Two photos, the King, his son in America, and the press
What a hand on a regal back and a July 4th parade show about royal relationships with the press
It’s July 11, and this is my look at how royals are dealing with intense media interest
THE KING, THE PRESIDENT, AND A HAND ON THE BACK
Some world leaders get a photo when they visit the British monarch. Others get a photo and a tea. American presidents get full ceremonial greeting, plus tea and a photo. They can ask for a lower profile meeting, but who wouldn’t want to inspect a guard of honour — this time, almost 100 soldiers from the Prince of Wales’s Company of the Welsh Guards — in the picturesque Quadrangle of Windsor Castle.
Nearly two years ago, Biden and his wife, Jill, were in the same locale, being accorded the same honours by the late Queen Elizabeth II. This time, his host was King Charles III.
And while the ceremonial part of the quick visit was almost identical, including the official photo inside the state apartments, the images from the visit revealed how Charles and his staff are interacting with the media and forging a different style of reign.
As soon as Biden put his hand on the King’s back and arm several times during the ceremony, social media filled up with tut-tuts and more alarmist missives about breaches to royal protocol. For the record, readers should assume that anything claimed on social media to be “royal protocol” is usually, in fact, not royal protocol — for example, there’s no reason why women have to wear pantyhose in hot weather. (Yup, it’s a bête noire for all those who follow the royals.)
To forestall screaming headlines, a palace source quickly briefed royal reporters on scene that the monarch “is entirely comfortable with that kind of contact - and what a wonderful symbol of warmth and affection it was between both the individuals and their nations.” That statement squelched the story for the simple fact that it happens to be true. The most cursory scan of the internet can turn up scores of photos of Charles embracing, hugging, and being far more royally tactile than his mother ever was on royal engagements. He also kisses the cheeks of those he knows personally, such as a goddaughter whom he met while visiting an art gallery in November 2022.
Unlike his younger son’s antagonistic relationship with the media, the King takes a more professional approach. It doesn’t always stop bad headlines, but it can end silly news cycles before they begin. Also, he knows the importance of having images to accompany stories. So in September 2022, the palace released a photo of the new King, Queen Camilla, and the new Prince and Princess of Wales at Buckingham Palace on the eve of the Queen’s funeral. And Getty’s Chris Jackson shot unique images at the coronation.
That acknowledgement of the needs of the media continued at the recent coronation events in Edinburgh, which were marked by a series of photos by the Press Association’s Yui Mok, including one of the four senior royals posing for a photo at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, something British royals rarely do. It’s so unusual that it was chosen by news organizations around the world for their coverage of that day’s events. So, during Biden’s brief stop at Windsor, the media got a variety of photos and videos, which helped raise a regular meet-and-greet into something a bit more interesting.
Charles’s more relaxed, more open personality is one way by which he’s setting a different tone from the very formal attitudes of his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II. As media noted, “Biden had not reached out to her in the same way” when she hosted the president in 2021, the Times reported.
In 2021, the Queen and the Bidens enjoyed tea and then the guests left. This time, Charles added a favoured cause to the itinerary. So, after their tea, they joined participants of the Climate Finance Mobilisation Forum that had taken place earlier that day at the castle. The forum, which brought together finance and philanthropic leaders from both the United Kingdom and the United States and includes John Kerry, the presidential envoy on climate change, used the gathering to “strengthen their commitments to climate action within emerging markets and developing economies,” the press release explained.
The message was clear: Charles is using his role as monarch to continue his work as an environmental advocate, albeit within the strictures of his office. Also, he likes wonky engagements, such as this forum, and won’t be giving them up any time soon.
The result: a royal day that could have easily been a series of critical stories instead garnered positive coverage across the media spectrum.
“Touching moment in special relationship,” said front page headline of the Telegraph while the Guardian chose the more prosaic, “Royal Salute: King and Biden in Windsor climate talks.” At least four papers prominently displayed images of the men on their front pages.
HARRY’S PROBLEM WITH THE AMERICAN MEDIA
A few days earlier and eight time zones away, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, took their young children to watch the charmingly small hometown parade in Montecito, California, marking the July 4th holiday.
Soon, grainy images appeared in the British and American press. The photos, which came from the Backgrid agency, famous for distributing paparazzi images, illustrate a sharp contrast between the rules governing the media in each country. In two tabloids — the Mirror and the Mail — the faces of Lilibet, 2, and other young children watching the parade, were pixilated or blurred. (It’s unclear if Archie, 4, was one of those other children.)
In the UK, the Human Rights Act gives everyone, including celebrities and the famous, the right to sue for invasion of privacy if images are published that show them going about their normal lives. Harry and Meghan sued when the Splash agency distributed photos of her walking with Archie in a park in Canada. Splash was forced into bankruptcy protection. (In 2019, Harry also won damages against Splash for images it took of his country home in the UK).
By contrast, the New York Post did not blur Lilibet’s face in its articles and accompanying video. For that, the Murdoch tabloid relies on the strong protections of the First Amendment.
Prince Harry has railed about how the British press has invaded his privacy and that of those he loves, saying that he doesn’t feel safe bringing his family to the United Kingdom. He’s suing three major British media organizations, including the parent companies of the Mirror and Mail. In a January interview, Prince Harry vowed that he was “moving the mission of changing the media landscape in the U.K. from being personal to my life’s work.”
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to WRITE ROYALTY by Patricia Treble to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.