was hospitalized in January for an unspecified abdominal surgery and is now recovering, while Buckingham Palace says, and King Charles has confirmed, that he has been diagnosed with cancer and is now undergoing treatment.

But how each announcement was made makes all the difference in why King Charles has garnered so much sympathy while the Princess of Wales’s situation has been regarded with suspicion and criticism.

Two different PR approaches

The public relations team at Buckingham Palace did an effective strategic communications job of telling the public about the nature of the King’s illness and then creating a narrative for his subsequent treatment.

Since the diagnosis, he has made several public and virtual appearances, given updates on his health and treatment, showcased his commitment to continued service and shown deep empathy for fellow cancer patients.

https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily/status/1767964868307538285?t=j5p3hMHqSfVARq_CnY5p3g&s=19

There are good reasons for this that are in the public interest — men do not get themselves checked for prostate cancer enough and the King’s publicity around the matter may spur them to do so, thus saving lives.

For the Princess of Wales, there are several factors at play that might make such an approach more complicated. As a woman, she faces different standards and reactions than men do when it comes to health and publicity.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/the-pr-silence-around-princess-kates-well-being-fuels-frenzy-about-photo-mishap-225642