Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have just hired their first head of communications and are calling on a new press officer. Their job titles are the same as those given at Buckingham Palace. The Sussex are inspired by the royal mode of operation, after a few mistakes.
They said goodbye to the royal protocol in March, to be inspired by it a few months later. This Friday, November 13, we learned that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have hired two people to help them manage their communication in the United States.
“The Office of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex has appointed the former head of communications at Pinterest, Christine Schirmer, to the newly created position of head of communications and Toya Holness as press officer,” reads PRWeek, which released the information.
The titles given to these positions, “Head of communications” and “Press Secretary” in English, are the same as those given at Buckingham Palace. Rebecca English, a Daily Mail journalist specializing in the royal family, commented on Twitter: “Interesting choice of title – it’s very ‘palatial’ vocabulary!”.
After the blunders, a salutary discipline
The hiring of these two communicators is surprising, knowing that the Sussex were looking for privacy when they left for America, and that James Holt already manages their communication in the United Kingdom. But as they launch their offensive in the United States, they need to surround themselves with experts.
A few blunders proved that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry could not manage their communication themselves, especially now that they are launching their foundation. The couple is increasingly investing in the media, and defying Queen Elizabeth by getting politically involved – sometimes clumsily.
One example of this is the ceremony to honor the victims of war that they organized themselves in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 8, after they were removed from Queen Elizabeth’s guest list. But also to the couple’s comments on the troubled history of the Commonwealth, which some interpreted as an affront to the Queen, and their stance on the American presidential election.
In April, Dickie Arbiter, a former spokesman for Queen Elizabeth, stepped up to the plate after the couple issued a press release announcing that they had called the monarch on her birthday. “Messages from the family are private and should remain private.
Yes, she receives many greetings from across the country and around the world, but the family’s messages are private. The fact that Harry and Meghan make them public shows that they don’t understand communication. Who’s running this? I don’t know,” he raves.
Would they have taken his opinion into account? Their new mode of operation is inspired by that of the royal family, the weight of protocol less. One thing is certain: from now on, accompanied by these two professionals, Meghan and Harry will be able to express themselves on subjects that are close to their hearts, but following guidelines that allow them to avoid diplomatic incidents.
It’s impossible to leave royal life 100%
Before becoming the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle enjoyed a notoriety that did not prevent her from speaking freely about the causes she defended. Today, there is no turning back, and she is aware of this. “She told me she’s too famous to do normal things,” said a source close to the former actress in July.
After a period of transition marked by the health crisis but also by a political crisis in the United States, Meghan and Harry are back on a good footing with high-flying collaborators – one is the former communications director of Pinterest and the other is a professor at the University of Southern California, former communications director of the New York Department of Education.
Like Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson before them, they went into exile but did not completely cut off all ties with their former royal life. The former continued to give lavish receptions in their mansion on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, assisted by their domestic staff. The latter still lead a luxurious life and remain in the spotlight … By adopting a monarchical organization.
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