The Palace and the Kate Middleton Crisis

Organizations rarely admit the exact moment when they lose control of their narrative during a crisis. It’s often the suspiciously-timed media opportunity that signals trouble behind the scenes.

After Kensington Palace reiterated its earlier stance that updates about the Princess of Wales’ health condition would only be provided when “significant developments” occurred, a paparazzi photo of a missing Kate Middleton appearing online only days later suggests the Palace recognized they had lost their grip on the story.

On Monday, a grainy photograph of the Princess of Wales sitting in the passenger seat of a car driven by her mother Carole Middleton on the grounds of Windsor was published on the tabloid website, TMZ. Kate’s reemergence after weeks of internet speculation about her health was a major news story. Even respected legacy media outlets like the New York Times covered the story.

It’s no surprise the image of the princess sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle driven by her mother, Carole Middleton, on the grounds of Windsor made news headlines. What was surprising was that even respected publications like the New York Times covered the TMZ scoop.

Considering the timing of the photo’s release, it had a job to do: stop the rampant speculation surrounding the health status of the Princess of Wales that was fueling wild rumors and conspiracy theories.

Bottom Line Up Front

This particular example of damage control underscores a critical lesson in crisis management: silence is seldom golden. Kensington Palace’s decision to maintain secrecy around Kate’s condition post-surgery unwittingly added to the public’s thirst for information, propelling the narrative into the hands of the media and the masses.

The Problem

Kensington Palace first addressed Kate’s health in a media statement saying that Kate Middleton was admitted to The London Clinic for “planned abdominal surgery,” and was expected to be “in hospital” for up to two weeks and recovering in private for as long as three months. Not surprisingly, the news generated a lot of interest. Carefully worded language provided strategic cover for the Palace. This discreet approach protected Kate’s privacy and maintained “normality” for her three children.

The problem was that people weren’t buying it.

The Play

The photo’s timing, combined with the optics, led many to believe it was staged. Media outlets reported that the first sighting of Kate since she was last photographed with her family on Christmas Day, was apparently after a school drop-off. Was the school run leaked to mirror earlier statements that Kate wanted normalcy for her school-aged children?

Now there was photographic evidence of her Royal Highness confirming to all that she appeared to be making “good progress” in her recovery. From the passenger seat, Kate was conveniently shielded from full view as well as any potential questions from the outside.

For people like Amanda Smith, a 32-year-old working in internal communications and someone who “loves all things PR” and is “always super interested in the royal family — particularly their crisis communications strategy,” the timing of the photo was “too on the nose.”

The Challenge

The recent communications from Kensington Palace highlight the significance of striking a balance between confidentiality and transparency for public figures and institutions.

Maintaining privacy while disclosing information is a tricky balance. It involves careful consideration of what is shared, how it is communicated, and when it is disclosed. Maintaining individual privacy while tempering public expectations for private information is crucial. For entities like the Royal Family, not typically known for transparency, it can be difficult to establish or regain credibility and public trust.

Why it Matters

Public figures now face increased scrutiny in an era when secrets are harder to keep than ever before. When you mix a curious internet with an algorithm-driven news cycle, messaging shrouded in secrecy is a risky media strategy.

The heightened level of chatter regarding the lack of information coming from the Palace regarding Kate Middleton’s health highlights the importance of monitoring the amount of commentary as well as the sentiment. The closer you pinpoint when you’re about to lose control of the story, the more distance you put between you and a PR crisis. It is crucial to have a monitoring strategy in place to not only gauge where you stand with the public, but it also provides a sense of when you are at risk of losing a critical factor needed for a solid reputation – the public’s trust.

The Solution

For any organization that holds confidential information, knowing what to share and what to keep close is a challenge. No one can predict if or when a massive online backlash will happen. However, careful consideration of language, empathy towards the audience, and a value system rooted in transparency will aid in the understanding of how the information will be received by the public.

10 Effective Communication Tactics for Balancing Secrecy and Disclosure

1. Evaluate your Stakeholders: Get a handle on who will be affected by what you’re sharing and update your communications to meet their needs and concerns, all while keeping privacy in check.
2. Gauge the Impact: Take a good look at how sharing or keeping info under wraps will play out with the public’s trust levels and privacy concerns. Aim for a sweet spot that keeps the drama low.
3. Keep Messages Crisp and Clear: Develop straightforward, easy-to-access, consistent messages packed with the right amount of essential info to still respect privacy. Dump the vague language that could lead to further speculation.
4. Lean Into Transparency When and Where You Can: Whenever the situation lets you be as open as possible in statements and social media posts to satisfy people’s curiosity and answer the press without crossing privacy boundaries.
5. Monitor and Respond When Necessary: Keep an ear to the ground for how the public and press react after you’ve put your information out there. Be ready to adjust your game plan if you need to clear up any confusion or address new rumors or conspiracy theories.
6. Partner with the Press: Aim to work with journalists to help get your side of the story out more accurately and positively.
7. Embrace Empathy: Don’t forget the human element when handling crises. Expressing empathy and respect for everyone involved can ramp up people’s support and understanding of the situation.
8. Plan for Different Plays: Predict different public and press reaction scenarios and map out your communication strategies accordingly.
9. Stand By Your Privacy Statement: Keep reinforcing how much you value privacy to maintain trust and ensure everyone knows what to expect regarding what’s shared and what’s not. Then stick to it.
10. Stay Sharp and Nimble: Continually assess the effectiveness of your communication strategies and be willing to adapt as needed to stop misinformation, increase transparency, and uphold privacy.

The Gist

The communication crisis faced by the Palace regarding Kate Middleton underscores the importance of transparency in an online era where content and commentary are intertwined. To effectively manage public and media demands for information, public figures and institutions should adopt a nimble communication strategy that balances the need for openness with the need for privacy. This sweet spot can be found through clear, considerate, and continuous messaging that reduces the rumors and backlash while effectively managing the expectations of both the public and the press.