Opinion | Betting against the British royal family isn't smart
By Tom Fowdy
The media has been awash with a fresh series of controversies following from Prince Harry's yet-to-be-released autobiography "fair". Set out in candid terms, the estranged British Royal has illustrated the collision course between him, his elder brother William, and his father King Charles III, not just in respect to his wife Meghan, but throughout his entire life. Harry's scathing critique of the British Royal Family sets out the emotional pain of his life has been a bombshell, and least to those of a liberal disposition, is so shocking that the Guardian recently led with the headline: "Prince Harry's book could be 'beginning of end' for royals, warns Charles's biographer".
But the end of the Royals? Is that such an easy conclusion to jump to? While the past few years have been relatively bad for the Royal Family, in regards to these controversies with Meghan and the Prince Andrew scandal, amongst others, is it really a wise thing to "bet" against them, in terms of predicting their ultimate downfall and Britain's transition to being a republic? While it is common to see "Abolish the Monarchy" trending on UK Twitter. In reality, that remains extraordinarily unlikely to happen, and not least for one reason because British politics is moving rightwards, not leftwards, across the board.
The British Royal Family has one overriding political objective, that it is to defend and sustain its inherited privilege at all costs. In doing so, the institution has been flexible and pragmatic in adapting itself to the prevailing political climate, which has included an acceptance of the limitations of its power and the transition to a Constitutional Monarchy over the centuries, meaning they are never a scapegoat for people's woes. As the modern era emerged, the family increasingly recognized that the sustaining of its position rested upon the maintenance of an image, especially with the rise of mass media. No longer would royals be something hidden and aloof, but would become an ever-present symbol of national consciousness.
The 20th century thus saw "communications" and "public relations" for the Royal Family become an art. Everything they do and perform is geared towards their overriding objective of defending their own namesake and vested privilege, thus "manufacturing consent". They seek to capture the awe, admiration, and popular imagination of the public through their respective symbolism and of course the image of "perfection", maintaining people's respect and also pride in them as national icons, a part of their own identity. It goes without saying that no matter what difficulties the family has faced past or present, this art of public relations has been very successful in bringing them widespread support. It is politics and celebrity culture, combined.
The power of the media cult around the Royal Family is not to be underestimated, not least when it is given the overwhelming support of the right-wing leaning Tabloid Press, who are almost all pro-Conservative and status quo Newspapers, which they have a symbiotic relationship with. The media defends the Royals because the public demand for them becomes a critical source of revenue, and as such they are commercially inclined to consolidate their position and likewise oppose "challengers" to that respective order and status quo. This means that while the press may thrive from amplifying certain disputes and gossip within the family, much to the disdain of its members, they do take their side too.
And as such, Prince Harry's publicity storm against the Royal Family is not likely to end well for him. He has become a liability, and is likely to be met with more ostracization as punishment. But in addition to that, will his exposes permanently damage the credibility and legitimacy of the House of Windsor institution? The answer is: not likely. The Royal Family have shown an incredible resilience to bounce back from modern-day scandals through resetting their image, both past and present. The media cult which surrounds major Royal Events quickly reprojects a sense of "wonder" and "national awe" into the British Public. For example, a Royal Birth, death or marriage. How high was the sentiment for the Royal Family when Queen Elizabeth passed away? And likewise, when Charles will be crowned later this year?
Likewise, the right-wing leaning media will continue their campaign to depict Harry and Meghan as enemies, and will likely succeed. While your "urban liberal" type of person may be able to empathize with them and feel sorry for them, a sizeable majority of the British public will not, and will project blame onto them accordingly. The British Royal Family are ultimately masters in manufacturing support for retaining privilege, and the British working class have long been under the "spell" they set, even if they are left leaning, making them famously less rebellious and more consenting than any other set of masses in the world.
The author is a well-seasoned writer and analyst with a large portfolio related to China topics, especially in the field of politics, international relations and more. He graduated with an Msc. in Chinese Studies from Oxford University in 2018.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Tom Fowdy:
Opinion | The new China COVID scare
Opinion | 2022, a decisive year for the history books
Comment