Over the weekend, the Mail reported that Prince William has hired a crisis manager named Liza Ravenscroft. Ravenscroft does not have any kind of background in the royal offices or the military or politics, which is unusual for such a high-profile hire. Usually, the Windsors are suspicious of outsiders who have worked solely in the private sector. Ravenscroft apparently came highly recommended from King Charles’s team and trusted advisors, particularly Julian Payne, who was once Charles’s comms guru. Payne moved over to the private sector and he was Ravenscroft’s boss. So that’s how it happened, and there’s definitely a vibe of “William was forced to hire Ravenscroft by Charles and Charles’s advisors.” There are also significant questions about why William needs someone with an extensive background in crisis-management as opposed to a background in straight communications and PR. Well, the Telegraph has a new piece about Ravenscroft and why William hired her. The Telegraph is the first outlet (I’ve seen) to point out that Kensington Palace’s communications have been amateurish, if not clownish.

Having headed up crisis communications at the PR juggernaut, Edelman, Liza Ravenscroft has now been poached to join Prince William’s communications office. With the ongoing scandal surrounding Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein grinding on and a possible grand Sussex return to Britain on the cards in the near future, she will have a very full in-tray.

On her LinkedIn profile, Ravenscroft describes herself as “working arm in arm with big names facing into their toughest times”. She will be perfect, then, for the tricky role of stewarding the public image of the Prince of Wales, as reports suggest Harry’s taxpayer-funded security provision will soon be reinstated, paving a way for him to travel to the UK with his family in the near future.

But PR industry insiders say her role will more likely be focused on protecting and bolstering William’s long-term credibility as he embarks on his campaign to modernise the monarchy, rather than firefighting negative stories while he moves closer to the throne. A Kensington Palace source confirmed as much this week, saying that Ravenscroft will be working “on the day to day press interaction Kensington Palace has”, rather than in a crisis role.

Ravenscroft is understood to have been endorsed by Julian Payne, a former communications secretary to the King, who is now Edelman’s chief executive. Since leaving the King’s office in 2021, Payne has remained close to the monarch and is on the board of trustees at The King’s Foundation. One royal source said Ravenscroft is a “very good hire – a grown-up and a safe pair of hands”. New appointments to the Wales’ communications team have been relatively rare since Lee Thompson, the former vice president of global communications at the American media giant NBC, was appointed to head up their press in 2022.

Her addition to the fold comes after a particularly tough and tumultuous two years for the Prince and Princess of Wales, as they have grappled with Kate’s treatment and recovery from cancer. Since then, it has been noticeable that the couple have attempted to communicate with the public more directly, rather than simply via the media. Kate’s recent Mother Nature video series – a “deeply personal” meditation on the healing power of the natural world – is just one example of this.

There has also been a distinct shift towards retaining greater control over their image following the media furore over a Mother’s Day photo the Princess of Wales released that appeared to have been manipulated in 2024.

Ravenscroft will help guide these efforts. While The Telegraph understands that her hiring does not signal a change of tack in terms of Prince William’s approach to communications, it is recognised that it is helpful in such roles to be able to handle high-stakes reputation management (especially when the issue of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor inevitably rears its head again in the months and years to come).

[From The Telegraph]

They also go into Ravenscroft’s CV – her previous clients included the Sackler family (manufacturers of OxyContin), Shell, ExxonMobil and the Saudi government. It’s like a who’s who of “people and businesses with absolutely terrible reputations.” William fits right in, honestly. As for the rest of this… “a grown-up and a safe pair of hands” makes it sound like Charles sent Ravenscroft over there to “handle” William and babysit the childish and idle heir. It also sounds like somewhere along the line – perhaps not within Kensington Palace, but definitely within Buckingham Palace – there’s an acknowledgement that “the Wales brand” is in shambles, if not in crisis. Citing the Mother’s Day photo fiasco and Kate’s stupid Mother Nature videos is a real choice when the conversation is about why William hired a crisis manager.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Kensington Palace and AppleTV+.