MASARYK UNIVERSITY

FACULTY OF EDUCATION

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

The Media and the

Diploma thesis

Brno 2018

Supervisor: Written by: Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. Bc. Jitka Thirkettle

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Declaration

I hereby declare that this diploma thesis is my own work and that the information I used has been fully acknowledged in the text and included in the reference list. I agree with putting the thesis on public display at Masaryk University for study purposes.

V Brně dne 20.11.2018

Prohlášení Prohlašuji, že jsem diplomovou práci vypracoval samostatně, s využitím pouze citovaných literárních pramenů, dalších informací a zdrojů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o změně některých zákonů (autorský zákon), ve znění pozdějších předpisů.

Brno, November 20, 2018

..…………………………... Bc. Jitka Thirkettle

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Bibliografický záznam

THIRKETTLE, Jitka. The Media and the British Royal Family. Brno: Masaryk University, Faculty of Education, Department of English Language and Literature, 2018. Supervisor: Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D.

Annotation

This diploma thesis shows the changing relationship between the media and the British Royal Family. It demonstrates the perception of the public image of the British Royal Family members and the changes this family underwent from Queen ´s reign to the present day. It assesses their position in British society and describes their relationship with British media, such as radio, , internet and newspapers. It provides an analysis of the relationship between British sovereign along with his or her family members and the media, public and some significant political figures. It portraits the events that had a remarkable impact on the perception of the British Royal family and provides some evidence of the constant change of public views as well as the role of media in news supplying.

Anotace

Tato diplomová práce ukazuje měnící se vztah mezi medii a britskou královskou rodinou. Demonstruje vnímání veřejného obrazu členů britské královské rodiny a změny, které tato rodina podsoupila od vlády královny Viktorie do současnosti. Práce hodnotí jejich pozici v britské společnosti a popisuje jejich vztah s médii jako je radio, televize, internet a tisk. Poskytuje analýzu vztahu mezi britským panovníkem a jeho nebo jejími členy rodiny a médii, společností a některými důležitými postavami. Zobrazuje události, které měly významný dopad na vnímání britské královské rodiny a poskytuje důkazy o neustálých změnách veřejného mínění a roli medií, které zprávy přinášejí.

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Keywords

The British royal family, the media, the press, newspapers, television, radio, internet, social media, the Queen, the King,

Klíčová slova

Britská královská rodina, média, tisk, noviny, televize, rádio, internet, sociální média, královna, král,

Acknowledgement

I would like to gratefully acknowledge the supervision of Mgr. Zdeněk Janík, M.A., Ph.D. I would like to thank him for his kind supervising of this thesis and her helpful advice and insightful comments on the text.

Poděkování

Děkuji vedoucí práce, Mgr.Zdeňku Janíkovi, M.A., Ph.D. za laskavé vedení a kontrolu práce, cenné rady a podnětné komentáře.

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Table of Content

Introduction ...... 6

1. THE MEDIA AND THE REIGN OF ...... 8

1.1. Prince Albert ...... 12

1.2. Queen Victoria´s latter years in the media ...... 14

2. THE MEDIA AND THE REIGN OF KING EDWARD VII ...... 15

2.1. The news coverage of Prince Edward ...... 16

2.2. King Edward VII´s Reign in the Media ...... 18

3. THE MEDIA AND BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY: 1910 – 1952 ...... 22

3.1. The news and King ...... 23

3.2. The media and King Edward VIII ...... 26

3.3. The media and King George VI ...... 31

3.4. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother ...... 37

4. THE MEDIA AND THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II 1952 – 2018 ...... 38

4.1. Princess Elizabeth ...... 38

4.2. Broadcast of the Queen´s Coronation ...... 40

4.3. News coverage since Elizabeth II´s coronation ...... 42

4.4. Crisis over Princess ´s death ...... 47

4.5. The media coverage of the Queen: from 1998 to 2018 ...... 49

5. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY IN THE MEDIA ...... 52

5.1. Prince Charles ...... 52

5.1.1. Princess Diana ...... 54

5.1.2. Camila Parker Bowles ...... 57

5.2. Prince William ...... 58

5.2.1. Kate Middleton ...... 59

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5.3. Prince Harry ...... 61

5.3.1. Meghan Markle ...... 63

5.4. Internet and Social Media ...... 66

Conclusion …………………………………………………………………….……….68

Bibliography ………………………………………………….……………..…..…..…71

Apendices ……………………………………………………………….……………..84

List of Figures …………………………………………….………………………..84

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Introduction

I have chosen the topic “Media and the British Royal Family” for my diploma thesis as I have always found this topic extremely interesting and also quite controversial. The aim of my work is to show the changing relationship between the media and the British Royal Family and to demonstrate the perception of the public image of the British Royal Family and the changes that this family underwent over the last 170 years. This thesis deals with six sovereigns, from the reign of Queen Victoria to Queen Elizabeth II and describes their relationship with the British media, such as radio, television, internet and newspapers. It chronologically describes the most significant events that had a remarkable impact on the perception of the British Royal family and provides evidence of the constant change of public views as well as the role of media in news supplying. It covers the time from the reign of Queen Victoria, the arrival of the 20th century, the first world war, the second world war, the post-war period to the current era at the beginning of the 21st century. The results of this thesis intend to prove how new technology and public relations have impacted directly on the Monarchy and its standing in the UK as only recently the Queen has succeeded in becoming the longest reigning monarch in UK history.

I would like to demonstrate the shift in the position of British royal family members as the distant remote figures to their current position when they are exposed to some intimate media attacks on a regular basis and slowly becoming detailed known characters. Some of the news reports even show how aggressively the media´s approach can be and what reaction these reports can evoke. The thesis shows the changes in boundaries regarding what is acceptable to report, establishes the needs that the royal family has towards to the media in regards of necessities to be in the public eye to preserve the continuity of public interest in the royal family and describes the fascination worldwide that people have with the British royal family and the reason why the British royal family is the most famous royal family in the world.

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The first chapter of this thesis deals with the reign of Queen Victoria as I believe she was the first “visible” British monarch, for example her royal tours and the Great Exhibitions provided many chances for the people to see their Queen. The second chapter describes Queen Victoria´s oldest son, King Edward VII, whose scandalous life was frequently reported by the press, but on the other hand his effort to ensure the allies for a possible future war conflict and his relationship with other countries were noticed by journalists and later many times described as his significant steps of his reign. The third chapter deals with media coverage of King George V who was famously known for getting close to his subjects. Being a soldier himself, he could easily imagine a struggle during the war conflict and in successive years. He had to deal with anti-German campaign in the newspapers and in reaction of this campaign, he changed the family name of the royals. In regards of the media he was the first sovereign whose voice was broadcast by radio. His two sons became also the centre of attention. His oldest son, future Edward VIII, was famously known for being “a good-looking Prince” and one of the most photographed celebrities of that time. Despite him being extremely popular with the media and people, his popularity decreased in connection with his in 1936. The second son of King George V, King George VI, turned into the media´s favourite sovereign as he refused to abandon his subjects during the World War II. His famous speech at the right beginning of the conflict remains remarkable even today. The fourth chapter depicts the current sovereign Queen Elizabeth II and her reign, and the fifth chapter covers the royal family members in line of succession, their families and their significant moments in regards of media coverage.

The conclusion offers the view that the media´s intrusion into the life of the British Royal Family is constantly increasing, but on the other hand the royals realized that they need to accept the constant presence of the media as part of their self-preservation.

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1. THE MEDIA AND THE REIGN OF QUEEN VICTORIA

Queen Victoria was the sovereign of the and Empress of . She became Queen in 1837 at the age of 18 and due to her young age, she was supported by two important men in her life: her first Prime Minister, Lord Melbourne, and her husband Prince Albert whom she married in 1840 and had nine children (including the future Edward VII) who married into royal and aristocratic families across Europe and that is the reason why she is referred to as “Grandmother of Europe”. She was a patron of over 150 institutions including charities and her reign was depicted by economic growth, industrial revolution and the largest expansion of Britain´s empire. Her era is also associated with the growth of newspapers and magazines in Britain.

In 1820 the British Newspaper was still subject to the Stamp Act 17121 and this tax was finally abolished in 1855. Whist the press was subject to tax, there were many untaxed newspapers that were printed often with political tone and fiercely revolutionary. The initial reduction in tax in 1836 saw the circulation of the British press rise from 39 million to 122 million by 1854. This significant increase in circulation enabled (by the reduction in tax) the press to be more affordable to a higher percentage of the population. The flow of information from across the UK and the empire´s outposts and other global areas was becoming more efficient and timely. The development of postal systems and telegraph systems meant that information was able to be sent to the editors of the day and the information was able to get printed in ever decreasing delays.

One of the first affairs that drew attention of the media was Queen Victoria´s coronation on 28 June 1838. It was celebrated by local parades and fairs, but it also meant disagreement between Whigs and Tories, two rivalling political parties, over the arrangements of the coronation. Chartists2 complained about the cost and foolishness of the whole ceremony. The beginning of her reign was tarnished with her predecessors´ extravagance in comparison to George IV who spent £240,000 on his coronation, she only spent £70,000 by omitting a walking procession from Westminster Hall to Westminster

1 This was an act passed in the United Kingdom in 1712 to create a tax on newspaper publishers. 2 Chartism is a working-class movement pursuing political reforms and representing workers´ interests. 8

Abbey as well as post-coronation banquet. Victoria´s coronation was also the first one participated by the House of Commons and the Gentleman´s Magazine commented that the ceremony followed in most respects after the reformed mode of her immediate predecessors. The crowd of estimated 400,000 people gathered in street to see the Queen. The Guardian´s report of this event focuses on the festive atmosphere in the streets, the excitement of the viewers (especially the lucky ones on the balconies), street decorations and arrangements of the procession. (30 June 1838: The coronation of Queen Victoria)

Another event closely observed by the media was Queen Victoria´s wedding to Prince Albert. Plunket (2003, p.29-35) in his book Victoria: The First Media Monarch claims that the wedding of an attractive virgin Queen to a dashing young prince provided ideal material for the promotion of a captivating royal romance. Her subsequent marriage and motherhood served to play down her regal independence, enabling her to undertake her future tours and visits without laying herself open to criticism made by some newspaper.

Between 1840 and 1861 the Queen and Prince Albert undertook a large number of public engagements that were noted by the British press and served as the royal family´s promotional means. These engagements, performed by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, were also important for a development of popular weekly newspapers and the first periodicals dedicated mainly to graphic news. The News of the World, Lloyd´s Weekly Newspaper, Weekly Times, Illustrated London News and the Illustrated Times all started publication in 1840´s. Plunkett (2003) explains that the special artists and correspondents were also part of the royal tours. During Queen Victoria´s second highland tour in 1844 she required two sketches by Ebenzer Landells and 1860 Prince Albert brought a series of pictures from his tour in and USA drawn by George Henry Andrews working for Illustrated London News. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert frequently purchased watercolours and drawings from the artists employed by the newspapers. Williams (nn) describes that a set of 14 photographs known as Carte de Visites3 were created for the Royal Family. Despite of a high price more than 60,000 sets were sold and women tried to copy the Queen´s of fashion as some men replicated Prince Albert´s moustache and hair and Williams sees this as the beginning of

3 Carte de Visite was a type of small photograph with dimentions of 54 x 89 mm. 9 photographic celebrity culture. On the other hand, the royal tours and those “domestic” pictures of the royal family served for an image of ordinary monarch that people could easily identify with.

The general public´s demand for the Queen to be visible was constantly increasing. In 1843 Penny Satirist reflected the demands of the public stating: “She [Queen Victoria] is kept by the nation as a spectacle and it is right that she should be seen. In fact, it is her duty to come out and show herself, that we have value for our money; and if she should do anything very ridiculous so much the better.” (Royal Visitations and Learned Foolery, 1843). Royal visits became a significant element of interests between the Queen and her people. As Illustrated London News commented on her first royal visit of : “Abstractedly, the desire of a sovereign to hold communion with all classes of her people without regard to local or national distinctions, is an indication of a love of justice, and of that beautiful maternal affection which, in domestic life, cherishes no favourite in a family, but sheds its holy love on all alike.” (The Royal Visits to Scotland, 1842). The general public´s clamour for their sovereign to be seen and reported on influenced the media during this period. Chasing popularity, the media promoted the need of the Queen as one unifying her subjects regardless of class or distinction and reported these events.

In 1848 Europe was in turmoil in the revolutionary year and events from European countries filled the newspaper pages week after week. There was a huge difference between the pictures from European countries depicting the barricades and chaos and the perception of the Queen during her visits, the cheers, banners and attention and Illustrated London News (The Queen Visit to the City, 1851)4 stressed out at the time of the Great Exhibition opening that this scene would be impossible in any other capital in Europe. (Illustrated London News, 1851, p.160-1).

The Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations was the first world fair held in London, Hyde Park from 1 May to 15 October 1851, organized by Prince Albert, Henry Cole and others. It instantly became extremely popular and the newspapers were praising the new building of the Crystal Palace, various displays of participating countries and describing the excessive number of visitors that came every day. One of the displays, for instance, was a printing machine that would issue 5,000 copies of the Illustrated London News in an hour as well as printing and folding envelopes. Queen

4 The Queen Visit to the City, Illustrated London News, 12 July 1851, 160-1 10

Victoria was present at the opening (see Fig 1). She was a regular visitor where during her visits she could be passed by ordinary people (see Fig 2) and along with her family members which served as a great image of the family. At the beginning the admission was £3 for gentlemen and £2 for ladies, from 24th May the price of the ticket was lowered to one shilling which enabled wide masses to visit the exhibition. It proved a huge success, it was attended by more than 6 million visitors, made a profit of £186,000, which was later used for creation of Kensington´s museums (Victoria and Albert Museum, Natural History Museums, Science Museum) and promoted the modern royal family and its new spirit for progress and new technologies. (Picard, 2009)

Sinnema (1998, p.16) provides data about the weekly editions of the common papers: “By 1855, the Illustrated London News was selling 155,000 copies a week, the News of the World 110,000, Lloyd´s Weekly Newspaper 92,000 and the Weekly Times 76,000 and Brown (1985, p.52) adds: “ Only and after 1855 remotely approached such circulation. In 1861, the daily circulation of The Times was approximately 65,000 copies and the Daily Telegraph 141,000. The increasing sales and the public´s demand for news of the Queen and her activities was paramount to securing their market share.

During state visits the Queen was often cheered in every station she arrived to and the recent invention of the electronic telegraph meant that the Queen´s arrivals and departures would be transmitted back to London where the newspaper offices waited. The first story transmitted by telegraph was the birth of Queen Victoria´s second child, Prince Alfred, in August 1844 (Read, 1992, p.7).

The press had to provide some news about the Queen every time they could to ensure their publication. By the late 1850´s the Queen´s royal tours and other civic engagements became common and the public´s attention turned from the Queen and her Consort to their sons and daughters. The newspapers informed about the birth of the Queen´s first grandson, the enrolment of Prince Alfred as a midshipman in the , the tour of the Prince of to North America and Canada. These are only some examples of the events that were generally reported as highly successful.

When her husband, Prince Albert died in 1861, Queen Victoria went into deep mourning. After several years, her ministers and even her own children became alarmed by her retiring from the public sight and so were the newspapers. This also became the

11 reason for anti-monarchical voices to become stronger urging that the Queen does not do enough to justify her income. Clarke (2014, p.163) cites the weekly Economist:” Queen damage the popularity of the monarchy by her long-lasting absence in the public life almost as badly as her most undeserving ancestors by their dissoluteness and frivolity.” People feared for her mental state, her mourning was viewed as obsessive and attention paid to her refusal to appear in public. By the end of 1860s dissatisfaction escalated into republicans calls for the Queen´s abdication. Ten years later, in February 1872, almost fatal illness of the made the Queen attend a thanksgiving service at St. Paul´s on 27 February. Only three days later the nation learned about her assassination attempt which eased the antipathy for the Queen and the British Monarchy. (Rappaport, 2011).

The beginning of Queen Victoria´s reign in regards of the media was marked by the dominant role of the newspapers with their illustrations. With increased circulation of the newspapers more people could get access to the news about their sovereign as the newspapers regularly reported of the royal tours, the Queen´s family, assassination attempts5 or her Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees. On the other hand, the newspapers also criticized her long-term absence from her royal duties due to her mourning the death of her consort, Prince Albert. During her reign the world of the media was also enriched by the invention of the telegraph, photography and film. Inventions and technological advancements during the Victorian period certainly impacted on the media and the royal household. These devices were used by the media to bring the news about the Queen and at the same time she became used to the media presence and learnt to be “the first media being” of a long history of the British Monarchy.

1.1. Prince Albert

Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha was born in 1819. He was the first cousin, the husband and consort of Queen Victoria. They married in 1840 and had nine children. Despite of constant criticism of being German, he was known as a promoter of British imperial power, an innovator and a reformer and the main figure in organising the Great

5 Queen Victoria escaped eight assasination attempts during her reign. 12

Exhibition in 1851. Apart from this enormously successful fair, he was elected the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, a chairman of Royal Commission, responsible for instance for redecorating of of Westminster, as he was an enthusiastic collector of art. He was always interested in technical progress and development and modernized the royal residences of and Osbourne House, the royal finances and supported the idea of slavery abolition. These steps were praised in the newspaper, on the other hand, he was sometimes a noted figure in satirical publications.

There were three main reasons: he was criticized for his “decorative” role; for “interfering” in state affairs and for his Germanic influence. Grever (2006) supports this by claiming that when Prince Albert married Queen Victoria, there was a strong opposition to his German origin. “Being a foreigner and the queen´s cousin, his activities often roused much suspicion, particularly among the English aristocracy. Moreover, there was no public role for Albert. No wonder newspapers ridiculed him for being mere decoration. The Great Exhibition had offered the prince the excellent opportunity to prove his patriotic loyalty, and indirectly, to promote himself.” It needs to be stated that overall he was the biggest supporter and advisor to his wife as it was proved when Queen Victoria struggled to cope with her loss and went into deep and long-lasting mourning. (Grever, 2006, p. 168).

Prince Albert´s death in 1861 came as quite a shock as only the previous morning the bulletin from Windsor announced that Prince Albert had recovered after his two weeks sickness of “low fewer”. Many of the Sunday newspapers were already printed but one or two special sheets were printed and sold out immediately. It was only after his death that the nation realized how important the man was for the Queen and her subjects.

Obituaries filled the press and reflected on his many achievements. The media praised Prince Albert for his notable contribution`s to culture, art, science, business and education. The Illustrated London News Dec 21st 1861 (see Fig 3) demonstrates this with their sensitve and refelctive comments “…Every family in the land is smitten in awe and sorrow which death excites… We never know the full value of our blessings till we lose them… He described a wide realm of use-fullness in which he might become leader without exposing himself to the party suspicious and without trespassing beyond constitutional limits. There was no reason why he should not become the patron of social

13 reform; why in lieu of politics he should not give himself to philanthropy; why he should abstain from bringing his efforts to bear upon raising the education of some of the people; why he should not apply the stimulus of his favour and his example to scientific research”.

The New York Times reminded of his yearly allowance of $150,000 and his position regarding forbidden politics interference and the rumours of his political involvement in the political affairs communication with the German Court. On the other side the newspaper described him as “a man of refined taste, an accomplished musician and draughtsman…. He was president and patron of numerous charitable institutions, in which he took an active interest and the chief promoter if not the originator of the Great Exhibition.” (The Death of H.R.H. Prince Albert, 1861).

1.2. Queen Victoria´s latter years in the media

By 1877 Queen Victoria overcame her deepest mourning stage and made occasional appearance in public. In the same year she was given the title of Empress of India and the title was proclaimed at , but she never attended the ceremony and neither had she ever visited India. On this occasion Punch6 issued the cartoon called “New Crowns for Old Ones” picturing Prime Minister Disraeli offering an Indian crown to Queen Victoria offering in exchange for an earl´s coronet. (See Fig.4)

In 1887 the Queen celebrated her Golden Jubilee. As Fig.5 shows the streets were full of people and newspaper brought illustrated pictures to show the festive atmosphere of the day. Ten years later, in 1897 Britain celebrated the Queen´s Diamond Jubilee. On 23 June 1897 Freeman´s Journal wrote: “The Queen to-day celebrated her Diamond Jubilee, driving through London for the purpose of seeing her people, and of receiving their congratulations on having attained the sixtieth anniversary of her Majesty´s reign. It was not only sixtieth anniversary of the succession, but also by the Queen´s express desire the celebrations of the circumstances that last autumn her Majesty had reigned not only over a larger people but for a longer time than any British monarch.” As this figure shows, the jubilee proved to be a great opportunity for the subjects to see their sovereign as people

6 Punch or The London Charivari was a British weekly magazine of satire and humour, founded in 1841

14 filled the streets where Queen travelled from to St. Paul´s Cathedral. As Freeman´s Journal describes: “Not since the Coronation had London witnessed such a scene of general joy and enthusiastic and unbounded loyalty and cites the Queen when she telegraphed to the remoted parts of the Empire and the Colonies:” From my heart I thank my beloved people, May God bless them.” (The Diamond Jubilee, 1897)

It is important to note that by the time of the Diamond Jubilee the film was invented and provided a great opportunity to film this occasion and thanks to Pathé or British Cinematography and the crowds cheering the aging monarch can be seen.

When Queen Victoria died in 1901 the attention of the media was immense. Plunkett (2003, p.242) notices the controversy when Queen Victoria was dying at Osbourne House hundreds of British and foreign journalists waited by the gate for any news regarding her health. When she died, the journalists´ behaviour provoked antipathy of the public when some of them ran, some cycled and some shouted: ”Queen Dead”. Some of the newspaper issued fake news about circumstances of the events inside the Osbourne House. “The Press Association disseminated a spurious interview with one of the physicians attending the Queen, while the Daily Mail described a touching deathbed reconciliation between the Queen and the Kaiser [Wilhelm II].”

2. THE MEDIA AND THE REIGN OF KING EDWARD VII

King Edward VII was born in 1841 as the oldest child of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. He received the title of and along with Prince of Wales. He studied at Edinburg, Oxford and Cambridge. He married Princess in 1863 and they had six children, including the future King George V. Glencross (2016, p.13) describes that Edward VII appreciated any sort of enthusiasm for the monarchy, either in connection with his mother or in regards of his own. Photos of him during his public duties were commonly included in the media together with his schedule of public engagements. It is known that he had waited for a very long time to become a king and that his mother did not involve him sufficiently enough in the political or regal matters so his life as Prince Regent was spent outside the main monarchical matters of the day. He was constantly criticized by the press for his dissipated lifestyle

15 full of gambling, alcohol and mistresses. The Times often spoke in rebuke and Punch did not miss the opportunity to ridicule the royal family (see Fig. 6 and 7) and the Prince was not neglected from such attacks either in Britain or on the continent where he became a familiar figure.

2.1. The news coverage of Prince Edward

Prince Edward liked visiting new place, especially abroad. As he was not trusted by his mother to take some royal duties and was excluded from the royal affairs, he visited many foreign countries for instance Canada, the USA, Germany, Egypt, Jerusalem and some others. His trip to Egypt was the first tour covered by an official photographer, Francis Bredford. was his favourite place above all and he used to visit the city on regular occasions. He visited Paris boulevards incognito during his holidays which evoked numerous gossips and the French journalist and caricaturists portraited him as “a superman of pleasure who lacked serious interests”. (Lee, 1925, p.182)

In 1870 The Prince had to go to court. Sir Charles Mordaunt brought an action of divorce against his wife and made in his petition, solely on his wife´s confession, an allegation against the Prince of Wales “ (Lee, 1925, p.183). It was the first time that any sovereign would be called as a witness, but the nature of the reason was even more shocking. After Edward appeared in the court during a divorce process, Reynolds´s Newspaper wrote: “Even the most devoted supporters of the monarchy are now shaking their heads over the question whether the Queen´s successor has the suitable level of tact to keep his royal family out of public dishonour.” (Clarke, 2014, p.157). Clark describes that Reynolds´s Newspaper, longing for any high society scandals, was constantly criticizing “Bertie” for his money spending with a comment “he gained that money thanks to the sweat of British working people without creating anything that would have a value of a halfpence” and the newspaper headlines based on the fact that the royal family spends “our money as we live in poverty” were a strong argument for all anti-monarchical tendencies. This newspaper proceeded even further in April 1871 when the last child of Edward and Alexandra, Prince Alexander John, died shortly after his birth and showed no sympathy for the loss by stating: “With a great deal of joy we would like to announce that recently born child of Prince and died shortly after the birth and

16 eased the life of working people in England, who will not have to support another arrival on a long list of state beggars who support them” (Clarke, 2014, p. 163) This clearly proves that some newspaper did not have any empathy or remorse towards to the royal family implying that they are useless and very expensive to have.

The finances and financial issues were the topic regularly criticized in the newspaper. In 1874 reports appeared claiming that the Prince owed £600,000 and the Parliament was asked to increase the Prince´s income so his debts would be paid off. The editor of The Times, Mr.Delane, was taken into counsel and on 1 October 1874 a leading article appeared providing a statement that pointed out that “the Prince´s income and expenditure were carefully audited, and that the periodical balance-sheets relieved the prince of the charges which ignorance or malevolence had invented… A large retinue, long journeys, and a hundred minor but necessary outlays would strain far larger income that the Prince has ever received.” (Lee, 1925, p. 331)

In 1890 Prince Edward was involved in another scandal related to gambling during a card game of baccarat when Sir William Gordon Cumming was accused of cheating. The court hearing started in February and King Edward was again called into the witness box (see Fig.8) and the case covered by the newspaper such as The Gazette, The Guardian or The Illustrated London News and The Times and Punch issued a picture “L´enfant terrible” depicting Queen Victoria showing Prince Edward a list of his misdemeanours (see Fig 9). On the other hand, the press noticed that Queen Victoria was not always capable to entertain the foreign visitors and The Times recommended that those duties that involve royal hosting should be devolved to the Prince claiming: “We feel sure that His Royal Highness, who has won golden opinions as the guest of foreign sovereigns, will know how to greet the friends of England in his own country” (Lee, 1925, p.140).

As already mentioned, when Queen Victoria died many of the newspaper questioned his ability to reign as his mother refused to delegate any of great responsibilities on him and that during her long reign his main occupation was only pleasure and therefore he would have great difficulties to adapt himself to the affairs. The Times on 23 January 1901 pointed out that:

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“…there is no position in the world more difficult to fill than that of Heir Apparent to the throne. It is beset by more than all the temptations of actual royalty, while the weight of counteracting responsibility is much less directly felt. It must be with a feeling akin to hopelessness that a man in that position offers up the familiar prayer, .. Lead us not into temptation.” … As is pointed out in an appreciation of the new King which we print to-day, the Prince of Wales in all his public relations has been as unique among those who have occupied the same position as was his mother among sovereigns. He has never failed in his duty to the throne and the nation…” (Lee, 1927, p. 3)

2.2. King Edward VII´s Reign in the Media

The coronation of Edward VII was first planned for 26 June 1902, but due to his appendix operation it was postponed which evoked some speculations, but the ceremony finally took place on 9 August 19027 and British Pathé provided a film footage of the ceremony and procession and for instance The Mercury in its article “Coronation of King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra describes: “A million spectators on the route. King Edward Firm in Voice. Affecting Incident with Aged Archbishop. Helped by the King to Rise. King Looking Picture of Health”. Those headlines surely did not offer any space for doubts that the King´s health wasn´t in good order.

He was always interested in foreign affairs and diplomacy and was known as “Uncle of Europe” as he was related to most of the European monarchs. He went on numerous state visits and his most important one was in his favourite city of Paris in May 1903 and on this occasion Le Figaro (Clarke, 2014, p.263) declared:

“People are always worried about what is in the Kings´ heads… [King Edward VII] does not have any other idea but to bring peace to the whole world. He is related to all European monarchs and most of them are younger than him so we can be sure that he will use his authority provided by his age and confidential family relations to smooth all obstructions, if they are found, to reach the understanding of all . This is a splendid and exquisite task.”

He made several official appointments including one of the President in the Élysée Palace, another one of the British Embassy and after the visit Le Figaro wrote:” …this was a visit of the most Parisian Prince… Royal words that we have just heard seem to be promises of a new era of our nations” and The Times added: “… this is not a sign of wishful thinking .. his Parisian style gained him a decent influence in Paris.” (Clarke, 2014). In April 1903 Punch published a well-known

7 The coronation available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lomlHuC6eYI 18 illustration “The Chain of Friendship” (see Fig 10) that depicts Edward VII as he moves from one dancer to another, as the first one depicts Portugal, the second one Italy and his final dance partner to be France. This picture clearly implies the changes of the King´s alliances. In July of the same year Punch published another cartoon called “Friend” (see Fig.11) that shows King Edward VII introducing French President Émile Loubet to the English lion all surrounded by French tricolours. After several diplomatic meetings, the Entente Cordiale was signed in 1904. This agreement ended the Anglo-French rivalry and insured the cooperation between Britain and France. This treaty later proved to be unquestionably important in oncoming years and especially during WWI. (Embry, K.N., nn).

During Edward VII´s reign, the British and the press escalated their anti-German moods. Daily Mail was issuing the bestselling book “The Invasion of 1910” that involved the elements of Germanophobia and hysteria was supported by the media who reported about Germany enlarging its army flotilla and German leader, Kaiser Wilhelm II who was also related to British King. Edward II was alarmed about this situation and knew that the only way to keep this flotilla away from the British was “to have the Kaiser in his pocket”. Their relationship was not easy, mainly due to the Kaiser´s constant offence towards to his uncle, Edward VII. This relation worsened after Daily Telegraph published the interview with the Kaiser where he entitled the English people “crazy, crazy, crazy… you [British] do not notice my actions and this is an offence that I take very seriously. I am constantly and wrongly accused, and I have to witness steadily that my appeals for friendship are overlooked by suspicious views.” American magazine The Century leaked some details of the interview with the Kaiser and Observer published the Kaiser´s words: “All-European war, that is hugely discussed, is inevitable and the sooner it comes, the better. … Germany is ready and does not enjoy waiting… using navigable Zeppelin air- vessels is a great advantage for Germany and it [Germany] is determined to use them.” The Kaiser also stated that King Edward VII had been humiliating him for two years and that Britain is a nation without faith. The rest of the interview, that was full of poisonous cues on Edward VII´s morality, was rather left out. (Clarke, 2014, p.280-82). It can be assessed that Edward VII disliked his nephew´s personality and his aggressive politics and was accused of “encirclement of Germany”. He signed treaties with France and and the newspaper called him “Edward the Peacemaker.” (see Fig 12) 8 as his great

8 The picture of the actual article available on https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/10896739 19 judgement proved to be right when the war came in 1914 and thanks to his diplomatic skills, Britain had France and Russia on its side.

Lee (1927, p.262-263) points at the differences of these sovereigns when he cites Viennese newspaper Die Zeit that in 1903 commented on the Tsar´s (Nicholas II´s) visit in Vienna: “The Tsar of All the Russians stepped hastily and timidly from his carefully disguised saloon carriage and drove between thousands of soldiers and policemen, who hardly left room for a thin line of spectators….gendarmes and detectives awaited with quaking hearts the arrival of one of the richest and mightiest rulers of this world whose life is so hard to protect.” This contrasted with the comments about Edward VII who visited Vienna only a few weeks before the Tsar: “The masses streamed to the railway station to see the interesting guest. Through a thick crowd of human beings waving welcome, a crowd not squeezed against the walls by soldiers…He went everywhere freely and fearlessly…” and this newspaper provided a description of their receptions: “The Englishman is free and without fear of his King, and the King is free and without fear of his people. Therefore, King Edward was not afraid of the Viennese… The Tsar, before whom Russians tremble, and who grows pale, at home and abroad, when he sees a gathering of free human beings, who only believes his life safe when it is entrusted to his lackeys and soldiers, he also had his reception.” This clearly demonstrates that even foreign newspaper noticed Edward VII´s easy personality and the fact that he was not intimidated by the crowds that usually gathered when he was visiting various places.

Lee (1927, p.329) provides an example when Edward VII complained about the leaking information concerning a new scheme of change in the Admiralty submitted to him by First Sea Lord, Sir John Fisher: “as far as I can judge, the proposal, which I have carefully studied, seem to me to be admirable. But the whole matter should be kept secret; the leakage which occurs in the public offices is much to be deplored. Admiralty evidently on good terms with Daily Express.” This example of information being leaked to the media via other parties could be the catalyst for the Monarchy to view the media as an opponent.

In 1907 the King with the Queen visited Paris for their week of recreation. There was no official program and the only public function was meeting the President for lunch at the Elysée. Despite this visit to be non-political, the press regarded it as a political act and two newspapers reported this event in significant differences: “The Echo de Paris

20 welcomed it as a reply to new manifestations of German Imperialism, while the German Reichsbote sarcastically declared that the King had gone “to look after his branch establishment in Paris.” (Lee, 1927, p.533). This demonstrates how different countries portray the British Monarchy in the media for political purpose, even though the Royal couple were holidaying. The intrusion into the private lives of the Monarchy would only get worse over time.

When Edward VII died the British press forgot about the King´s previous wrong doings and wrote about the deep sorrow of , the loss of a peace-maker and about his most admirable and most plentiful reign in the history. Even from Ireland came condolences summarised by The Nationalist and Leinster Times (14 May 1901):

“The death of Edward VII´s has evoked a general heart-throb throughout Ireland and why should this occur? Even ten years ago the general manifestation of regret throughout Ireland o the demise of a sovereign would be absolutely impossible, a thing unthought of, a condition of things inconceivable. … What then must Englishmen, and in fact the people of every nation on the earth, think of the manner in which Ireland has received the death of a sovereign who was representative of a people who have held this country in political bondage for so long a period? Many have called the dead monarch ´Edward the Peacemaker´ and it is well known that he was the means of adverting more than one war, that most terrible of human calamities, by his great qualities of judicious tact and common sense…. Former sovereigns of England and Great Britain passed away, and as far as Ireland was concerned they died ´unwept, unhonoured and unsung.´ History will therefore record that in the year 1910 Ireland was sorrow-swept at the news of the death of England´s King...” (Lee, 1927, p.720).

Plunkett (2003, p.243-4) adds that press intrusion and loss of royal mystique regularly reappeared. “At the lying-in-state of Edward VII in 1910, special artists were permitted to sketch the lying-in-state, yet no photographs of Edward in his coffin were permitted. When it came to the funeral ceremony in , photography was again banned during the service and while any members of the royal family were present.” He also describes a letter that was sent to Arthur Bigge, the former Private Secretary of Queen Victoria by Sir McDonnel, Secretary to the Office of Works, written in response of numerous requests for photographs from the funeral service claiming: “…it must be remembered that photography in the case of great Ceremonials of public mourning is a popular institution.”.

McDonnell’s letter it could be argued expresses both the of desire for a popular monarchy propelled by the media and a condescending aristocratic reluctance to succumb to the media´s communicative power.

21

European royal dynasties gathered in Buckingham Palace after the funeral and the famous picture of nine sovereigns (see Fig.13) was taken. Those sovereigns can also be seen in the funeral procession in Pathé´s newsreel “Funeral of King Edward VII The Peacemaker (1910)9.

To sum up his lifetime in the media, initially he was the one who was often criticized for his expensive lifestyle, excessive spending and big scandals as for instance his involvement in two court cases in regards of gambling and divorce as well as his long series of mistresses, but the newspaper´s approach towards Edward VII changed when he became the King. His image of being a troubled son of Queen Victoria was transformed to the sovereign who was a charming and eligible diplomat and who, despite of minimum political power, could act as a mediator ensuring the good relationships with the allies of Great Britain. It is important to remember that it was the newspapers that often referred to him as Edward VII, the Peacemaker and his important diplomatic steps are still rated as crucial for his descendants. The medias portrayal of Edward VII went from that of a playboy to that of a respected monarch. The media always needed to secure circulation captured the difference from a King in waiting to the reigning monarch.

3. THE MEDIA AND BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY: 1910 – 1952

This chapter describes the reign of three Kings, George V, Edward VIII and George VI, but mainly depicts the introduction of new media technology: radio and television that dramatically increased quantity of people who could receive news as the media became more readily available to the public. It depicts the time when the Kings were perceived as loyal sovereigns even through the very difficult periods of the First and Second World Wars, on the other hand, the chapter describes a story of the King who gave up his throne (the very first sovereign in British history to do so) along with the media´s coverage and reporting of those events at that time.

9 This newsreal is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHKyY6kej10 22

3.1. The news and King George V

To introduce this section, we need to acknowledge that King George V was not intended to become the King as he was the second son of his father, Edward VII, and therefore he was not brought up as a future sovereign but as a military figure. He was born in 1865 and married Princess Victoria (a former fiancée of his late brother) in 1893. He and Queen Mary made themselves more visible compared to their predecessors. They made state visits to British towns and cities that have been widely reported and their presence became less distant than the one on a balcony or in a coach. Rose (1983, p.393) explains that the King had his own personal preferences in regards of newspapers.” He never consciously sought popularity, least of all through the Press. He gazed unsmilingly into cameras and had no affable asides for reporters. Except for The Times, he scarcely recognized the existence of newspapers.” The newspaper was also supplied the King´s speeches in advance and received help in knowing the King´s opinions.

His coronation in 1911 was recorded by Pathe Pictures, the crowds lined the streets of London and for instance Charlotte Observer Newspaper stated: “George V of House of Hanover King Over On Which Sun Never Sets Is Crown With Crown of Edward and Annointed With The Holy Oil … Ceremonies Are Marked with Medieval Splendor… The Solemn Beauty of Abbey Contrasts with Gorgeous Colour in Streets”. 10 His coronation was celebrated by the held in London on 22 June 1911. In December the King and Queen visited India. It was hugely promoted by the newspaper that he is the first British sovereign to attend so called Delhi Dubar, the ceremony of their proclamation as Emperor and Empress of India. A film With Our King and Queen Through India was filmed by Kinemacolor and released in February 1912. It needs to be pointed out that this film was the very first footage of the King made in colour outside Britain. A special correspondent of The Times, Stanley Reed wrote: “ Twenty thousand armed men with rail of guns, next the Imperial Service Troops…. Maharadja of [inaudible] takes personal command of his skeleton white camel group….” This was a

10 Charlotte Observer Newspaper available on https://picclick.com/1911-Charlotte-Observer-Newspaper- King-George-V-192092498220.html#&gid=1&pid=1 23 spectacular display of power and wealth and stressed the importance of Britain as strong imperial- superpower. 11 (The Delhi Durbar, youtube.com)

The atmosphere in Britain changed in August 1914 as Britain declared war on Germany and got into conflict with its allies known as . The King regularly visited the troops on the front, as having been a soldier himself, he wanted to show his closeness to his subjects and offered a great deal of support. He used an official royal photographer that provided a great number of photos proving that the King backs his soldiers and they had no doubts that they fight for the King who really cares about them. (see Fig. 14 and Fig. 15) One of the headlines says: “The King Surveys the Devastation of War, 1917”. It was while inspecting troops in France two years earlier that he was thrown from his horse and badly injured; an accident that for the rest of his life left him stiff of limb and sometimes in pain”. (Rose, 1983) The news coverage served as a constant boost of soldiers´ and people´s morale and increased the popularity of the royal family.

As his father, even George V had to deal with anti-German campaign, but having been at the war with Germany, the campaign proved to be significantly hateful. The newspapers pointed out that the origin of the King´s royal name is German. In reaction to these indications and to German air strike using Gotha bombs that killed 18 children at school, George V decided to change his name from Saxe-Coburg-Gotha to Windsor. The news about the name change appeared first time in The Manchester Guardian on 18 July 1917 and a Guardian editorial noted: “The British Royal Family will no doubt be known in future simply as the House of Britain. War or no war, the change would be sensible, for nothing but pedantry keeps alive the German title.” (Nelsson, 2017)

To make sure that the royal family is utterly separated from any German connections, so called The Titles Deprivation Act was agreed by the King and issued on 8 November 1917. Through this act the enemies of Great Britain were deprived of their British peerage and members of royal family with German ancestry changed their names to British surnames. Punch printed the famous picture “A good riddance” that shows George V sweeping the German titles away.

11 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIZMs1ltnlE 24

In 1932 the King made the very first radio Royal message (see Fig 16), which marked the important milestone in “accessibility to the royals”.12 It was written by a famous writer and broadcast from Sandringham by BBC - British Broadcast Corporation. The idea of the Royal message to the people of came from John Reith, the co-founder of BBC in 1922, but the King did not agree because he believed the radio was designed only for entertainment and political speeches. The situation finally changed ten years later when he was encouraged by Queen Mary. With opening words “I speak now from my home and from my heart to you all; to men and women of so cut off by snows, the dessert, or the sea, that only voices out of the air can reach them” the broadcast was a constant success around the world. The Times in its article The King to His Peoples: “My Life´s Aim: Christmas Day Broadcast: Greeting to and from the Empire” described all technical connections that were necessary for the broadcasting and summarized the reception in the empire. For instance, in The Cape Times claimed that it “was truly remarkable event, and that posterity will look back upon it as a landmark of human progress.“ (Henderson, 2015). The broadcast lasted only 2,5 minutes but had an audience of 20 million people from Canada, , South Africa, Kenya and India. According to the royal chronicler, Robert Lacey, the King did not like making the broadcast and he wrote in his book Royal that “it ruined his [the King´s ] Christmas day but made everyone else´s” (Davies, 2005)

Rose (1983, p.394) cites the King´s diary: “I broadcasted a short message of 251 words to the whole Empire from Francis´ room.” and adds some details of the actual broadcast:

“For the King was at Sandringham where since the days of his father all clocks had been kept thirty minutes fast to extend the daylight hours. He spoke from a little room under the stairs, once the office of Knollys. Legend has it that the King used a gold microphone. It was in fact a standard one encased in Australian walnut. A thick cloth covered the table to deaden the sound of rustling paper, for the King´s hands were known to tremble with nervousness. “

He adds that in the following years the broadcasts were not as successful as the first one in 1932 and names the change of the draftsman from Kipling to Archbishop Lang as one of the possible reasons.

Sullivan (2016) describes that the newspaper played an important role in the most unexpected moment – the death of King George V. Only in 1986 the notes of the royal

12 Available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bf30P_PbcZo 25 physician, Lord Dawson of Penn, were published in The Daily Telegraph and the public found out about the circumstances of the King´s last moments. In January 1936 the King´s health worsened and by 20 January he was close to his death. His doctor, Lord Dawson, issued a statement in a bulletin saying: “The King's life is moving peacefully towards its close." (The Times, 21 January 1936, p.12) After the King gained unconsciousness, the , Cosmo Lang, prayed by the King´s side and after he left, Lord Dawson “injected the King two consecutive lethal injections: 3/4 gr. morphine followed by 1 gr. cocaine shortly afterwards…Dawson wrote that he acted to preserve the King's dignity, to prevent further strain on the family, and so that the King's death at 11:55 p.m. could be announced in the morning edition of The Times newspaper rather than "less appropriate ... evening journals". (Watson, 1986, p.21-30) This episode demonstrates that the announcement of the King´s death published in the most prestigious newspaper was crucial for the royal family and demanded “emergency measures”. It is hardly surprising that the details of his the King´s last moments were kept secret for another fifty years. (See Fig. 17).

The newspapers still had a dominant position in the era of George V. They printed occasional announcement of the royal tours, births, deaths or weddings in the royal family, but they played a huge role during the First World War. Constant reporting of the presence of George V and his regular visits on the front served as means for boosting the morale of the soldiers. The news of the King´s and Queen´s visits of the hospitals and places for wounded soldiers were regularly printed and on the other hand served as assurance for the King´s subjects of the loyalty of their sovereign. For George V, using the media reports proved vital as during the war conflict most of the Europeans monarchies fell and this was not the case of the British monarchy. The consecutive invention of radio was used again to bring the sovereign closer to his subjects.

3.2. The media and King Edward VIII

Prince Edward was born in 1894 as the oldest son of King George V and his wife Queen Mary and became Prince of Wales at the age of 16. He studied at Oxford, served in the British Army and went on many tours on behalf of his father. The image of a good-looking bachelor gained him massive popularity, especially among women. He became the King 26 in 1936 after his father had died. Unfortunately, at that time he was deeply in love with an American divorcee Wallis Simpson and wanted to marry her. It is important to note that the British press tried to cover up this uneasy situation. The rumours about his relationship with Mrs. Simpson circulated in high society for some time and some news were also printed in the foreign press. For most of the people the story about this relationship was completely unknown and the majority did not know there was a constitutional crisis approaching. When European and US papers printed the news, those issues either never appeared on the newspaper stands or some pages were ripped from them, as for instance from The Times. (The Milwaukee Journal, 1936). Rodrigues (2011) states: “What really kept the press from reporting on the affair was a gentleman's agreement undertaken by news proprietors who were mindful of upsetting the King. The result was a media blackout.” Rodrigues searched through the Guardian´s archives to find out that there was a gap until Mrs. Simpson´s divorce and despite of the fact that the divorce meant that Wallis Simpson was very close to marriage to the King, The Guardian provided only a few lines at the bottom of page ten. In this case the media played a role of ally of the royal family. The British press if it had not followed a media blackout could have been used to seek public opinion on the matter and even possibly influence the outcome. This is one of the first instances of a potential constitutional crisis that was played out in the modern media.

In August 1936 Edward and Mrs. Simpson decided to go on the trip through the Mediterranean and this cruise was widely reported by the American or European newspaper, but the British press stayed silent. Despite this silence, the news started circulating through the high society as Canadian and ex patriot Britons could access the foreign newspapers. At the end of October 1936 American press, for instance the Chicago Daily Tribune, claimed that Simpson filed for her divorce and her marriage with the King is inevitable. At that point the King´s private secretary, Alec Hardinge, wrote to the King: “The silence in the British Press on the subject of Your Majesty’s friendship with Mrs Simpson is not going to be maintained… Judging by the letters from British subjects living in foreign countries where the Press has been outspoken, the effect will be calamitous.” (Broad, 1961, p.71) Still the British press remained quiet. On 18 October The Chicago Tribune wrote: “an excellent example of how, without official censorship, voluntary censorship is imposed by the newspaper on themselves in the matter”. It was actually the King who contacted Lord Beaverbrook, one of the most influential figures in

27 the media field, to ask for discretion of the media and avoid any cynicism towards to the matter. Lord Beaverbrook initially succeeded in having a gentleman’s agreement regarding a media blackout. However, the censorship of the British media ceased on 1 December following the speech of Anglican Bishop of Bradford, Alfred Blunt, who stated that “the King had not shown his need for divine guidance in the discharge of his high office”. (Grisson, 2010, p. 180-1) “The press took it as the first sign of being allowed to speak about this matter and it became front page of the following morning issues. (Williams, 2003, p.134) The media also provided a support to the Prime Minister Baldwin, who was strongly against the marriage as for example The Times that wrote: ”His Majesties´ plain duty is to raise to the proud position of Queen only such a consort as would be acceptable to the millions of his .but when the woman he would raise to the first position of the Empire is one with two husbands living, the nation has the right to protest.” (Grissom, 2010, p. 184). Wallis Simpson left the following morning to escape the attention of the press.

When the news about the King´s relationship with Wallis Simpson finally came out, it constantly brought a reaction from his subjects. (see Fig. 18 “Hands of Our King). Two short newsreels by Pathé13 called “England´s American Queen”14and “World Waits with Wally” came to the cinemas and brought up some questions in regards of the King´s romance and future possible decisions. It also provides a short speech made by one of the church officials stating that “We hope that His Majesty will be willing to make a great personal sacrifice for the sake of the people he has been called to lead”. As Parliament along with the Church of England´s officials strongly expressed their disapproval, it became inevitable that the King had to make decision whether to preserve the throne or to get married. He decided to abdicate and this time the story was made public in the press and many copies were sold. He made his abdication speech on radio on December 11, 193615 where he stated:

13 Pathé became the leading film production company in 1900´s and invented so called newsreel (a short documentary involving news stories shown prior to the films in the cinemas. 14 This newsreel is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iin4bRtvp-c 15 Available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=re6G1hTlrEo 28

You all know the reason which have impelled me to renounce the throne. But I want you to understand that in making up my mind I did not forget the country or the empire, which, as Prince of Wales and lately as King, I have for twenty-five years tried to serve, But you must believe me when I tell you that I have found it impossible to carry the heavy burden of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without help and support of the woman I love.

The newsreel by Pathé named “The King Abdicates”16 was also brought to the cinemas and after the abdication Edward was given the title of and left Britain (see Fig19). Portsmouth´s Evening News brought an article about the former King´s departure from Britain. Shortly after he abdicated, he packed his most appreciated possessions and was driven from Windsor to Portsmouth where the ship was waiting for him. The newspaper describes how one eye-witness, George Hale, was asked for directions to a navy base and then he was thanked by “somebody in the back seat”. The newspaper described this man as "the last civilian in England to be spoken to by the ex- king Edward VIII.” …the newspaper added that "The ex-King was sad and pensive. Indeed, he looked deeply moved. He scarcely spoke a word as he went up the gangway of the destroyer." The ship HMS Fury took him to France where he started his new life in exile with a new title of Duke of Windsor. (Blake, 2011)

Temple (2008, p.140-142) describes that during this abdication crisis, the media played a ´double role´, when at first, there was a conspiracy to protect the King from scandal, but at the end there was a plot to make the King choose between the throne and Mrs. Simpson. The anti-Simpson group was convinced that the new king should not get married to “that woman” as she was often called. The British press was hiding the story from public so effectively that when the story had been published, the public was genuinely surprised. Only ten days after the people had read the story, the King abdicated.

Only a few months later (October 1937) he got himself into the centre of attention of the media again. He and his new wife, Wallis Simpson (now Duchess of Windsor) visited Germany against the government and his brother´s wishes. The British Pathé supplied a short film about Duke and Duchess of Windsor visiting Germany. The visit, and especially the Duke´s full Nazi salutes, were reported by media. When asked about it in 1966, in an article for Chicago Tribune and New York Times, he wrote that Hitler

16 This newsreel available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCJGVBbnWpA 29 convinced him "it was in Britain's interest and in Europe's too, that Germany be encouraged to strike east and smash Communism forever ... I thought the rest of us could be fence-sitters while the Nazis and the Reds slogged it out." (Windsor Helpless as World Drifts to War, 1966). This overshadowed his loyalty for Britain and the rumours about him being pro-Nazi circulated in public. Ziegler (1991, p.434) states that Lord Caldecote warned Churchill that the Duke "is well-known to be pro-Nazi and he may become a centre of intrigue" and Bloch (1982, p.93) adds that Churchill threatened the Duke with a court martial if he refused to return to British soil. He was appointed as Governor of where he stayed for the rest of the war. However royal historian Carolyn Harris claims that his role was peaceful and he only wanted to assure a good position for his new wife who was refused to be titled Her Royal Highness. He had also many relatives in Germany and wanted act as a mediator between Britain and Germany as he shared the view of other senior politicians "who thought a lasting peace could be negotiated through diplomacy." (When the Duke of Windsor met Adolf Hitler, 2016)

In May 1939 he broadcast his first speech since his abdication from battlefields in Verdun, France. Duke of Windsor drew attention claiming:

Talking from this historic place and deeply conscious of the great company of the dead, I am convinced that, could they make their voices heard, they would be with me in what I am about to say. For 2½ years I have deliberately kept out of public affairs and still propose to do so. I speak for no one but myself, without the previous knowledge of any Government. I speak simple as a soldier of the last war whose most earnest prayer is that such cruel and destructive madness will not again overtake mankind.

Due to his low popularity in Britain, the British media did not pay much attention to his whereabouts and only occasional footages were broadcast during his 36 years in exile. Duke and Duchess attended the funeral of King George VI in 1952, but he got the full attention of the media only after his death. He was buried at Windsor Castle and the arrival of Wallis Simpson (“that woman”), the lying-in state and a private ceremony were reported by the media. The New York Times wrote: “The burial, which was attended only by a few persons outside the immediate family, followed a simple though moving funeral service in nearby St. George's Chapel, where the Duke's body had lain in state for three days, receiving the homage of thousands of his former subjects.” Wallis Simpson left immediately after the service to escape the media attention. (New York Times archive,

30

1972)17. Despite the fact that he abdicated in 1936, people came – some out of curiosity, some to pay the respect to somebody who had chosen the woman he loved over the throne that he was supposed to reign from.

Due to Edward VIII´s decision to marry a woman that was unacceptable for the establishment and for his subjects, the popularity of the Monarchy was in decline. The media played an important role during the constitutional and abdication crisis as they agreed, initially, to stay silent and not to report about the King´s relationship with twice divorced American woman. After the King´s abdication he lived in exile even during WWII. His actions were never forgotten and along with his allegedly friendly relationship with antagonistic Germany he ¨will forever be remembered for being the King who gave up his crown.

3.3. The media and King George VI

King George VI, as well as his father, was not raised to be the King. He was born in 1895 as the second son of King George V and Queen Mary. Only after the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII, he ascended to the throne. At his young age he suffered from poor health (chronic stomach problems and knock knees) and he had a serious stammer that lasted for many years. It is well known that his brother´s decision upset him. He was deeply disturbed, but soon after he realized that he can´t change anything and decided to take his duties seriously. He had chosen his regal name “George VI” in the memory of his father, King George V and was the last and the first .

His coronation on 12 May 1937 in Westminster Abbey was the first coronation of a British monarch to be recorded and it was the first coronation of British sovereign to be broadcast on radio and part of the procession from Westminster Abbey even on television. The whole ceremony was recorded by Pathé Pictures.18 Also BBC appointed three of their EMITRON cameras (see Fig.20) and their people to provide the procession to the nation. As BBC website states, the technical side of the broadcast was at its birth and

17 https://www.nytimes.com/1972/06/06/archives/duke-of-windsor-is-buried-after-a-private-funeral.html 18 The ceremony footage available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUME5-rckRU 31 therefore far from faultless as proved when the Coronation coach was approaching, the recording equipment got silent. Despite some technical issues, the newspapers described the immediacy to the royal family and newly King smiling at the cameras. (Webb, n.n.) Sunday Express provides some numbers and claims that his coronation was viewed by 50,000 on the TV. The King later made his first radio speech19 where he stated: “It is with a very full heart that I speak to you tonight. Never before has a newly crowned King been able to talk to all his people in their own homes on the day of his coronation. Never has the ceremony itself had so wide a significance. For the dominions are now free and equal partners with this ancient kingdom.”(The memorable coronation of George VI and its mishaps, 2017) . It was the first time when people could notice his stammering discourse. The ceremony and procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey and back was also recorded by Pathé Pictures.20

In May 1939 the King and his wife visited Canada to present themselves as King and Queen of Canada (see newsreel King George VI visited Canada and the USA in 1939)21 Despite of having visited Canada previously, this was the King´s first visit as reigning monarch. After that they went to the where they visited The New York World´s Fair and stayed with President F. D. Roosevelt at the White House. The main purpose of the visit was to ensure the support of North America in any future war. Kelly (2014) describes that on the arrival day the journalists could not stroll. He quotes The Post: “… still and movie photographers covering a major event in Washington will be on stands built for them — and photograph from there only.” Shawcross (2009, p.470- 1) provides a description of American media reaction to the royal visit claiming that American newspapers were not immediately enthusiastic, for example in Scribner´s Magazine, an article claimed that a large of American public supposes that Edward VIII should still be on the throne and that “George VI´s a colourless, week personality, who allegedly suffered from epilepsy, was very much on probation. As for the Queen, she was far too plumb of figure, too dowdy in dress, to meet American specifications of a reigning Queen.” Evening Star stressed that despite of unpolitical purpose of the visit, the British government had assured that “the natural ties between the British and American peoples” would be dramatized and New York Times used a title “a pageant with a meaning” stressing that Americans provided a spiritual comfort for to the associated democratic

19 The speech is available on https://www.britishpathe.com/video/george-vi-coronation-speech-1937 20 The ceremony footage available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUME5-rckRU 21 The newsreel available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyKf3b0Vt8w 32 country and that “the British throne continues to exist because the British people regard it as a safeguard against tyranny… The liberties of England could not be destroyed without danger to our own.” In London, The Times stressed the non-political character of the visit and added: “The two Governments understand one another well enough and have no need to ask King and President to interrupt the pleasures of social intercourse with business of State.” (see Fig 21). The American were curious to see the royal couple and streets were line with huge crowds.

Despite the warm welcome in Canada and the USA, the war was rapidly approaching. When Chamberlain returned from Munich after signing the Munich Agreement on 30 September 1938 claiming: “I believe it is peace for our time.”, the King invited Chamberlain to Buckingham Palace and they appeared on the balcony and were cheered by a huge crowd. The newspapers of the time were full of praise. (Hitchens,P. 2011). When Chamberlain resigned, and Churchill became the new Prime Minister, the King found him difficult to talk to first, but they soon found their way to communicate and it soon proved to be considerably important as World War II started the very next day by German invasion of . Churchill informed the King about the situation and the most important speech of the King´s reign was made on radio on 3 September 1939 declaring the war:

”In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history, I send to every household of my peoples, both at home and overseas, this message, spoken with the same depth of feeling for each one of you as if I were able to cross your threshold and speak to you myself. For the second time in the lives of most of us, we are at war. Over and over again, we have tried to find a peaceful way out of the differences between ourselves and those who are now our enemies; but it has been in vain. We have been forced into a conflict, for we are called, with our allies, to meet the challenge of a principle which, if it were to prevail, would be fatal to any civilized order in the world. It is a principle which permits a state, in the selfish pursuit of power, to disregard its treaties and its solemn pledges, which sanctions the use of force or threat of force against the sovereignty and independence of other states. Such a principle, stripped of all disguise, is surely the mere primitive doctrine that might is right, and if this principle were established through the world, the freedom of our own country and of the whole British would be in danger. But far more than this, the peoples of the world would be kept in bondage of fear, and all hopes of settled peace and of the security, of justice and liberty, among nations, would be ended. This is the ultimate issue which confronts us. For the sake of all that we ourselves hold dear, and of the world order and peace, it is unthinkable that we should refuse to meet the challenge. It is to this high purpose that I now call my people at home, and my peoples across the seas, who will make our cause their own. I ask them to stand calm and firm and united in this time of trial. The task will be hard. There may be dark days ahead, and war can no longer be confined to the battlefield, but we can only do the right as we see the right, and reverently commit our cause to God. If one and all we keep resolutely faithful to it, ready for whatever service or sacrifice it may demand, then with God's help, we shall prevail. May He bless and keep us all.” 22

22 The speech available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opkMyKGx7TQ 33

This speech stays remarkable until today (see Fig 22). The King had to overcome his speech disorder, quite an obvious stammer. Farndale (2011) describes that ironically in connection with the fact that he was the King, he could not pronounce the letter “K”. Furthermore, he was advised to smoke as it could allegedly helped to improve his speech problem, which later proved fatal for his health. He had to overcome this issue in the most stressful and upsetting time for his subjects and Farndale adds:” The stammering that defined him, and the courage that with which he tried to beat it, came to the vulnerability of the British people as they stood alone against the Nazi tyranny”. I believe he realized how vital it would be for his subjects to be addressed by their sovereign and felt that he had to oblige.

Only three months later the most important Christmas Message was broadcast where the King quoted the famous line of the poem written by “The Gate of the Year” that became quoted thousands of times after in many articles. He said:

“A is at hand. We cannot tell what it will bring. If it brings peace, how thankful we shall all be. If it brings us continued struggle we shall remain undaunted. l I feel that we may all find a message of encouragement in the lines which, in my closing words, I would like to say to you:

I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.

May that Almighty Hand guide and uphold us all. “

The radio provided an opportunity for people to be ensured by their King that the nation will remain strong irrespective of what the future holds and another important moments and the reason for his increasing popularity among the ordinary people was his (and the Queen´s) decision to stay in Britain during the bombing (see Fig 23). As newspaper and newsreels (for instance King and Queen Visit a Bombed Hospital23 or Another Military Objective24 showing a footage when Buckingham Palace was bombed) illustrate, he stayed with his subjects (see Fig. 24 and Fig 25) and this was never forgotten and for example wrote on 10 September 1940: “The King walks among his

23 The footage available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pz_9eZKo0bc 24 The footage available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxbV8EcaSkk 34 people…. After the bombing of London on Sunday night, the King visited the people of south-eastern area. He found men, women and children who had seen destruction and violent death. He found them smiling, courageous, hopeful.” (Daily Mirror, 1940 on The British newspaper website) or Hendon & Finchley Times on 4 October 1940 issued an article “Their Majesties Visit Bombed Area” stating: “Their Majesties King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visited the North-West of London last Friday afternoon, in the centre of tour of areas damaged by air raids. A large crowd gave the King and the Queen enthusiastic welcome, and surged round them when they left their car, near the entrance to an air raid wardens post.” (Their Majesties Visit Bombed Area, 1940)

The King and the Queen never left Britain and the coverage of their constant presence among the public served as proof of “loyal king” and his devotion for his country and nation would never be forgotten.

At the end of the war he made his famous “Victory Speech” 25 on VE Day:

“Today we give thanks to Almighty God for a great deliverance. Speaking from our Empire's oldest capital city, war-battered but never for one moment daunted or dismayed - speaking from London, I ask you to join with me in that act of thanksgiving. … Let us remember those who will not come back: their constancy and courage in battle, their sacrifice and endurance in the face of a merciless enemy; let us remember the men in all the services, and the women in all the services, who have laid down their lives. We have come to the end of our tribulation and they are not with us at the moment of our rejoicing. There is great comfort in the thought that the years of darkness and danger in which the children of our country have grown up are over and, please God, forever. We shall have failed and the blood of our dearest will have flowed in vain if the victory which they died to win does not lead to a lasting peace, founded on justice and good will.“ ( website)

and three months later in regards of Victory over broadcast by radio and listened by many of his subjects.

During his reign his Christmas Message was also recorded but played later as for instance when in 1951 his voice was too weak after a lung operation. In the years after the war, the Christmas broadcast was also an hour-long programme that consisted of the various messages from the British Empire and the Commonwealth. The King´s Message, that was broadcast at the end of the programme, seemed then to make it complete. (Henderson, 2015)

In 1947 the King, the Queen and their two daughters, Elizabeth and Margaret, set off in three months journey to South Africa (see Fig 26). The King decided to express his

25 The King´s Speech available on http://www.theunknownwarriors.co.uk/the-kings-speech/4548188334 35 gratitude towards to the South Africa´s support during the war and hoped for ensuring the future of British empire and Commonwealth. Millin, the journalist for The Spectator, described on 19 June 1947:

“Here came four Royal people from England - and they were not at all like the King's grandfather with his goodwill tours in Paris. They were modest, lovable, so anxious to please, so eagerly pleased, that it was almost painful to watch them doing their duty, and another duty, and still another duty, and a further duty, and anything anyone considered a duty - more, indeed, than was necessary for duty.” (Munro, 2016)

The royal family was welcome everywhere and they saw the best of the country, such as schools, hospitals, town halls, wild life reservations, sport clubs, game reserves, wine yards, ostrich farms, mines, balls, banquets, endless number of presentations, dinners and displays.(see Fig 27) Well recorded and photographed, it now serves as a great example of how busy these ten months must have been and points out that these reports significantly served as boost for the royal family´s popularity. It is important to add that despite the King´s effort, South Africa parted from the British empire and became a republic in 1961 (Munro, 2016)

Rhode James (1998) describes that the following years of his reign were influenced by his deteriorating health. Due to his heavy smoking he was diagnosed with lung cancer and later operated. He had another health issues such as arteriosclerosis and Buerger´s disease so his journey to and Australia had to be postponed due to his arterial blockage. In October 1951 his left lung had been removed and it seemed that his condition improved. In November he delivered the speech at the State Opening of Parliament which was broadcast and in December his Christmas Speech was broadcast.

Not many people recognized how serious his health issues were, so it came as a shock to everyone when his valet, James MacDonald, found him dead in his bed on 6 February 1952. The media flooded the public by the news (see Fig 28). His daughter, now Queen Elizabeth, was on her trip to Kenya with her husband Prince Philip, had to fly immediately back to Britain and even in this difficult time the media were present to provide every step of a new Queen.

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3.4. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother

Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was born in 1900. She was the youngest child of Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne and his wife Cecilia. She met Prince Albert, future King George VI, in 1920 at Glamis Castle owned by her family. He proposed to her three times and only the third time she agreed. Their wedding was a public affair and took place on 26 April 1923 in Westminster Abbey and was reported by the media. The Times described her dress as “the simplest ever made for a royal wedding,” and printed the picture of Duke and on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. (Bozzoli, 2017).

All her life she was known as a great supporter and helper first for her husband, King George VI, then for her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II, but she gained the biggest popularity same way as her husband, by not leaving the country during the Second World War. She toured the affected areas and offered her support to the British and famously told her friend after Buckingham Palace was bombed: “I am glad we have been bombed. Now we can look the East End in the eye.” (The Queen Mother in her own words, 2002).

After her husband, King George VI, died, she was a great support to her daughter who became the Queen at young age and by that time she also had two small children (Charles and Anne) who regularly spent their time with their grandmother. She was later called The Queen Mother and the press used to describe her good health and young spirit. She died at the age of 101 as one of the most popular members of the royal family.

The media played a vital role during George VI´s reign. It needs to be stressed that he became the King at a not very favourable time for the royal family as his brother, former King Edward VIII, abdicated and in the eyes of the media and the public did not show enough loyalty towards to his country nor his subjects. George VI proved to be devoted to both. He overcame his stammer and made several crucial speeches that were incredibly important for the British public and he was loved by the media for not leaving the country during the war. The media felt that this could support the tested nation and regularly reported on him and the Queen meeting the ordinary people of the bombed areas.

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After the war he exerted his efforts to keep the British Empire together and despite that the British Empire dissolved, however, he remained a very popular figure in those former dominions. His visits were also broadcast or published and his sudden death was a shock for the media and they could not do anything else but pay respect to the King who was not intended to be the British sovereign but became one of the most favourite ones.

4. THE MEDIA AND THE QUEEN ELIZABETH II: 1952 – 2018

At the time of succession of Queen Elizabeth II radio and television already existed along with newspapers, but the second half of the twentieth century saw an increasing number of broadcasts and articles involving the royal family. The Queen soon realized that she would have to get used to the constant presence of the media and the members of her royal family realized that “everything” (even some unfavourable things) will be immediately reported to increase the circulation of newspapers and number of the viewers and listeners. There is and always has been a “love-hate” relationship between the media and royal family and they both had to adjust to each other´s demands and requirements. An invention of the internet and social media at the end of 20th century provided a new platform to test the boundaries of this relationship.

4.1. Princess Elizabeth

Princess Elizabeth was the daughter of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. She was born in 1926 as their first child. She appeared on the front page of TIME in April 1929 (see Fig.29) when she turned three. She had a great relationship with her grandfather, King George V, called her Lilibet. She was 10 when he died, and she was only 11 years old when she found out that she will become the Queen one day as her uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated. It can be assessed that until this abdication in 1936 she was not the centre of attention as she was not in direct line of succession and only occasional family pictures appeared in the newspapers.

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It was her father´s coronation when Princess Elizabeth was in the focus of cameras. She was present throughout the whole ceremony and also appeared on Buckingham Palace balcony along with her parents, King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.

When Britain entered the war in 1939 her parents refused to send her and her sister Margaret to Canada and they were secretly moved to Windsor Castle where they maintained living till end of the war. On 18 December 1940 Princess Elizabeth made her first radio broadcast in the BBC´s programme Children´s Hour. She talked to the children who had been evacuated like she and her sister and separated from their families.” We are trying to do all we can to help our gallant sailors, soldiers and airmen, and we are trying, too, to bear our share of the danger and sadness of war. We know, every one of us, that in the end all will be well.” 26 William (2012) stresses that the photos of her taken during the war conflict were used for propaganda. They featured her standing by the vehicle (see Fig.30) or wielding her spanner and these pictures frequently appeared in the Allied newspapers. When the war ended, she appeared on Buckingham Palace balcony on 8 May 1945 (see Fig 31) along with her parents, sister and Prime Minister Winston Churchill. (William, 2012).

In 1947 she went on a three-month trip to South Africa along with her parents and sister because her father, King George V wanted to ensure the stability of the British Empire. The cruise from Portsmouth to Cape Town and their ten weeks busy schedule (involving 10,000 miles of travel with 4920 miles by train) was intensively reported by BBC and broadcast back to Britain. The newspapers covered the event, encounters and official occasions were reported throughout the whole royal visit27. (Munro, 2016). The lines that still resonate and that are often quoted are those from her 21st Birthday Speech broadcast from Cape Town in South Africa: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong”28. Her speech was addressed to the people of Commonwealth, quoted many times in the media and is considered to be one of the most important Queen´s Speeches despite of her not being the ruling monarch back at that time.

26 Children´s Hour broadcast available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJI9LPFQth4 27 http://www.theheritageportal.co.za/article/rediscovering-1947-royal-visit-south-africa 28 The speech was written by journalinst Dermot Morrah and the letter thanking him by royal family is available on https://www.theoldie.co.uk/article/my-grandfather-wrote-the-princesss-speech 39

On July 10, 1947 the newspapers informed the public about an official announcement of Buckingham Palace of an engagement of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Philip: “It is with the greatest pleasure that the King and Queen announce the betrothal of their dearly beloved daughter, the Princess Elizabeth, to Lt. Philip Mountbatten”. (see Fig 32)

Their wedding was an occasion that the media closely observed (see Fig 33). As the wedding took place after WWII on 20 November 1947, there was still a rationing system in place in Britain so Princess Elizabeth had to secure ration coupons and the whole wedding was done a way to make it as reasonable as possible. The wedding was broadcast to 200 million radio listeners in the world and after the ceremony the royal couple waved from the balcony of Buckingham Palace to a huge crowd of people. It was agreed by the government to award the Princess 200 clothing coupons. (Bilyeau &Vargas, 2018). Part of the wedding was filmed, except the ceremony inside Westminster Abbey. For that part people had to switch to radio. (´Radio Times´: The Royal Wedding, BBC archive)

The media informed about the birth of the Queen´s first child Charles in 1948 and then first daughter Anne in 1950. When in 1952 she visited South Africa and Kenya with Prince Philip, that was the place where she found out about the sudden of her father. John Jockimsen, who covered Princess Elizabeth´s and the ´s honeymoon trip to Kenya, recalls in the series The Royal that the journalists were asked not to take any pictures of the Queen and points out that not like today´s paparazzi this requirement was accepted. Her return to Britain was reported (see Fig. 34) and the preparations for her coronation commenced.

4.2. Broadcast of the Queen´s Coronation

Marr (2012, p.145-153) points out that no former sovereign before Elizabeth II could be impersonated in films or plays by any actor. “The fierce Commander Richard Colville, a former naval officer, who regarded the media with contempt and was the Buckingham Palace Press Secretary. It was the position never filled before. Being employed by the Queen, Colville ordered that the Queen could not be filmed without any previous permission and broadcasters “trembled” before him. Newspaper editors ensured that only 40 the most anodyne reference to royalty appeared.”, but it certainly changed during forthcoming years. Marr also describes that in early 1950´s the BBC held a position very hard to imagine today as it was part of the establishment – powerful and authoritative. It had special rights and cultural and moral ambitions and by the time of the Coronation its wireless programmes were supposed to lead the listener “from good to better, by curiosity, liking and growth of understanding.” The first reaction of the Palace was that television is a nasty medium and therefore it should not be let inside the Westminster Abbey. This decision was backed by Archbishop of Canterbury and Prime Minister Churchill, but the BBC disagreed and commenced a lobbying focused on those officials to change their opinions. The Queen decided to go forward, and Churchill allegedly said that it was her who was crowned and therefore must decide so the BBC started preparing the biggest broadcast ever including ninety-five sound commentary positions and twenty-one television cameras, five of them inside Westminster Abbey. Richard Dimbleby was chosen to be the main commentator of the event. He was previously famous for covering the royal tour of George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their visit of Canada and for his broadcast describing George VI lying in state. He spent six months preparing his notes of every single detail of the ceremony and on the actual day he worked from 5.30 to 22.30.

The ceremony of the Queen´s coronation was organized by the Duke of Edinburgh and the Earl Marshal – the . It was broadcast live on radio and television in 44 languages (an extraordinary number for that period) and watched by 27 million people. This was a huge milestone as it was the very first time that cameras were allowed to transmit live from Westminster Abbey. The broadcast lasted 6 hours and 45 minutes and for some people it was the first thing that they watched on television. The cabinet was against the live broadcast, but the monarch overruled them although the most intimate part of the coronation, anointing the Queen´s head with oil, was not shown. (Titchmarsch, 2012, p.39) It is interesting to say that the Queen´s subjects were very close to miss the ceremony as the Coronation Commission ruled that the only concession would be made for the area “west of organs”. The reason for the Commission´s decision was the fact that the Queen did not like to be televised. For example, at her wedding there were no cameras or during Trooping the Colours ceremony she asked BBC not to allow cameras to focus on her face. She later changed her mind but insisted on “no close-ups”. The news of the coronation being broadcast increased the number of TV sets sold immediately and brought a great deal of pressure on the TV transmitting system. At the day of coronation,

41 the people gathered in public places such as town halls, hospitals and churches that have been given a collective licence. “Around 20.4 million people watched at least half an hour of the service, nearly double the radio audience, with almost as many watching the processions. Since there were only 2.7 million television sets, that meant an average of seven and a half people to a set, excluding children, who were not counted in the statistics”. For the occasion of the Queen´s coronation more than 1.1 million TV sets were sold. (Moran, 2013). Titchmarsh (2012, p. 48-49) provides some important dates and numbers from 1950´s. In the section “The Rise of Television” he claims that in 1950 there were only 344.000 TV sets in Britain, 1951 the number has doubled, in 1955 ITV started its broadcasting and the very first advert appeared, 1958 the State Opening of Parliament was televised for the first time and 1959 there were 24.5 million TV sets in Britain. This clearly increased the number of the viewers. The pictures from the ceremony and the procession filled the newspapers the following day. (see Fig. 35)

The broadcast of Queen Elizabeth II´s coronation was one of the milestones in the relationship between the royal family and the media and one in the history of the Monarchy in regards of the mystique of the institution. By letting the cameras inside Westminster Abbey, the royal family accepted the requirements by the media and by the general public. The Queen perhaps lost a part of the privacy in regards of the coronation ceremony but gained the publicity as the number of the people who watched the coronation and the procession was significant. The ceremony was also a reason for rapid growth of TV sets in British homes.

4.3. News coverage since Elizabeth II´s coronation

When Elizabeth II grew up she was familiar with newspaper and radio, but television was something that despite already being invented, not that common. Nevertheless, she came to the point when in 1957 she had to make her first Christmas Message that would be televised. The Queen pointed out (right at the beginning of the broadcast) that it was 25th anniversary since her grandfather (King George V) made his first radio Christmas message broadcast and she carried on:

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“Today is another landmark because the television made it possible to many of you to see me in your home on Christmas Day… I very much hope that this new medium will make my Christmas message more personal and direct. It is inevitable that I should seem rather remote figure to many of you. A successor to the kings and queens of history; someone who may be familiar in newspapers and films but who never really touches your personal lives. But now at least for a few minutes I welcome you into the peace of my own home.” (The Christmas Broadcast, 1957) 29

This message was another milestone in regards of the Queen, her subjects and the media. People could see their sovereign on television or hear the news on radio, but this was the very first time when the Queen´s message was addressed directly to them. The message was broadcast from the Long Library at and the Queen was surrounded by photos of her children. Titchmarsh (2013, p.73) observes that following year she replied to many people who wrote in to wish to see the royal children:

“We value your interest in them and I can assure you that we have thought about this a great deal before deciding against it. We would like our son and daughter to grow up as normally as possible, so they will be able to serve you and the Commonwealth faithfully and well when they are old enough to do so. We believe that public life is not a fair burden to place on growing children. I am sure that all of you who are parents will understand.”

This shows that as much as she overcame the dislike of being televised, she was willing to come “closer” to her subjects, but on the other hand, she wanted to preserve some parts of her personal space and she desired to protect her children´s privacy and their peaceful childhood.

The same year she became the centre of criticism as the article Monarchy Today written by , 2nd Baron Altrincham, was published in the National and English Review. Grigg argued that the Queen´s court was too upper-class and that the Queen does not advocate all classes or the Commonwealth courts. The article caused a turmoil when the majority of the press criticized Grigg for daring to blame the royal court of such things. The article was also described as a vulgar and cruel attack and Australian Prime Minister, Robert Menzies, called it “disgusting and shocking criticism”. Grigg, on the other side, criticized Menzies for letting the Queen walk among the people of Australia during polio epidemic and added: ”Mr. Menzies´ attitude is typical of the very worst attitudes towards to . He simply blindly worships the Sovereign as someone above

29 The Queen´s Christmas Message available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBRP-o6Q85s 43 criticism…puts her on pedestal and genuflects.” Grigg was later given police protection for his television appearance where he claimed that the Queen had too many holidays and for example Reynold´s Newspapers backed his statement by declaring that Griggs only said what many people think. He maintained that his criticism was always meant to be constructive and in following years, his critical judgements were praised for being not only brave, but also encouraging and providing an opportunity for the monarchy to look back and reflect on itself. (Hallemann, 2017) and (Saunders, 2017). Pathé recorded an interview with him called Peer Raises A Storm30 where he said: ”I care about the Queen´s future and I want her reign to be as successful as it can be…. Anything controversial provokes criticism, but I am quite sure this needed saying.”

In 1969 the Queen agreed to be the subject of the documentary Royal Family. It was the first time that people could see the Queen in her private space as the cameras were allowed into her homes for almost one year. They could not only see the Queen but also the children who were always kept away from the public view. It was also the first time that they could see the royal family talking to each other as they were only used to seeing the Queen addressing her subjects. It was broadcast by BBC and ITV and viewed by the three-quarters of British people. Despite the fact, that the film proved to be a sensation, the Queen regretted her decision. The documentary was meant to show the royals as a modern family, but some of the critics blamed Richard Crawson, the director of the film, for destroying the mystique of the royal family. After the documentary was broadcast, the royal family withdrew it from the public and it has not been available since. The problem was that the media, once granted the option to film the royal family members in their private space, required other recordings. On the occasion of the Queen´s Diamond Jubilee, only fragments of this film were shown and it is believed that the Queen does not want this documentary to be broadcast in the future. (Singh, 2011)

Despite this decision, the royal family knew that occasionally they need to be seen and Pathé provided casual footage, for instance Royal Year 1969, but overall it can be assessed that the Queen was reported only in connection with her official duties and royal celebrations. Year 1977 offered many occasions to report on the Queen as she celebrated her Silver Jubilee. The celebrations started on 6 June in Windsor Castle, carried on in London on 7 June when a big procession from Buckingham Palace to St. Paul´s Cathedral

30 This video is available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFAP8cYJ0mM 44 followed by a Service of Thanksgiving was watched by many people (an estimation of 500 million people worldwide) and broadcast by BBC and other TV channels. She later talked to the people in the streets and then she and Prince Philip appeared on the Buckingham Palace´s balcony. That day there were street parties all over the country. On 9 June she opened the Silver and South Bank Jubilee Gardens. The headlines such as “One million people greet the Queen on her Silver Jubilee Day (The Times), “A Queen of All Hearts” (Daily Express) or “Liz Rules OK” (Daily Mirror) stressed the Queen´s popularity and the articles describe the festive atmosphere of the celebrations.

The 1980´s was the era of the tabloids. The red top newspapers filled with scandalous events, celebrity gossip or sensational crime stories. This type of journalism also meant a different approach towards to the royal family. Pimlott (2001, p.488) describes that in 1980s the media´s huge interest of the royal family meant that some of the stories written in the newspapers were not exactly true and cites Kelvin MacKenzie, editor of who told his staff: “Give me a Sunday to Monday splash on the Royals Don´t worry if it´s not true – so long as there´s not too much of a fuss afterwards.” Donald Trelford, editor of The Observer, summed the situation by writing on 21 September 1986: “The royal has now reached the such a pitch of public interest that the boundary between fact and fiction has been lost … it´s not just that some newspaper don´t check their facts or accept denials: they don´t care if their stories are true or not.”

Despite the effort to stay aside, in 1987 some members of the royal family took part in TV game show It´s a Royal Knockout (see Fig 36). Roseman (1996) describes that statistically it was a successful show as 18 million watched it on that night and 400 million people watched it worldwide later on. Prince Andrew, his wife Sarah, Prince Edward and Princess Anne took part in this “Old England fancy dress party game” and despite this show raising £1,5 million for four major charities, it proved to be, according to many people, a byword for inanity. The show broke the magic spell of royalty (some journalists even called it “dignity-destroying television show”) and the irruption showbusiness into the royal world was something that most of the commentators greatly criticized. The royals expressed their disagreement with those comments, but Philip Ziegler, a royal biographer, commented: “It´s a Royal Knockout on television? Perhaps the full horror of this extravaganza did not become apparent until it was too late; if so, the Queen was remarkably ill-informed. Someone should have warned her what was about to happen so

45 that she could have taken steps to stop it, or at least moderate its excesses." James Whitaker, royal correspondent for Daily Mirror, added: “The programme was a total watershed. If you really had to pin down where it all went wrong, I would always point to It's a Royal Knockout. That was the start of the high-profile thing that started everyone thinking, `Who are these appalling people?'" The journalists could not attend the show and had to wait the whole day in the TV tent and when later Prince Edward asked them what they think and did not get the answer he hoped for he shouted: “Thank you for sounding so bloody enthusiastic!” and then he left the press conference. The following morning the headlines like ´Edward Storms Out´, ´Edward Blows His Top´ or ´Sir Prat- A-Lot´ appeared in the press. This show was just an utter public relation disaster and was criticized on many occasions by the media. It also depicts how originally generous ideas due to a bad approach could turn against the public image of the royal family. (Embarrassing 80´s – Royal It´s a Knockout)31

In November 1992 the Queen delivered her speech on the 40th anniversary of her succession. She called the year 1992 “ [in Latin a horrible year] and they were many reasons to do so. Prince Charles and his wife Princess Diana announced their separation, two very private scandals, called by the media and Camilagate. The first one was a leakage of private conversation between Princess Diana and James Gilbey, her close friend, that was published by The Sun and the second scandal involved private night conversation between Prince Charles and Camila Parker Bowles (now his wife). The divorce of Princess Anne was another item on the list along with the separation of Prince Andrew and his wife Sarah, Duchess of York. A major fire at Windsor Castle on 20 November was also one of the emotional moments that the Queen had on her mind when she said: “1992 is not a year I shall look back with undiluted pleasure.” As these events were surely upsetting for the royal family and the Queen, they proved to be “a feast” for the media as they supplied people with any possible detail of those events.

The media during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, divided into the broadsheets and tabloids and their approach towards to the Queen and her family considerably varied. As much as the Queen insisted on performing her royal duties and wanted to be received as the symbol of British nationhood, the media´s attention turned from her royal duties, state visits and official affairs to the scandalous lives of her children.

31 Comments on the programme available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAcw855m2q0 46

At the beginning of her reign, the Queen gave up a certain deal of her privacy and agreed that her coronation will be broadcast live for the first time in the history, she was constantly followed by the media during her visits of the different parts of the Commonwealth. In 1969 she agreed to be filmed for the Royal Family documentary in the hope to meet the media´s and the general public´s requirement, but it proved as a wrong judgement as these requirements became even more demanding. These proceedings turned unrevealing and irreversible in the line of privacy loss. The Queen, in contrast to her own children, tried to sustain the creditable and respected position, which proved successful until 1997 and due to the death of her former daughter-in-law, Princess Diana.

4.4. Crisis over Princess Diana´s death

When Princess Diana died on 31 August 1997 (see Fig 37), the Queen and her family were staying in Balmoral, Scotland. Immediately after the news was broadcast, people started coming to Buckingham Palace and mainly to in London to pay the respect to the Princess. On daily basis a huge crowd of people came to those places to pay tribute the figure considered at that time the most favourite of all royal members, but despite of the atmosphere in London, the Queen stayed in Balmoral and headlines such as “Where Is Our Queen – Where Is Her Flag?”(see Fig 38) or The Mirror´s “Your People Are Suffering – Speak to Us Ma´am” started appearing in the newspaper. Sandy Henney, the former Press Secretary to Prince of Wales, remembers that “people were really anti- monarchy” and Richard Kay, the Royal Correspondent for Daily Mail stated:” I can´t remember when the Queen was criticized to the degree that she was.” (Royal Family Reinvented 1). This was one of the most critical moments for the Queen and for the royal family. Not only the general public could not see the royal family to pay any respect to their former member, but the royal family was seen as the root cause of Princess Diana´s unhappiness at that time and the antipathy towards to the royal family increased.

Thomas (2008) wrote that The Observer assessing Tony Blair´s role as British Prime Minister claimed that he had saved the day when he captured the “national mood” and

47 talked to the Queen. She returned to London and shortly after her arrival she made a speech32 from Buckingham Palace:

"Since last Sunday's dreadful news, we have seen, throughout Britain and around the world, an overwhelming expression of sadness at Diana's death. We have all been trying in our different ways to cope. It is not easy to express a sense of loss, since the initial shock is often succeeded by a mixture of other feelings: disbelief, incomprehension, anger - and concern for those who remain. We have all felt those emotions in these last few days. So, what I say to you now, as your Queen and as a grandmother, I say from my heart. First, I want to pay tribute to Diana myself. She was an exceptional and gifted human being. In good times and bad, she never lost her capacity to smile and laugh, nor to inspire others with her warmth and kindness. I admired and respected her - for her energy and commitment to others, and especially for her devotion to her two boys. This week at Balmoral, we have all been trying to help William and Harry come to terms with the devastating loss that they and the rest of us have suffered. No-one who knew Diana will ever forget her. Millions of others who never met her, but felt they knew her, will remember her. I for one believe that there are lessons to be drawn from her life and from the extraordinary and moving reaction to her death. I share in your determination to cherish her memory. This is also an opportunity for me, on behalf of my family, and especially Prince Charles and William and Harry, to thank all of you who have brought flowers, sent messages, and paid your respects in so many ways to a remarkable person. These acts of kindness have been a huge source of help and comfort. Our thoughts are also with Diana's family and the families of those who died with her. I know that they too have drawn strength from what has happened since last weekend, as they seek to heal their sorrow and then to face the future without a loved one. I hope that tomorrow we can all, wherever we are, join in expressing our grief at Diana's loss, and gratitude for her all- too-short life. It is a chance to show to the whole world the British nation united in grief and respect. May those who died rest in peace and may we, each and every one of us, thank God for someone who made many, many people happy.

This was a turning point as people saw their Queen paying respect to Princess Diana. The Queen also approached some of the mourners to talk to them. During the funeral, when Princess Diana´s coffin was being carried past the Queen, she made a very rare move and bowed her head and this gesture was seen as a sign of grief and compassion, moreover, it was something extraordinary as the Queen never bows to her subjects. This was the time when the media watched every moment of those mournful days. The Queen´s steps changed the mood, but what has not changed that quickly was the public opinion. Billig (1998) provides MORI data and claims that at the beginning of 1990´s only 6% of the population thought that the country would be better off without monarchy, in 1994 it was more than 25% and the low popularity reached the climax in 1997 when the number reached 30% and the press seriously discussed the possibility of the monarchy´s abolition. He explains that the reasons behind this decline of popularity would be the constant discussions of the Queen´s children´s relationship issues, the fuss over the Queen´s

32 The Queen paying tribute to Diana, available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xc8ta-AtEM 48 taxation and the crisis over Princess Diana´s death. Despite that the royal family wanted to prevent it, the details of the royal members´ personal lives frequently appeared in the media.

The events around the death of Princess Diana clearly showed that the media were sending the message of national grief and huge upset in regards of the royal family´s attitude towards to the general public´s feelings. Their message was so strongly conveyed that the Queen withdrew from her usual position and not only she came back to London to pay the tribute to her former daughter in law, but also delivered a speech where she recognized the importance of Princess Diana. It can be assessed that without the newspaper´s instant strong headlines this would have never happened and that the main reason was certainly a struggle for self-preservation.

4.5. The media coverage of the Queen: from 1998 to 2018

After the events following Princess Diana´s death the media concentrated again on the usual royal affairs, such as the Queen´s golden wedding anniversary to Prince Philip, the hundredth birthday of her mother or celebration of a new millennium in 2000. The situation about the media´s prevalent coverage of the royal family got back to usual state, but an occasional situation when the media did not proceed frankly appeared as the following episode illustrates. The BBC conceived the story that despite it captured people´s attention, was not true. On 11 July 2007 BBC broadcast a trailer for their new programme A Year with the Queen where the Queen was featured leaving a room after a photographer, Annie Liebovitz, noted: “I think you´d look better without the crown….. less dressy” and the Queen in that footage says in the corridor: “I´ve got enough…. dressing like this”. This trailer made everybody believe that the Queen took an offence and the newspapers came with a headline such as “Royal Tantrum”. It was revealed that this footage of the Queen was not taken after speaking to the photographer, but actually walking to the photo-shooting. Only at the lunch time the following day BBC apologized to the Queen and to Annie Liebovitz, but unfortunately, for BBC it was seen as unfair to the Queen and the photographer, but also far too late as it was more than 24 hours after the trailer had been released. (Reinventing the Royals 2: Succession, 2015). This episode demonstrates that a long-term trusted BBC moved towards to the fabricated trailer that

49 could possibly damage the trust between the royal family and the BBC in the hope to increase the number of viewers. The BBC still keeps its primary position within the country, but since then it has avoided any similar “unintentional” episodes that could threaten their relationship with the royal family.

In 2009 the Queen warned the freelance photographer that she will not tolerate any intrusion of privacy during the family Christmas break at Sandringham. This approach was supported by other members of royal family such as Prince Charles and his two sons, Prince William and Harry. This requirement followed a case of England´s football manager, Fabio Capello, who won a dispute with two tabloids for breaching his privacy by taking photos of him and his wife during their holiday in Spain and the Press Complaints Commission ordered to the News of the Worlds and the Daily Mail to pay five-figure sum to charity. Paddy Harveston, the Prince Charles´s communications secretary told to The Sunday Telegraph: “Members of the Royal family feel they have a right to privacy when they are going about everyday private activities. They recognize there is a public interest in them and what they do, but they do not think this extends to photographing their private activities of them and their friends.” The Queen and Prince Charles also instructed their lawyers to mastermind the new privacy strategy. (Alderson, 2009). At that point the royal family decided to get some part of their privacy, that is constantly intruded, back and having employed specialists in the public relationship field shows that the royals sincerely longed for some quiet moments.

As the Silver Jubilee, the Queen´s Golden Jubilee in 2002 and her Diamond Jubilee 2012 were great opportunities for the media to report about the royal family and for the royals to show their devotion to the country. In February 2012 the BBC broadcast the three-part series The Diamond Queen summarizing her considerable moments and the most significant events of her reign along with the interview with the Queen´s children Prince Andrew and Princess Anne and Prince William and Prince Harry, the Queen´s grandsons. In July 2012 BBC transmitted the programme A Jubilee Tribute to the Queen by the Prince of Wales that included interviews with Prince Charles, “home movies” of the royal family (for example the moments right before the Queen´s coronation). The actual celebrations of the Diamond Jubilee took three days and BBC, as an exclusive right holder, covered a live concert in front of Buckingham Palace, Thanksgiving Service in St. Paul´s Cathedral and a procession to Buckingham Palace

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According to Ipsos MORI´s poll for the Queen´s Diamond Jubilee the results showed that nine in ten Britons are satisfied with the way the Queen is doing her job. This was the highest level of satisfaction in comparison with the results in 1992 where 75% people claimed they were satisfied and the worst results in March 1998 with only 66%. (Satisfaction with the Queen at record high, 2012) that were certainly influenced by the events in connection with Princess Diana´s death.

In 2016 Netflix released the series The Crown that shows a biographical story of Queen Elizabeth II and depicts the most significant events of her reign. The series proved very popular and not only in Britain despite that some of the details are not precise. Due to this series the Queen agreed to her first ever TV interview. Berry (2018) describes the story when the Queen was approached by the producers of the series as one of them, Anthony Geffen, claimed: “We have Peter Morgan, who is a wonderful writer, but had no access to the queen, writing his version, which people loved and then there is a version of 1953 and the only person who could tell us the truth about this event is the queen herself.”, so in 2018 BBC One broadcast a documentary called The Coronation depicting the important ceremony and where the Queen sits with the host, Alastair Bruce, about her experience of the coronation. This programme proved as another milestone as the Queen has never given an interview on cameras. On the other hand, this interview was described only as a “conversation”.

The media during Elizabeth II´s reign has immensely changed. It needs to be pointed out that for instance television developed from a new media at the time of her coronation, to reach the peak around the beginning of 21st century.

What needs to be stressed is the position of the Queen as a distant sovereign that despite of her constant effort to maintain her and her family´s privacy became publicly known figure. The media still follow the Queen´s official affairs and some private events. The Queen´s Media Centre deals with arrangement of the media that desire to cover the royal stories. It also publishes official announcements that can be published by the media.33

33 The official link for Buckingham Palace´s media centre is available on https://www.royal.uk/welcome- media-centre 51

5. OTHER MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL FAMILY IN THE MEDIA

It was never only the sovereign who drew attention of the media. Their spouses, children and other relatives were and are making headlines on a regular basis and this is also the case of Queen Elizabeth II´s extended royal family whose members are constantly in the spotlight and who, despite of their effort of making the British royal family popular, sometimes provide reasons for even unfavourable news coverage. This chapter describes some of these members and their important moments in regards of the media´s coverage.

5.1. Prince Charles

Prince Charles was born in 1948 as the oldest son of the Queen Elizabeth II and future sovereign. He has got the title of Prince of Wales and with his first wife, Princess Diana, he has two sons: Prince William and Prince Harry. They got divorced in 1996 and he is currently married to Camilla Parker Bowles, now .

As the oldest son of the Queen he has always been followed by the media and the first time when he drew their attention to full extend was during his investiture (a ceremony when the Prince of Wales is presented and invested with insignias of his rank). The ceremony took place in Caernarfon Castle in Wales on 1 July 1969. Cannadine (1983) describes that royal traditions have changed over the past two hundred years. Some have been transformed and some invented which was the case of the Investiture of Prince of Wales in 1969. “The Investiture was like a new piece of furniture, made in the ‘traditional style’ with the latest technology applying a genuine-look, antique finish.” Prince Charles´s investiture was watched by millions on TV. BBC website states that 500 million people watched it worldwide, including 19 million in Britain and it was the biggest TV audience gained in an event in Wales. On the other side the ceremony was criticized by the nationalist campaigners and even two individuals were killed while placing a bomb in Abergele and some people criticized the media for providing too much space for a small group of people who opposed the event. (The investiture of the Prince of Wales, 2009)

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Another time when he drew attention of the media was when he had finally chosen his future wife, Diana Spencer. She was 13 years younger than him, very attractive and very shy. He had been one of the world´s most eligible bachelors for some time so every time he was spotted by the media in the company of a young woman, it was reported. They announced their engagement in an exclusive interview for ITV and announced that their wedding will take place in the summer of 1981. The ceremony in St.Paul´s Cathedral was watched by 750 million people worldwide, which still remains one of the largest audience of any royal event.

Their marriage proved to be an unhappy one and in the 1990s people were witnessing the details of their disputes and later their divorce. Billig (1998) describes: “The public were being invited to take sides in the quarrel between the Prince and Princess of Wales: to support one was to blame the other. While the Princess was portrayed by the media as a modern victim, harried by the royal family, the Prince was seen as starchy and out-of-date.” In December 1992 , the former Prime Minister, officially announced their separation in the Parliament.

Prince Charles´s media image was influenced by several events, for instance by the marriage and divorce to Princess Diana, his long-term relationship with Camilla Parker Bowles while he was still married, his “meddling” into the politics despite that he as the future sovereign, is expected to be neutral in political matters. The story from the documentary Reinventing the Royals 2 demonstrates this by an example when Prince Charles was boycotting the official banquet with Chinese leaders and in 2006 Prince Charles´s diary notes from 1997 during a handover of Honk Kong leaked out and the media reported that he had referred to the Chinese official as “appalling old wax works.” He is also known for not liking the media to a certain extent that is supported by another story from the same documentary that describes that during his skiing holiday in 2005 he (and his two sons) met with the media to answer their questions. It needs to be pointed out that this meeting was arranged by Clarence House and questions agreed in advanced, but when Prince Charles was asked by Nicolas Witchel, BBC royal correspondent, about his future wedding, Prince Charles answered the question, but when BBC listened to the recording later on, the microphones picked Prince Charles´s comments: “These bloody people. I can´t bear that man. I mean he´s so awful, he really is.” This interviewed turned to be unsuccessful in the effort of improving Prince Charles´s image.

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In 2015 The Independent published a detailed contract that the media have to sign to be able to make any interview with Prince Charles. This contract contains 15 pages- description of how the interview must be guided. Burrell (2015) describes Prince´s demands as “north-Korean style” when one of the conditions of this contract means that Prince Charles will only speak to the media that sign this contract, a whole content of the recording will be censored by Clarence House staff and in case of disagreement, the final product will be removed from the distribution. This was a reason for Channel 4 to cancel their planned interview with an explanation that Channel 4 is not prepared to interview Prince Charles on those conditions. Burrell claims that the emergence of Prince Charles’s “access agreement” contract suggests that he is not prepared to debate matters on the same terms as other public figures, including politicians, who are habitually subjected to questioning on topics beyond those they agreed to discuss.” and reminds the case with Annie Liebowitz and her photo-shooting of the Queen (mentioned above) and adds that “Clarence House demands prior approval of all trailers, press releases and other promotional materials to be given advanced notice of the identity of the interviewers.” and names , CNN , Radio 2 and Radio 4 as the media having signed this contract.

Prince Charles´s image stays a quite controversial, but the media now realize that he will become the sovereign in the near future and the both sides need to find and accept the mutual style of communicating, for Prince Charles to improve his public image and for the media to be able to report of the future King proceedings.

5.1.1. Princess Diana

Diana Spencer was born in 1961 and as a daughter of John Spencer, 8th Earl of Spencer, she came from an aristocratic family. She met Prince Charles in 1980 and since then she has been attracting the media´s attention. She married Prince Charles in 1981 and constantly became one of the most photographed figures in the world. The number of her photos with her sons, William and Harry, her public engagements, official visits or royal banquets flooded the media. She became an international fashion icon, charity worker and later a “victim” of the royal family.

Based on an allegation in regards of her alleged lover, being manipulative and trying to worsen the royal family image, she decided to provide an interview to Martin Bashir 54 for BBC´s programme Panorama in 1995. Marr (2011, p. 335) describes that she had been advised against it by many of her friends, she had consulted. It was kept secret from royal circles and from BBC chairman, Lord Hussey whose wife was a friend to The Queen. Marr also cites the BBC director general John Birt:” The interview marked the end of the BBC´s institutional reverence, though not its respect, for the monarchy.” After the recording Diana informed the Queen about it. 23 million viewers watched the interview in Panorama where it became more than clear that the accusations of Prince Charles having affair with Camilla Parker were more than just rumours. Martin Bashir, the programme host, interviewed Princess Diana and she clearly stated: “There were three of us in this marriage, so it is a bit crowded.” It is well known that she was aware of the media´s attention as in this interview she described the assistants of Prince Charles as her enemies and added: “Well, the enemy was my husband´s department, because I always got more publicity, my work was more, was much more discussed than him.” and she also denied to weaken the Royal family public perception: “No, I don´t feel blame. I mean, once or twice I´ve heard people say to me that, you know, Diana´s out to destroy the monarchy, which has bewildered me, because why would I want to destroy something that is my children´s future?” (Jury &Victor, 1995).

Her and Prince Charles´s divorce was finalized in August 1996 and exactly one year later she died in a car crash in Paris being chased by the paparazzi when she and her new fiancé, , left the Hotel Ritz Paris. Her brother, Lord Spencer accused the newspapers claiming that: “You have her blood on your hands!”. This proved to be an extremely difficult time for the media as they were accused of “murdering Princess Diana”. Arthur Edwards, Royal Photographer of The Sun recalled: “…coming to the hospital, I saw the coffin and I started crying and there was a constant hatred for journalist as people started pointing at me and shouting:” you are an assassin, you are a killer!” (Reinventing the Royals 1: Crisis).

It became evident that this was going to be difficult time for the media. Thomas (1999) describes that the media reported her death as “unprecedented outpouring of public grief” and the way the media overused the terms such as “the mood of the nation” or “the grief of the public” and cites Kitch, who claims that “media coverage of a disaster can create and convey a feeling of (temporary) national consensus…The highest compliment that the media can pay to deceased celebrities is to make them common, doing so in ways that connect the celebrity directly with the reader… The media´s reaction to Princess Diana´s

55 death was unprecedented in its intensity and scale, a “flashpoint” in recent global media history in which both national and international media were united.” But this certainly was an unfavourable time for the media. At the funeral, Princess Diana´s brother, described her as “the most hunted person of the modern age” and mainly the tabloids: Sun, Daily Mirror, Daily Star and the middle-market Daily Mail and Daily Express were the ones frequently named. The public mood turned against the press and mainly paparazzi and Sun and Mirror recorded their lowest sales since 1962. The poll in 1997 clearly showed that 43% of UK public named photographers as “extremely” responsible for the fatal accident. (Samuelson, 2017). A certain deal of anger was also directed to Princess Diana´s former husband, Prince Charles. Shortly after the accident, the headlines like the one in Daily Mail “Charles Weeps Bitter Tears of Guilt” caused that he was seen as somebody who ruined her life and the criticism of his character was increasing. Jobson, Royal Editor of London Evening Standard in a documentary Reinventing the Royals 1: Crisis (2015) points out that he [Prince Charles] was even shouted at in the streets so in reaction to that, Prince Charles decided to employ Mark Bollard as his press advisor and Mr. Bollard started his job by making sure that Prince Charles would be portraited as a caring parent and his public image would improve. Two months later Prince Charles visited South Africa, he was advised to talk to the press and he did so the images of him and Prince Harry during the visits were covered by the newspapers and he did the same during his visit with Prince Harry and Prince William in Canada. The aspiration to show himself to the media as a single caring parent clearly worked and his acceptance improved, but Princess Diana´s popularity is very high even 21 years after her death. She remains a fashion icon, her daughters-in-law (that she never met) are often compared to her and her charities that she set up still work.

Overall, Princess Diana´s popularity was the media´s product. A good-looking, unhappy, cheated on, discontented mother of the nation´s future sovereign were elements of “royal soap opera” that helped to heighten the newspaper circulation. It can be claimed that any remark connected with her name is never unnoticed and she stays of the most credited royal in the media despite of not being alive.

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5.1.2. Camila Parker Bowles

After Princess Diana´s death, Prince Charles started his official relationship with Camila Parker Bowles. She was born in 1947 and she is now the second wife of Prince Charles. Their wedding took place in Windsor, she gained the title Duchess of Cornwall and she lives with Prince Charles in Clarence House in London.

Her relationship with media was extremely difficult due to the “rumours” about her being a mistress of Prince Charles several times in 1980´s. When in 1992 Andrew Morton published his book Diana: Her True Story, the world learnt not only about Princess Diana´s non-functional marriage, but also about Camilla Parker Bowles. One year later the scandal of private telephone conversations between Camilla and Prince Charles being recorded broke out. The tapes of these conversations caused a huge criticism towards to Prince Charles and Camilla and they damaged his reputation and vilified Camilla. (Brandreth, 2007, p.274 - 76). They both got divorced - Camilla in 1995 and Prince Charles one year later and both realized that their publicity is intensely negative. The situation worsened after Princess Diana´s death in 1997 when the media released a huge number of footage and articles about the Diana´s unhappy marriage to Charles and Camilla was frequently named as the main reason for their failed marriage. In July 1999 the birthday party of Camilla´s sister provided a chance to introduce Camila to the world. Mark Bollard, Press Secretary to Prince Charles, invited the media in front of Hotel Ritz, London. The pictures of Camilla arriving separately but leaving the hotel together with Prince Charles were made public and the following morning the headlines such as “Meet the Mistress (The Sun), “Together” (Daily Mail) or “At Last” (The Mirror) appeared. It was the very first time that they (Prince Charles and Camilla) went in front of the media as a couple and one correspondent reported: “No secret about their relationship now, none possible at all.” (Reinventing the Royals 1). Camilla became Prince Charles´s companion and she was invited by the Queen to her Golden Jubilee celebration in 2002. She moved to Clarence House, Prince Charles´s official residence, in 2003 and the following year she accompanied Prince Charles to most of his official events and in February 2005, their engagement was officially announced. The wedding

57 took place at Windsor Guildhall on 9 April 2005 and was covered by the BBC network. She received the title Duchess of Cornwall.

Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall frequently inform the public on their website, www.princeofwales.gov.uk/media, that provides a number of press releases and their official statements about their visits, official engagements and charity work. They both actively support their charities and Prince Charles is now described as one of the most influential environmental celebrity who constantly campaigns to protect rainforests, to draw attention to the incredible amount of plastic waste produced on daily basis and other environmental issues. Having approached his 70th birthday the media are now summarizing his deeds and trying to forecast his future role as a king.

5.2. Prince William

Prince William is the oldest child of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana. His childhood was well documented and whenever the media had a chance of a picture or footage, they took it. Everybody could see him growing up in the newspaper and he was used to the media presence. In the BBC documentary Royal Family Reinvented so called “pressure cooker agreement” between the royal family and the media is mentioned. It meant that the media would not be approaching or intrude on the private space of the Prince during his education in return of for regular access to the official photos and interviews. To provide the media´s satisfaction some images of the Prince would occasionally be taken and after that the press would distance themselves and respect his privacy. This documentary nevertheless describes the situation when two photographers, Eugene Campbell and Ian Jones, were chosen by the royal family to spend some time with Prince William in Eaton34 to provide enough photos for the newspaper and the images would be then shared with other newspapers, magazines and TV channels. Still this agreement ended with a dispute among the newspapers as The Daily Telegraph whose photographer was at Eaton, took advantage of this privilege and prepared a glossy special

34 Eaton is a small town in Berkshire, UK and a home of an independent boarding school for boys Eaton College (founded in 15th century) where most of royal family male members study. 58 magazine. Obviously, the other newspapers did not like it and the Buckingham Palace was accused of favouring these two media.

Over the years the media brought occasional coverage of Prince William´s military training, service or pictures of him piloting the helicopter of the Royal Air Force. In 2003 he started dating his university schoolmate who later became his wife and the media focused on a new potential royal.

5.2.1. Kate Middleton

Catherine Elizabeth Middleton was born in 1982. She was raised in Chapel Row, near Newbury in Berkshire. She studied Art history at the University of St Andrew´s where she met Prince William. Their relationship was closely followed by the media with a constant reminder that Kate does not come from aristocratic family.

Her first pictures with Prince William appeared in 2004 during their skiing holiday. The headlines of “William had company” or “Finally… Wills Get a Girl” were immediately published in the newspapers. In a short time, hunting for any information, pictures or videos commenced. Penny Junor, the royal biographer, describes that Kate was coming through the gate at Heathrow airport and there were some paparazzi shouting at her: “Slag!”, “Whore!”, “Bitch!”, “Look This Way”. The whole situation escalated on 9 January 2007 when journalists were waiting in front of her flat in Chelsea, London. Jeremy Selwyn, a photographer for London Evening News explains that there was an agreement among the photographers that broadcasters and photographers would stay on the other side of the street providing some space, but this agreement was broken by paparazzi who got very close to her face. This chase brought back some memories of Princess Diana being treated the same way and that was the reason why the lawyers were employed by the royal family to make sure that this harassment would stop. During this time the Court of Justice of the European Union ruled that the right for privacy also applies in a public space. As a result of this event, the British press agreed that they would not purchase any more paparazzi pictures of Kate Middleton. (Royal Family Reinvented 2: Succession)

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The media were constantly reporting of their relationship to the extent that she was described as “Waity-Katie” remarking that despite of their long relationship there is no marriage proposal from Prince William and in 2007 the couple even separated, but in 2010 the couple announced their engagement. Their wedding in Westminster Abbey on 29 April 2011 was viewed by estimated 23 million in the USA, 26 million in the UK and almost 2 billion worldwide. She is now a princess of the United Kingdom, usually introduced as “Her Royal Highness, Duchess of Cambridge”.

Since the wedding the media covered her as company of her husband on their official occasions, her charity work and her pregnancies and births of her children, but prior to the birth of her first child, her name appeared in the headlines connected with a hoax made by two Australian hosts, Mel Greig and Mike Christian, of a radio station 2Day FM who phoned King Edward VII´s Hospital Sister Agnes on 4 December 2012 when they asked about Duchess of Cambridge´s condition, who was in the hospital for suffering severe morning sickness during her first pregnancy. They impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince of Wales and a receptionist nurse transferred the phone call to a nurse treating the Duchess. She provided a description of the Duchess´s condition, but this stunt was never aired. This episode would be soon forgotten, but unfortunately the receptionist nurse, Jacintha Saldanha, committed suicide three days later. (Rayner, 2012). In reaction to this event, Prince William and on behalf of his wife, wrote to her family: “We were both very shocked to hear about Jacintha, and have been thinking a lot about her recently. Many of the nurses in the hospital spoke highly of her and I’m sure you know how great a nurse she was.” (Family speaks out 5 years after suicide of royal nurse who treated Kate Middleton, 2017). This episode shows that a member of the royal family can appear in the media coverage without being an active participant in any way.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge have three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louise. It is believed that the royal family tries to ensure their privacy as much as possible, but nevertheless, on 13 July 2018 an alleged Islamic State supporter, Husnain Rashid, went on the trial in Woolwich Crown Court, London, as he was accused of encouraging attacks on Prince George using social media. One of his suggestions was: “injecting poison into supermarket ice creams and targeting Prince George at his first school." He posted Prince George´s school details along with a message: ”not even the royal family won´t be left alone” (Man pleads guilty in plot to attack Prince George´s School, 2018)

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Not to forget that the members of the royal family are always in the focus of the media, the press released the photo of Prince William dancing with a woman in a night club in Switzerland during his skiing holiday in 2017. At the same time, he was criticized for not being present at the Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey. (Nicholl, 2017). The media serve as a constant reminder of their status and expectance of the general public of their behaviour and engagements.

Overall, the media report about their official engagements and often about their family occasions such as birthdays, christening or visits. The Duchess of Cambridge is also recognized by the Royal Photographic Society for her portraits of her children that she and Prince William place on the official British monarchy website. (see Fig 39)

5.3. Prince Harry

Prince Harry is the second child of Prince Charles and late Princess Diana. He was born in 1984. He is the sixth in the line of succession to the British throne. As with his brother the agreement meaning that media would not intrude his privacy when he was being educated applied. After his mother had died in 1997, he was clearly upset and believed to be blaming the press for her early death. Nevertheless, the media provided him with “restful time” for his educational duties but have never stopped following his actions.

In 2002 Prince Harry was caught by cameras being drunk and smoking cannabis. The headlines of “Underage drinking” and “Harry´s Drugs Shame” appeared in the press and also discussed on TV, for example by then current Prime Minister, Tony Blair. In 2003 Prince Harry was seen drunk again and very proximate photos were taken by paparazzi. Penny Junor, the royal biographer, adds: “Newspapers would have their shots from that one episode and they would use them in that week´s papers, but they´d hang on to them and chuck them in the papers couple of weeks later, 3 weeks after that”. When the presenter asks her:”So, his behaviour was exaggerated?”, she replies: ”Precisely!” (Reinventing the Royals 2) This meant that he soon gained the image of a wild misbehaving member of the royal family. The situation escalated with the Carol Sarler´s column in Daily Express with a headline of “Spoiled and lazy Harry is one of a kind” including a statement such as “Harry rarely lifted a finger unless it´s to feel up a cheap

61 tart in a nightclub or shoot some harmless critter.” Patrick Harvesons, PR executive to Prince Charles, who was also responsible to Prince William´s and Prince Harry´s public image, instantly replied that the judgements of Prince Harry as for instance “He is a national disgrace” are “nonsense and unfair” and wrote that Prince Harry took a well- deserved break to go to Australia to see England winning the rugby world cup and to Africa where he worked on projects for disadvantage children and their families and added: “Like any other 19-year-old fortunate enough to be able to spend time traveling and working abroad, Harry should be allowed to enjoy and benefit from his experiences without being subject to the kind of ill-informed and insensitive criticism made in your paper by Ms Sarler." (British Royals Defend ´Horrible´ Prince Harry, 2004). These articles obviously contributed to his image of “wild child” but there is one story that stood out even more at that time. In 2005 Prince Harry arrived at his friend´s party dressed in a Nazi uniform (see Fig 40). Kallenbach &Tweedie (2005) wrote: ”Politician, pressure groups and religious leaders queued up yesterday to criticize Prince Harry after publication of a photograph showing him wearing Nazi insignia at a private party…The furore, which has made headlines around the world, represents a new low for the prince, whose late teenage years have been characteristics by a facility for “hell-rising”, including excessive drinking, cannabis use and taking a swing at photographers.” He was reprehended and advised to visit the former concentration camp in Auschwitz. For the media, this story remains unforgettable as they often refer to it.

After Prince Harry finished his education, he joined the army and went through officer training school at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, serving with the Blues and Royals, a cavalry regiment of the British Army. He served in in 2007- 2008, but after the press released the news about his presence, he was evacuated and returned to Britain. He left the army in 2014, but founded the Invictus Games, the multi- sport event for injured or sick army personal and veterans and became a patron for several foundations, including Walking with the Wounded.

When he was asked in May 2016 during the Invictus Games by BBC about the constant presence of the media he replied:

“Sadly, that line between public and private life is almost non-existent anymore and we all continue to do our best to ensure that there is the line. We are completely aware that we are in a very privileged position and I will spend the rest of my life earning that privilege and try to bring the spotlight to the things and causes that really matter to me and matter to a lot of other people as well. Everyone has a right to their privacy and a lot of members of the public get it, but sadly in some areas there is this

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sort of incessant need to find out every little bit of detail what goes on behind the scenes. It´s unnecessary and I hope people will see me here in this Invictus role cracking on with the guys, mucking in and having a good time with them and this is a half of my official role, but half of my private role. This is what I enjoy doing but the private life has to be private and I hope people will understand that.” (BBC News interview with Prince Harry: Invictus Games, 2016)

Prince Harry´s relationship with the media proceeded from a very difficult period of him blaming the press for “hunting his mother to death” and conversely when the press reported about his irresponsible behaviour, but he is currently reported in a very positive tone, especially in connection with his charity work. In May 2018 he got married to Meghan Markle.

5.3.1. Meghan Markle

In 2016 Prince Harry started dating Meghan Markle, an American actress, and when the press discovered the news and they reported on every possible detail of her life. As she was previously married to her former actor colleague, then divorced, her parents being divorced or some of her film scenes provided enough material for the news-coverage. However, the media reported about Meghan Markle to the extent that was not acceptable for Prince Harry. In his official statement from Kensington Palace on 8 November 2016 he stated:

“…he [Prince Harry] has worked hard to develop a professional relationship with the media, focused on his work and the issues he cares about. But the past weeks has seen a line crossed. His girlfriend, Meghan Markle, has been a subject to a wave of abuse and harassment. Some of this has been very public the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism on social media trolls and web articles comments… Prince Harry is worried about Ms. Markle´s safety and is deeply disappointed that he has not been able to protect her…. He has asked for this statement to be issued in the hopes that those in the press who have been driving this story can pause and reflect before any further damage is done.” (Booth &Carroll, 2016)

This “smear” was for instance a headline “Harry´s Girl on Pornhub” (The Sun) that implied to some intimate scenes from the series Suits, featuring Meghan Markle and placed on porn webpages; or a comment by Rachel Johnson (Mail on Sunday), that if Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have children, “ will thicken their watery, thin blue blood and Spencer pale skin and ginger hair with some rich and exotic DNA” clearly referencing to Ms. Markle´s biracial origin. (Booth &O´Carroll, 2016). This does

63 not only show the limits that the media constantly try to push the boundaries further, but also points to the fact that despite that the royals are used to the constant presence of the media, their level of tolerance towards to contents of the media´s comments has its limits.

In November 2017 Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got engaged and they both appeared in front of the cameras on 27 November and met the journalists in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace where they were asked a few (very personal) questions like: “How are you feeling? Tell us, how did you propose? Was it romantic? When did you fall in love?” Meghan, can you show us a ring, please?”, nevertheless, these questions were patiently answered.35 This serves as a great example of the media addressing the royal family in very familiar tone and even calling them by their first names.

As a reaction to Prince Harry´s previous upset over the media´s reports on his fianceé, he became distant towards to the media, especially tabloids. Arthur Edwards, a photographer of The Sun, described Prince Harry´s attitude: “He´s become very withdrawn. He ´s upset with us [the tabloids] generally” and added that if Prince Harry does not become more forgiving by the time of the wedding, the media´s access to the ceremony will be very limited. (Barry, 2018)

Their wedding on 19 May 2018 proved to be a huge success. As for the royal couple and for the media too. The ceremony was broadcast live and estimates say it was viewed by 29 million people in the USA and by 24 million people in the UK, which is a third of the UK´s population. (Fitgerald, 2018). Since their wedding the news coverage has been limited only to their official and family events (school opening or celebrations of wedding or christening) until the wedding of Prince Harry´s cousin, Princess Eugene as shortly after the ceremony, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, now Duchess of Sussex, announced they are expecting their first child.

The announcements they were made while they were both on a royal tour to Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga. This tour was hugely followed by the media and it is now believed that Prince Harry and his wife are now the most favourite royals and their popularity is fairly high.

An interesting view was provided in regards of the latest wedding of a member of the royal family as BBC refused to televise the wedding of Princess Eugenie to Jack

35 The footage from Kensington Palace available on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsu_Bx-RZK0 64

Brooksbank, despite of requests from Prince Andrew (the Queen´s second son). The British Broadcasting Corporation made the decision based on the fear that the ceremony will not draw enough attention and lack of public interest would prove a disaster if the ceremony is broadcast. Mail on Sunday cites its unknown source:” The BBC was approached because they have a special relationship with Buckingham Palace and a formula that works. But they turned it down because they don´t think enough people will tune in and that there isn´t enough support for the Yorks.36” It is still not known whether any other channel would broadcast the royal wedding instead of the BBC. (Proctor, 2018). It is believed that anything concerning the royal family will draw attention of the general public, but this article clearly shows that when it comes to a business, the media will always take the public interest as the key factor whether they will broadcast the royal event or not and this case clearly shows that the royal “cousins” are not the centre of the public attention. On 12 October 2018 The Guardian described a huge difference in TV coverage of Princess Eugenie and Prince Harry. It not only noticed that it was only ITV that agreed to broadcast the wedding, but also the very short time that appeared on TV. “Confined to ITV only. Worse, it didn’t even warrant its own slot, instead being folded into an episode of This Morning. Even worse than that, it was an episode of This Morning presented by substitute hosts Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford. That’s how second- rate this wedding was; they couldn’t even rouse Philip Schofield for it. Why ITV? Perhaps it was because the other channels had their own pressing issues to deal with.” The article also compares a lack of celebrities attending this wedding to the royal wedding of Prince Harry in May. (A relatively upscale Come Dine With Me: How TV covered Princess Eugenie´s wedding, 2018)

In connection with the royal weddings, Greenslade (2018) brings an interesting question: Do the British really care about the royals? “In truth, two institutions, monarchy and the press, are walking hand in hand towards their doom after 400 years of independence.” He describes the way the media prefabricate the public excitement about the royal wedding and draws attention to the fact that despite the interest about Meghan Markle family, the intrusiveness can´t be compared to the one in 1990s.” Princes (William and Harry) have taken legal steps to protect their privacy and private life of their wives and children and they desire to keep the media at bay. On the other hand, Greenslade stresses that the much of the people´s loyalty towards to the royal family stands on the

36 The Yorks referes to a family of Prince Andrew, . 65 respect for the Queen as neither Prince Charles nor Prince William are likely to create same popularity as the current sovereign, but for now it is clear that the royal family creates enough attention to get constantly reported on despite of the content of the news and in the face of constant discussion of the royal family in regards of its importance and meaning, it stays a constant national symbol of the country and only the future will reveal whether the Monarchy will succeed in its self-preservation. Billig (2006) adds that: “Today, the faces of the British Royal Family are to be seen in newspaper and television pictures around the globe, making it the best-known family of the world. No other family can claim such celebrity.”

5.4. Internet and Social Media

Social media is the essential element on today´s world. The majority of the people in Europe and North America have access to the social media and uses it on daily basis. As Fig. 41 shows, the Queen was one of the first heads of state who sent an email. In 1976 she came to Royal Signal and Radar Establishment, she was set up an account “HME2” and by sending her e-mail she christened the connection ARPANET. (Metz, 2012). Reacting to the rise of popularity of social media, the members of the royal family had to adopt to that, but obviously they are cautious about what they post and what they make public. For example, before Meghan Markle was engaged to Prince Harry, she used to have a blog, The Tig, that was deleted (along with her other accounts) shortly after she got engaged. Katie Nicholl, the royal expert explains: “With regards to the social media, it was causing a bit of apprehension back at Palace HQ. When you write a blog such as The Tig, you do end up giving quite a lot of yourself away. You do end up inviting the cameras into your private life.” (Lane, 2018)

Davies (2017) describes that in 2017 the number of followers of Twitter account @RoyalFamily reached 2,78 million and involves 24,500 tweets. The Buckingham Palace also manages account @KensingtonRoyal that has 826,000 followers and provides details of engagements of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Prince Charles, famously known for his environmental views, has about 600,000 followers on his account @ClarenceHouse. Davies cites Matt Navarra, a social media expert, who assessed the royal platforms as “very high-quality imagery. Lots of video

66 clips. Detailed descriptions in plain, interesting language for the widest possible audience appeal.” and he [Matt Navarra] also praises Prince Harry´s “mic drop37” video as really innovative, fun stuff. Davies reminds that the Queens launched her YouTube channel in 2007 and she made her first “step” on social media in 2014 when she tweeted from the Science Museum London during the opening of the Information Age exhibition.

The official website was also provided for the Queen´s Diamond Jubilee in 2012. It offered useful information about the celebration, for instance 3D map of the procession route, the Queen´s celebrations or concerts. For the fans of the royal family there is the Royal Family Channel available on Youtube that has currently more than 364 thousand subscribers, providing the latest news and special features of the royals.

At this moment there are also official Instagram accounts of the royal family available to their followers with current numbers of 3,9 million followers of theroyalfamily account for the Queen and the royal family, 530 thousand of clarencehouse account for Prince Charles and Duchess of Cornwall and 6,8 million followers of kensingtonpalace account that serves for Duke and Duchess of Sussex and Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. Apart from these official accounts, there are plenty of unofficial account set up either by the different groups or by individuals. The royal family employs a team of Digital Engagement who is responsible for the monarchy websites and social media channels.

According to global survey Ipsos MORI, carried in 28 countries in 2018, the Queen and Prince Harry remain the most popular royals and the website states:

“The Royal Family´s international reputation is bolstered the popularity of both, the Queen and members of younger generation, which gives a solid foundation for the future, and reflects the growing profile they have around the world… The Royal Family also seems to have a beneficial impact on Britain´s reputation abroad overall (with some exceptions)- albeit for many it makes little difference, and few countries without a monarchy say they want one of their own. Having said that, there may be a danger that it promotes a traditional rather than modern image of Britain, although it increases association of Britain as powerful and self-confident too. “ (Ipsos MORI, 2018)

Social media has become a popular means to gain information regarding the British royal family. This can be validated by just checking the number of subscribers to each of their social media pages.

37 A mic drop is a gesture of intentionally dropiing a microphone at the end of their speech to signal triumph. 67

CONCLUSION

As most of the European monarchies disappeared as consequences of World War I, the British monarchy continues to stand on the British throne. Over the last 170 years, Britain´s area of rule has decreased, The British Empire was changed to the British Commonwealth and the sovereign is purely a constitutional monarch without any political power, but the Queen still sits on the throne. It is difficult to the real impact of the royal family on its subjects and it can be claimed that most of the British people see the royal family only as a long-standing cherished institution. This thesis has shown that the popularity of the monarchy is clearly a fundamental point in regards of remaining on the throne. The media has always reported on births, ceremonies, deaths and weddings. This has been used on several occasions to bring the country together as can recently be noted with the Queens Diamond Jubilee and the marriage of the future King to his bride Kate Middleton. In addition, scandals have always been reported, as for instance King Edward VII´s appearances in court or the tapes of the phone conversations between Prince Charles and Camila Parker Bowles, controversial topics have over this period become more widely reported as they raise levels of interest. I can point out the impact of the media when Diana died in the car crash and how the monarchy was at first directly challenged to connect with its people leading to the monarch bowing as the funeral procession passed. This use of the media by the Monarchy and the media´s ability to manipulate the monarchy remains the key to its continued longevity.

Over the years the royal family realized that their popularity strongly depends on their ability to be seen and popularized. The Queen and her extended family have uncovered parts of their private lives, but with a fine line it is very difficult to find right balance between being „visible “and to lose their privacy. I strongly believe that even though the monarchy has made agreements with the media to control the intrusive nature of reporting, that the media will still report scandals when its circulation could be affected. Today members of the royal family have a celebrity status and they have got used to a permanent presence of the cameras, microphones and journalists. The only difference to other celebrities is that they have not become celebrities, but they were born as one.

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This thesis has clearly demonstrated that the development of the media had a huge impact on what and how the news about the royal family has been reported. The era of Queen Victoria provided only newspapers articles and only for middle and upper-class citizens. The period of the reign of Edward VII showed that newspaper would welcome any scandal that would raise the newspaper’s circulation. The invention of radio and television had certainly expanded the number of listeners and viewers and the news about the royal family became more readily accessible. During times of national crisis, war and political change the media and the monarchy are often aligned to invigorate the British public that were the examples of George V, Edward VIII and George VI. In this current media era we have witnessed the impact of internet, blogging and smart phones on the reporting of incidents and events and the use of social media eventually by the monarchy itself.

The current sovereign, Elizabeth II, has been on the throne for 66 years and is now the longest reigning British monarch. She has exceeded her age of “retirement” by more than 30 years and her vitality is often reported. Nobody really knows her opinion or political views as she tries to maintain her private life away from her subjects. Despite her trying to fulfil her reigning duties there have been some moments when she became “unpopular” not only with her subjects but also with the media as in the connection with Princess Diana´s death. Her children and grandchildren have not always been a great example for the public, but maybe the kind of news the public requires. These scandalous moments may not be “popular” with everyone but certainly increase the newspapers circulation and as some of the polls say – make the royal family less distant to the people.

The Queen is now 92 and there are numerous articles describing in specific details what will happen when the Queen dies. The pomp and circumstance of a ruling monarch’s funeral, the announcements in the media and the periods or mourning being planned and reported. I see this as a quite a disturbing part of the media’s role as none of us would like to know the details of what will happen when we die. This is a part of the media that the Queen as well as her husband, who is now 96, must deal with. Although born into the monarchy unlike other celebrities you can not retire from the spot light either, even in death you will remain the focus of attention in the media and to the British people.

The challenge ahead for the monarchy in regards of the media is to maintain its irreplaceable status in Great Britain. Following the line of ascension to the throne Charles

69 will be of a mature age when taking on the role of king. How will the media react to this following the long serving Queen Elizabeth who was aligned with the public during the war years. It is more than clear that the British royal family draws attention of the media and the public not only in Britain, but also internationally. Most of the members of the royal family attended the ceremony of Remembrance Sunday Service at Cenotaph exactly 100 years after the end of the First World War on 11 November 2018. The presence of the German President Fran-Walter Steinmeier next to Prince Charles was another milestone in British history. It was the very first time that any German official was a part of the national ceremony and appearing next to the future sovereign not only served as an element of appeasement, but also as hope for the future.

The members of the royal family made a long journey from being very distant figures to those who are well known all over the world. Throughout this thesis I have demonstrated the ever changing role of both, the monarchy and the media, which has resulted in the monarchy remaining popular and as such I am convinced the monarchy will be maintained for the foreseeable future.

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Appendices

List of Figures

Fig 1: Opening Ceremony of the Great Exhibiton...... 86 Fig 2: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the Great Exhibition...... 86 Fig 3: Announcement of Prince Albert´s death in The Illustrated London News...... 87 Fig 4: Punch´s illustration „ New Crowns for Old Ones“...... 87 Fig 5: The Queen Victoria´s Jubilee Thanksgiving Festival in London...... 88 Fig 6: An illustration of young Bertie……...………………………………………….89 Fig 7: Drawing of Prince of Wales……………………………………………………89 Fig 8: Prince Edward at court (sitting) during the bacarrat court scandal...... 90 Fig 9: L´enfant terrible, Punch´s illustration of Queen Victoria and Prince Edward....90 Fig 10: The Chain of Friendship……………………...………………………………...91 Fig 11: Friends - King Edward VII and French president Loubet...... 91 Fig 12: News of the World´s front page announcing the death of Edward VII, the Peacemaker...... 92 Fig 13: Nine sovereigns assembled at Buckingham Palace for the funeral of Edward VII …………………………………………………………………………..…..….92 Fig 14: King George V visits the graves of British soldiers killed in battle at Ypres...... 93 Fig 15: King George V and Queen Mary talking to a patient of Canadian military hospital...... 93 Fig 16: King George V during his Christmas Message broadcast in 1932………..…....94 Fig 17: The Times announcing the death of the King on 21 January 1935……….....…94 Fig 18: One of the supporters of Edward VIII during the abdication crisis…….……....95 Fig 19: The front page of London Herald, Edward VIII abdicates………..……………95 Fig 20: The picture of BBC camera men during the procession of King George VI´s coronation...... 96 Fig 21: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in the White House with President Roosevelt……………………….………………………………………………96 Fig 22: King George VI during his radio speech……………………………..………….97 Fig 23: The Sun headline announcing Buckingham Palace bombing…..……………….97 Fig 24: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visiting bomb sites in London...... 98 84

Fig 25: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth after the Buckingham Palace bombing...98 Fig 26: The royal family travelling to South Africa, HMS Vanguard,1947...... 99 Fig 27: Eastern Province Herald front page reporting of the royal family´s visit in South Africa...... 99 Fig 28: The New York Times front page announcing the death of George VI…….…….100 Fig 29: A picture of Princess Elizabeth at the age of three in TIME magazine………..100 Fig 30: Princess Elizabeth explains to the Queen what she has done to the car engine...101 Fig 31: The royal family and Winston Churchill on Buckingham Palace balcony on 8 May 1945………….………………………………………………………………..101 Fig 32: An announcement of Princess Elizabeth engagement to Prince Philip…….….102 Fig 33: The news of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip….………….102 Fig 34: Queen Elizabeth II returning from Kenya on 8 February 1952………………...103 Fig 35: The Daily Telegraph front page reporting on Elizabeth II´s coronation……….103 Fig 36: Sarah, Duchess of York, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne during their appearance in It´s a Royal Knockout……………………………………..104 Fig 37: Front page of The Express announcing the death of Princess Diana….………..104 Fig 38: The front page of The Sun addressing the Queen………..…………………….105 Fig 39: Pictures of Duchess of Cambridge´s children taken by her…………………….105 Fig 40: The Sun front page with Prince Harry´s picture in the Nazi uniform…….……..106 Fig 41: The Queen sending her first email in 1976……………….……………………106

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Fig 1: Opening Ceremony of the Great Exhibiton.

Source: https://www.thoughtco.com/britains-great-exhibition-of-1851-1773797

Fig 2: Queen Victoria and Prince Albert at the Great Exhibition

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/theguardian/from-the-archive-blog/2011/may/10/newspapers- national-newspapers

86

Fig 3: Announcement of Prince Albert´s death in The Illustrated London News.

Source: https://archive.org/details/illustratedlondov39lond/page/n603

Fig 4: Punch´s illustration „ New Crowns for Old Ones“

Source: https://external-preview.redd.it/0preHcJWtRvriBmOJZs- v0tfqU1o5vo8_s4fwFQWsbM.png?auto=webp&s=739cf18b42f023036d286a0cbd58d25d824e0ca6

87

Fig 5: The Queen Victoria´s Jubilee Thanksgiving Festival in London.

Source: British Newspapers Archives.

88

Fig 6: An illustration of young Bertie (shown transformed into a typical American boy, much to the consternation of his father, Prince Albert, Punch, 1860)

Source: https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/11/13/travels-of-a-teenage-prince/

Fig 7 : Drawing of Prince of Wales (pointing out that he spends his adult time of waiting to become the King by playing with toys, Punch)

Source: youtube.com, Prince Edward VII 89

Fig 8 : Prince Edward at court (sitting) during the bacarrat court scandal.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_baccarat_scandal

Fig 9: L´enfant terrible – Punch´s illustration of Queen Victoria and Prince Edward

Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:L%27Enfant_Terrible.jpg 90

Fig 10: The Chain of Friendship (Punch 1903)

Source: http://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_articles=kristi-n-embry-the-entente-cordiale- between-england-and-france-8-april-1904

Fig 11 : Friends -King Edward VII and French president Loubet (Punch 1903)

Source: http://www.branchcollective.org/?ps_articles=kristi-n-embry-the-entente-cordiale-between- england-and-france-8-april-1904 91

Fig 12: News of the World´s front page announcing the death of Edward VII, the Peacemaker

Source: https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-1910-news-of-the-world-front-page-reporting-death-of- king-edward-vii-72277721.html

Fig 13: Nine sovereigns assembled at Buckingham Palace for the funeral of Edward VII

Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01qtv8x/p01qtq9g

92

Fig 14: King George V visits the graves of British soldiers killed in battle at Ypres.

Source: http://www.itv.com/news/2014-08-04/ww1-was-a-defining-period-for-the-royal-family/

Fig 15 : King George V and Queen Mary talking to a patient of Canadian military hospital.

Source: https://www.paimages.co.uk/collections/3650

93

Fig 16: King George V during his Christmas Message broadcast in 1932.

Source: https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2014/12/majesty-honor-and-tradition- monarchs_6.html

Fig 17: The Times announcing the death of the King on 21 January 1936

Source: http://blog.gale.cengage.co.uk/index.php/2017/10/04/the-death-of-george-v-as-reported-first-in- the-times/

94

Fig 18: One of the supporters of Edward VIII during the abdication crisis

Source: gettyimages.com

Fig. 19: The front page of London Herald, Edward VIII abdicates

Source: http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/article-summary/duke-of- windsor_abdication_article_edward_viii#.W89tdvZoTIU 95

Fig 20: The picture of BBC camera men during the procession of King George VI´s coronation

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/803577/coronation-king-george-vi-memorable-80-years- ago

Fig 21: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth in the White House with President Roosevelt

Source: pinterest.com

96

Fig 22: King George VI during his radio speech

Source: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/8223897/The-Kings-Speech-the-real-story.html

Fig 23: The Sun headline announcing Buckingham Palace bombing.

Source: British newspapers archive.

97

Fig 24: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth visiting bomb sites in London.

Source: http://thewartimekitchen.com/?p=163

Fig 25: King George VI and Queen Elizabeth after the Buckingham Palace bombing.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/coventry/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8995000/8995286.stm

98

Fig 26: The royal family travelling to South Africa, HMS Vanguard,1947.

Source: https://collectingkgvi.wordpress.com/2014/06/08/southern-rhodesia-1947-royal-visit/

Fig 27: Eastern Province Herald front page reporting of the royal family´s visit in South Africa.

Source: http://thecasualobserver.co.za/royal-visit-port-elizabeth-1947/

99

Fig.28: The New York Times front page announcing the death of George VI

Source: https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/0206.html?mcubz=0

Fig 29: A picture of Princess Elizabeth at the age of three in TIME magazine.

Source: http://content.time.com/time/covers/0,16641,19290429,00.html

100

Fig 30: Princess Elizabeth explains to the Queen what she has done to the car engine.

Source: http://time.com/5287517/world-war-ii-queen-elizabeth-photo/

Fig 31: The royal family and Winston Churchill on Buckingham Palace balcony on 8 May 1945

Source: https://www.express.co.uk/pictures/pics/3051/70-years-since-VJ-day-victory-over-Japan-World- war-II-WW-2-celebrations-kiss-time-square-pictures

101

Fig 32: An announcement of Princess Elizabeth engagement to Prince Philip

Source: https://www.amdigital.co.uk/about/blog/item/raising-morale-moustache

Fig 33: The news of the wedding of Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip

Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/400187116859497795/

102

Fig 34: Queen Elizabeth II returning from Kenya on 8 February 1952.

Source: http://home.bt.com/news/on-this-day/february-8-1952-new-elizabethan-age-beckons-as- elizabeth-ii-is-formally-proclaimed-queen-11363959953177

Fig 35: The Daily Telegraph front page reporting on Elizabeth II´s coronation

Source: https://cz.pinterest.com/pin/337347828308483258/?lp=true

103

Fig 36 : Sarah, Duchess of York, Prince Edward, Prince Andrew and Princess Anne during their appearance in It´s a Royal Knockout

Source : https://cz.pinterest.com/pin/707276316455103713/?lp=true

Fig 37: Front page of The Express announcing the death of Princess Diana.

Source: http://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/645338

104

Fig 38: The front page of The Sun addressing the Queen

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2958034/Historically-significant-letter-written-Duke- Edinburgh-reveals-sadness-way-royals-portrayed-death-Diana-sold-auction.html

Fig 39: Pictures of Duchess of Cambridge´s children taken by her

Source: https://www.royal.uk/search?tags%5B%5D=Prince+Louis

105

Fig 40: The Sun front page with Prince Harry´s picture in the Nazi uniform

Source: https://www.nickiswift.com/15485/things-didnt-know-prince-harry/

Fig 41: The Queen sending her first email in 1976

Source: https://www.wired.com/2012/12/queen-and-the-internet/

106