There’s a new “royal expert” giving quotes to various British media outlets. His name is Andrew Lownie and he’s promoting his new book, Traitor King: The Scandalous Exile of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. You guessed it, he’s drawing parallels between King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson with the current royal situation. Thus far, he has not made the strained and false comparison between Wallis & Edward and the Sussexes, but I’m sure that’s coming. I chanced upon his quotes because he’s saying something that few royal commentators will admit these days: that there’s such a weird vibe to royal PR these days because Charles basically is the “soft regent” for the Queen.
Lownie on what’s happening to the monarchy right now: “There’s a PR war going on, not just between the Sussexes and the Cambridges, but a PR war by the monarchy to prepare everyone for life after the Queen. To establish in people’s minds the legitimate succession and also to in a sense resell the monarchy at a time when it’s under pressure.”
The soft regency: “We’re in a period of what can be called a soft regency, in effect the Queen is standing back, not doing many roles. The roles that she is doing are being accompanied by Prince Charles, everyone is being prepared for Charles and Camilla. As a result, William and Kate, who seem to be very popular, are stepping into the position that Charles and Camilla had. Because they are, I would say almost more popular than Charles and Camilla, they’ve probably been given a higher role.”
William & Kate saved the monarchy? The author praised the Queen’s response to the departure of Meghan and Harry from the Royal Family. He also said the younger generation of royals like William and Kate had returned some of the monarchy’s positive sheen. He added: “They’ve stepped up to the mark and saved it, if they hadn’t been up to the job then we would have been in real trouble. But fortunately they did correct the ship of state and we’re fine now.
Yeah, the monarchy is totally fine now, no problems whatsoever, Sussex who, Meghan what, nothing to see here. Oh, it’s just that Prince Charles has been orchestrating cash-for-access schemes for years, the Queen’s favorite son is wanted for questioning by the FBI, Will and Kate barely lift a finger to do anything, and the entire institution is built on racism and colonialism. The thing is, I do think Lownie is right about some of it, and it’s useful to understand that we’re seeing the monarchy in a weird transitional moment, where Charles is trying to assume as much power as possible. And there are increased expectations that William and Kate will finally, at long last, begin to assume a heavier workload as they prepare to eventually become the Prince and Princess of Wales. Lolz, they won’t do that. They’ll just send people out to inform the media that they’re keen about this or that and thus, the bar will be lowered and lowered for them.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Backgrid, WENN.
Dear Royal Expert: you are full of shit.
Which one it is? Is the Queen not doing much or has she acted well to Sussexit?
And why there is a need to have a PR campaign to assure people the succession is logical and legal? This is a monarchy, everyone KNOWS how it works.
Finally, if you have to keep reminding people the Cambridges saved the Monarchy just by existing, then you are just admitting the monarchy is, in fact, in trouble.
Well put.
Frankly I wish they’d just fire William and Kate. The whole institution is archaic, but those two and their absolute lack of work grinds me the wrong way.
They cannot get fired nor they can be forced to work.
What the RF is trying to do is to brainwash people into believing the Cambridges are worth it. TBH, I do think they can spin this crap for some years without any pushback, but the moment Charles ascends, it will get VERY difficult to justify- unless the UK is forever lost to the conservative agenda.
All the Cambridge’s need to do is just be there and stick around. No one genuinely expects much more from them. If all they do is attend galas and unveil plaques, that will satisfy most of the population. They don’t even need to speak ( in fact it’s better they don’t).They don’t even seem that bothered by the expenditures now that the Sussexes are gone. There is no accountability, whether it’s Andrew’s actions, Charles selling access ( he knew), the Queen being exempt from environmental or discrimination laws, or William lying by omission about Covid. All criticism is quickly tamped down. The bar is really low and their idea of leadership is to attack and insult the Sussexes to show how “ decisive” they are. They all do it, from the Queen on down.
Fire William and Kate? Why? They’re JUST RIGHT for that country. Haven’t you heard the way they think? The new rota guy said, “Fortunately, they saved the monarchy”… How? He also said that W & K have “righted the ship of state”… Again, how? by doing what exactly, buying more dresses? But this kind of thinking and propping up shows that these people would gladly starve if only the royals would allow them to support their lavish lifestyles.
LMAO at the fanfic these dudes write about Elegant Bill and Keen Mandela. The Cambridge’s haven’t done jack s*** all all summer, much less in the years before, yet they’ve ‘stepped up to the mark’ and saved the monarchy? Holy cow, that’s some propping up of mediocre white people…I guess they saved everything because they exist and they’re white, because I cannot think of a darn thing they did otherwise.
We need some specifics on how they saved the monarchy and what exactly they saved it from.
They saved it from republicanism. Don’t you know it’s a terrible, dreadful thing to be a republic.
They saved it from Harry’s evil biracial American wife and his tainted kids. That’s what they’re saying.
It’s not really a “PR war” when its one sided. The Sussexes are minding their business 600+ miles away, while the Cambridges are still feeling threatened. I also don’t see how the Cambridges have stepped up to the mark,they are still the laziest royals and have barely done anything this past 9 months
But if PC or Wills stomps his feet and yells:
“1 2 3 4 I declare a PR war!”
they are off to the races.
That’s how stupid and childish the BRF is coming across in all this.
But the Cambridges are not up to the job…they only get headlines wheeling their children out and that is wearing thin.
Saving the monarchy with their whiteness, don’t you know.
They’ve got “all the right ingredients” don’tcha know?
All the white ingredients.
“everyone is being prepared for Charles and Camilla.” I think we’ve been adequately prepared. I wonder how angry Charles is that he’ll be retiree age when/if he finally becomes king, or worries his mother will outlive him.
If this guy can get through his promo tour without making a lazy comparison to Meghan and Harry, I will buy his book
I listened to an interview with him on a history podcast – and the book sounds really interesting. He’s gotten a lot of information on Edward’s questionable behaviour during and right after the war from foreign archives. And he def thinks that the Duke of Windsor was a traitor in the actual/legal sense of the word. I’m really looking forward to reading the book.
I have no idea whether he has any insider knowledge on the current Windsors. I tend to think he doesn’t considering his quotes about the Cambridges. I doubt that he even follows them closely because then he would know what so many royal watchers know: that the Cambridges are incredibly work-shy.
Agree on all points, but also note the entire British ‘state’ is built on legacy of racism and colonialism, not just the monarchy. Writing this from Canada, where the monarchy has had little impact ‘on the ground’ but racism and colonialism still structure Indigenous and settler state relations. As heads of state the monarchy should acknowledge these legacies, and make restitution; so should we all, who have benefitted from colonialism in various ways.
100% the fact that the British monarchy still hasn’t talked about, never mind taken any responsibility for the hundreds of years of oppression, racism and hideous legacies they began in various countries (including Canada) shows me they give no shits and have no business still being on my money and being my head of state.
F*ck Them All.
The way the original citizens in Canada were treated was terrible. We were on hols there three years ago and saw some of it. I know my daughter would still not be comfortable living in Canada because of what is still happening.
This. All of this. British Colonialism did so much damage to about half of the entire world.
My bet is on you keeping your money.
It’s hilarious how for how royal experts and commentators bleat about how popular Kate and William are they can’t seem to say that without mentioning harry and Meghan. There is no PR war between the sussexes and the Cambridges, just the Cambridges fighting themselves
Andrew Lownie has indeed been making the comparisons between Edward and Wallis and the Sussexes. To promote his book, he has been allowed to write a few pieces in the Daily Mail doing just that.
I can see his point about the soft regency and the PR tactics, we’ve discussed that here a great deal. There IS a push to get Charles out there and there IS an expectation that the closer they get to the Cornwall duchy, the more William and Kate will have to work.
But at this point I think its clear that William and Kate will NOT work more, and so that’s why we’re getting all these super sugary articles about how they’ve stepped up and saved the monarchy or whatever, because they need to make people believe that William and Kate have “saved” it and are modernizing it and are the new face of it and whatever else is the line of the week – because there is nothing else there. There is nothing else to say about them and they need to make people believe that they have value.
I wonder about W&K. Is Charles going to be an indulgent monarch? He hasn’t seemed like it so far. Will W&K be able to say “no” directly to the King’s face? As William gets closer to the throne, he won’t be able to hide behind H&M and the “pain of separation” anymore and the older generation (Charles, Ann, Edward) will keep getting older – they won’t have as much energy for work. And with Charles shrinking the monarchy, who will be left? I suppose W&K could laze about for another 15 years until George and Charlotte are old enough to do some work, but I don’t see how any PR campaign can make laziness smell like perfume – W&K will have to do step up.
I think George will be protected like William was and the spares would get the Harry treatment.
It’s undeniable that the palace still has a PR problem, and this one can’t be laid at the feet of Harry and Meghan (much as they try to). If Charles has basically assumed power and is acting as king regent, that should have streamlined and simplified the PR strategy, as CH and BP should now essentially be the same entity with the same forward goal… and obviously, that isn’t the case. That’s the story we need examined, because it seems pretty clear that the PR pushback we’re seeing is an attack on Charles with the intent of diminishing his reputation so that Will can in turn be seen as the savior. If Will can’t compete through service or impact, he can damn well make sure that he knocks his father down hard, all so he can be seen as the golden boy when he steps in to save the day. It’s an idiotic plan, but I wouldn’t expect anything less.
Yes to all of this. It is a terrible plan because it requires William to have a foil he can tear down to make himself look better and that is not a stable long term strategy. However, no one has ever accused Elegant Bill of being strategic. Sigh.
It’s also a re-run of his plan re:The Sussexes, which does make me more inclined to think that that is his plan now. In the minds of Camp Cambridge the only reason it failed with Harry is because of deficiencies with Harry/Meghan, obviously if it is deployed against someone who is so all in like Charles it will be a perfect success. I do wonder how it’ll all go sideways this time.
They should be the same entity, but I bet there’s a war behind the scene. BP courtiers are worried about their jobs and/or lack of influence during Charles’ reign. They (maybe in cooperation with PWT) are leaking stories to get rid of Carles best buds like Fawcett before he becomes king.
They’re fooling themselves if they think this is going to benefit Willnot, but fools they are so I’m not surprised if you’re right about that,
Edward 8th’s conduct was traitorous and there is no equivalency whatsoever with the Sussexes getting the hell out of Dodge.
There are a lot of differences between the Windsors and the Sussexes. That said, Edward’s departure was just usual British royal hypocrisy. Hitler very much valued Charles Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha and encouraged him to promote Nazi values whenever he visited Sandringham or Buckingham Palace (which he often did; even despite losing his status as a British prince for fighting in WW1; he was a Nazi spy at the funeral of George V). George Duke of Kent had Nazi ties.
There’s even that footage of the current Queen and her mother doing the Nazi salute in the early 1930’s (that’s not definitive of anything, but definitely sketchy). Not to mention Philip’s sisters (again, not necessarily indicate of his own sympathies but combined with the rest creates a questionable picture of the whole).
Wow I just went down a rabbit hole on Charles onetime duke of Saxe Coburg and Gotha. What a monster. The grandfather of the current King of Sweden, too.
Edward’s departure was also triggered by Operation Willi, a kidnapping plot by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop, who thought the duke would serve as a useful pawn in the German war effort. The Duke and Duchess were literally chased out of France into semi-neutral Spain, then to Portugal, and nearly didn’t make it. It was imperative that they be removed ASAP for their own safety. By that time, the British press were baying for Wallis Simpson’s blood — she had literally been run out of England to France in the middle of the night when the news embargo on her relationship with Edward finally lifted. In any event, it was a stain and an embarrassment on the Royal family in a time where the whole of Europe was teetering on a Nazi takeover and the Windsors were the focus of a lot of hatred. Edward was hell-bent on inserting himself into some kind of relevant position in the Monarchy again, but he’d already proven he was not at all suitable for anything other than being banished to the governorship of the Bahamas..
He was not arrested nor tried for treason. He was admitted into the US if there had been any taint of treason he and his wife would have been barred forever. Plus he got to visit his mother for years.
If there was much at all to W&K’s work they could be praised for something besides just being present to “save the monarchy”. And what exactly is so commendable about saving an archaic institution anyway? William won’t step up to do more just because of changing titles. He will, once he becomes Duke of Cornwall, just take credit for all the income and environmental practices that Charles started with the Duchy.
I’m sorry, what popularity? what positive sheen?
Constantly braying and bragging like donkeys about how keen and perfect you are is not popularity
Well they are both white so that’s all they need to be. Who needs to work and contribute to the life you get given if all you need to do is be white? I really can’t with these racist asshats anymore.
Sure, we’ve known this for a while now – TQ could pop off any minute. Charles isn’t trying to assume more power, he’s been actually assuming more power. He’s the one who banished Andrew into the weeds after the BBC interview, he’s the one who made the decision about Harry and Meghan, he’s the one slimming down the monarchy. And I don’t think Will and Kate will be able to get away with lazing about when Charles is King, so they should enjoy their holidays now.
I have to laugh at the “PR war.” If it’s a war, it’s like “Blackadder Goes Forth” – everyone running around saying contradictory things, fighting over one square foot of turf and Baldrick with his “cunning plans.”
When people like this go on about how “popular” W+K are and how they will “save” the monarchy, or some such rubbish, I think they are hoping that if they say it enough, it will become true. I don’t think they actually believe it, and there will be some journalists/commentators who are frustrated at not being able to report the truth.
Oh, and a “PR campaign”? Yep I think we worked that out – everyone in that family (plus the Middletons) have been briefing against each other for months, and not one of them has any media savvy. It’s an absolute shitshow.
If you have to bribe reporters to say your ‘popular’ then chances are that your not that popular at all. These two are a joke.
The only PR war I’m seeing is the desperate attempt to convince the world that they won’t be completely fucked once Betty dies. And that everyone is united and on the same page. When in reality, they’re scheming and backstabbing each other and shitting themselves because they lost Harry and will lose the Queen in the very near future.
Charles should call the Cambridge-Middleton bluff.
I believe he will once Betty falls off her perch. William’s choice of bride brought a huge amount of baggage (*coughCarolEcough*) into the marriage. Mrs. Bennett looks like mother of the year compared to Ma Midd and she’s clinging desperately to her tabloid chums to maintain relevancy in a no-win situation. The Cambridges’ marriage is on the rocks, their uselessness and perfidy increases daily, and Charles knows they are a detriment to the “Firm”.
Charles let William run the show and watched while he helped Harry get ousted. I am not holding much hope out for Charles. I do think he and William will try to play “happy families” for their own PR though.
I mean yes he’s right that there’s a soft regency in place for Charles (which we’ve suspected for months) and that the queen isn’t totally involved (which could explain why H&M don’t hold any ill will towards her) but she’s also not completely stepped away because she’s actively protecting Andrew. But I disagree that the Cambridges are “steering the ship” right or whatever he said. They’re really not doing much.
The thing is Charles turned over decisions about Harry to William. William got to call the shots. I don’t see Charles as all that effective.
Alright then, the whitebridges have saved the monarchy with their pure white selves, nothing to see here folks all is white with the world.
This new reporter is like a clone of all the others. Speaks whatever shit falls out his ass
With the bar set so low for the Cambridges, I’ll be curious to see in 20 years how they’ll react to George marrying a woman who does any work at all and “outshines” them.
Bold of to assume that any intelligent woman with a work ethic will marry into the shit show that is the Windsors after what was done to both Diana and Meghan. Both William and Harry had trouble finding someone who wanted to marry them. William got a clinging doormat with a scheming mother and Harry had to find someone who didn’t know that much about the BRF because she is American.
It doesn’t bode well for the marital futures of the Cambridge children – because only the most ambitious gold-diggers will want to live in a goldfish bowl whilst being scrutinized by the most toxic and abusive tabloid press in the Western world. Not to mention that the royal family itself is a toxic mess of terrible people + the entire institution is run in a way that is utterly inhumane. Any woman (or man) worth their salt (who know just a tiny bit about the BRF) won’t subject themselves to the hell that is the House of Windsor. They’ll attract gold-diggers and those who hunger for fame.
I can’t wait for Charles, William and Kate to all turn on each other, it’s gonna be so Lit!
It’s going to be like a bunch of rabid caged rats eating each other.
As long as the Queen is alive, the monarchy is safe.
Gee… I wonder why the BRF has to fight a PR war “to establish in people’s minds the legitimate succession and also to in a sense resell the monarchy at a time when it’s under pressure”? Let’s see….
The need the need to relegitimize succession is because the Cambridges have been selling the idea that Charles should be skipped for them, through Uncle Gary, etc.
The need to resell the monarchy is because the Cambridges conspired with the media to drive away the Sussexes, which has made the general public question why they should pay for the BRF when they can get jobs and support themselves.
It’s a time when the monarchy is under pressure because the Cambridges have worked too much with the press, which is putting pressure on them to give stories to fill the Sussex gap. The Cambridges cannor meet this pressure because they have nothing to provide and nothing they do will fill the gap. Hence, the media is increasing pressure by giving us Charles’ cash for access scandal…and more of Andrew’s mess.
Basically…I feel like this is a warning to the Cambridges that the media will start a PR war with the BRF if the Cambridges don’t do they’re part to “save” the monarchy by providing the right stories.
The wolves are at the door….desperate.
I’m starting to wonder if the reason why the Queen hasn’t stepped back as much as she should have by now, is because of Andrew and she’s afraid if Charles is in charge, he’ll throw him to the wolves to save face.
Andrew is actively preventing the queen from stepping down, and he has no problem whatsoever with it. He’s probably running interference with her staff in order to keep her focused on him and his two biggest problems, Virginia and Charles.
Think his lawyers keep the queen informed?
Maybe you’re right? I was watching a video on YouTube about the royal families of Europe and I was surprised how many of the heads retired when they got into their eighties and let the younger generation take over. They didn’t all die with their boots on like apparently the UK Queen intends to do. I wonder if Andrew wasn’t caught in this mess he made if she would consider retiring? I’m sure the people wouldn’t demand that she stick around because of some promise she made in her twenties.
If she steps back then no more jubilees or being lauded as the longest reigning living monarch or breaking anyone else’s record for length of reign. I don’t buy into the “service” deal as the reason.
How can Kate save the monarchy when she can hardly save herself from the sloth she has become? What kind of savior is that? Poor Brits hitching its success to Lazy Kate. First it was the Brexit failure. Now it’s the total abolition of the monarchy.
And anything released related to Kate seem to focus on her hair and her clothes and she’s praised for wearing an expensive outfit twice.
“But fortunately they did correct the ship of state and we’re fine now.”
No, the ship of state is floundering on rough seas, the Captain and his Commanders are faffing around like a bunch of archaic keystone cops and the ship is in imminent danger of sinking.
EVERY SINGLE ARTICLE AND APPEARANCE by a member of the royal family should begin an end with a question on when Andrew will cooperate with authorities. The royal family should get ZERO publicity until they answer for protecting Andrew from the authorities
I’m amazed but not surprised at how easily the conversations about the royals have moved from Andrew to Charles. Charles’s engagement in Pay to Play with a loyal subject who moved from inexperienced waterboy to CEO is not news, but it distracts from Andrew hiding behind his mother’s skirt. No matter what Charles does, he will be king, and William will be next in line. Even though the quality of life in the UK is not improving for the working class, everyone seems to enjoy watching shiny objects. It’s also noticeable that news concerning Sophie and Edward stepping up has once again taken a backseat.
CarolE (and Gary) are going to fight. She wants to be ‘Queen Mother’ although that title was given instead of ‘Queen Dowager’. Gary really believes he should be ennobled. Watch them shuttle out of the woodwork while the Windsor’s are fighting for position among themselves.
WHO is giving Kate and William a higher role? Yes, they might generate more publicity but they do not do the number of engagements they should and do fairly basic stuff. My God William was seen today for the first time in months. OK the royals take long summer breaks but for his age this is ridiculous. Fed up hearing they are with their young family. What other father/parents get this amount of time. Charles is still doing all the heavy lifting. As for the Middletons, who is to say they will even be around when Wm is king and they are not royal.
Carole Middleton will not be ignored. She will be around when William is King. Already Pippa and James are acting like “celebrities” and it will only get worse.
Just to add. Quite important. William and Kate cannot prepare to become P and P of Wales because Charles has to grant the titles, not automatic. Might be trade off for Camilla being Queen.
Charles has no regency. He sat back and let WIlliam take over and plot against Harry.