CrosswordNewsletters
DAILY BEAST
ALL
  • Cheat Sheet
  • Obsessed
  • Politics
  • Crime
  • Entertainment
  • Media
  • Innovation
  • Opinion
  • World
  • U.S. News
  • Scouted
CHEAT SHEET
    POLITICS
    • Fever Dreams
    • Biden World
    • Elections
    • Opinion
    • National Security
    • Congress
    • Pay Dirt
    • The New Abnormal
    • Right Richter
    • Trumpland
    MEDIA
    • Confider
    • Daytime Talk
    • Late-Night
    • Fox News
    U.S. NEWS
    • Identities
    • Crime
    • Race
    • LGBT
    • Extremism
    • Coronavirus
    WORLD
    • Russia
    • Europe
    • China
    • Middle East
    INNOVATION
    • Science
    TRAVEL
      ENTERTAINMENT
      • TV
      • Movies
      • Music
      • Comedy
      • Sports
      • Sex
      • TDB's Obsessed
      • Awards Shows
      • The Last Laugh
      CULTURE
      • Power Trip
      • Fashion
      • Books
      • Royalist
      TECH
      • Disinformation
      SCOUTED
      • Clothing
      • Technology
      • Beauty
      • Home
      • Pets
      • Kitchen
      • Fitness
      • I'm Looking For
      BEST PICKS
      • Best VPNs
      • Best Gaming PCs
      • Best Air Fryers
      COUPONS
      • Vistaprint Coupons
      • Ulta Coupons
      • Office Depot Coupons
      • Adidas Promo Codes
      • Walmart Promo Codes
      • H&M Coupons
      • Spanx Promo Codes
      • StubHub Promo Codes
      Products
      NewslettersPodcastsCrosswordsSubscription
      FOLLOW US
      GOT A TIP?

      SEARCH

      HOMEPAGE
      Culture

      How Kate Middleton's Pregnancy Reset the Royal Narrative After Disastrous, Diana-Fueled Summer

      Oh Baby

      She announced her pregnancy early, after morning sickness forced her to cancel an engagement. But the news also wiped away a summer of negative royal news. Convenient?

      Tom Sykes

      Royalist Correspondent

      Updated Sep. 05, 2017 9:40AM ET / Published Sep. 05, 2017 6:04AM ET 

      Neil Hall

      The new baby couldn’t have come at a better time for Britain’s royal family.

      They’ve had a brutal summer haunted by the ghost of Princess Diana.

      Since the first documentaries and newspaper articles marking the 20-year anniversary of Diana’s death (on Aug. 31, 1997) began to appear back in June, the royal narrative has been completely dictated by the Diana story.

      Prince Charles, predictably, has fared the worst. He was particularly damaged after videotape emerged of his wife telling her voice coach that he refused to be “the only Prince of Wales never to have a mistress.”

      One poll found that only a third of Britons believe Charles has been “beneficial” for the royal family—half the number who believed the same thing four years ago. And the rehabilitation of his second wife, Camilla, has gone into a major reverse as more and more stories have emerged of how completely Charles and Camilla disregarded Diana’s feelings as they continued their affair during Charles’ marriage. Just 14 percent of those surveyed said they want to see Camilla as queen when be becomes king.

      And while William may at first sight appear to have emerged from the annual bout of Diana-fueled establishment-bashing unscathed, with a record 78 percent approval rating, this is an illusory benefit.

      Royal PR is not a zero sum game: Just because Charles loses, that doesn’t mean William wins (although the impetuous Harry did not help matters by indirectly blaming his father by implying Charles made him walk behind Diana’s coffin without fully understanding what he was doing).

      The calls for the crown to skip a generation are as unwelcome to William as they are to his father.

      The last thing Prince William wants or needs is for his father to abdicate his claim to the throne.

      This is not just because William would like to spend the next 20 or 30 years with a lower profile and less official duties (although he no doubt would). It’s also because William knows that if his father gives in to rule by opinion poll, if those same opinion polls turn against William—be that in 30, 40, or 50 years time—the gig will be up, and the monarchy may well be gone.

      No, the only thing the royals can do is keep calm and, with as little arrogance as possible, blithely carry on (and hope Charles can learn to pipe down when the crown finally comes to rest on his head).

      For Kate Middleton right now, locked away in Kensington Palace, struggling to keep food and water down as she suffers from extreme morning sickness, the last thing she is probably thinking about is the service she is rendering to the institution of the monarchy.

      But there’s no denying it—the timing could not be better. After a summer the royals would rather forget, senior courtiers responsible for shepherding the monarchy through what promises to be a rather difficult next decade know that Kate’s pregnancy has single-handedly changed the royal narrative for the next year at least.

      Wisely, the palace let the Diana eulogies come to a natural end before releasing the news of Kate’s pregnancy, even though she has been ill for some time, and the temptation to say something earlier must have been strong.

      As Christopher Andersen, author of the No. 1 e-book The Day Diana Died, told The Daily Beast: “It’s no accident that the palace announced Kate’s pregnancy when it did. Had they made the announcement even a matter of days earlier, it would have made the 20th anniversary of Diana’s death an even bigger news event than it already is. 

      “The palace’s explanation that it made the announcement now because Kate’s severe morning sickness has forced her to cancel all royal engagements doesn’t tell the whole story. Once again, she’s been suffering from hyperemsesis gravidarum for weeks and the announcement could have been made at any time. It was a conscious decision to wait until Aug. 31st had passed.”

      With Prince George due to start school later this week and the likelihood of a Pippa Middleton pregnancy further adding to the atmosphere, its hard to think of a neater way than a new royal baby for the palace to draw a line under the PR disaster of Diana’s 20th anniversary.

      READ THIS LIST

      DAILY BEAST
      • Cheat Sheet
      • Politics
      • Entertainment
      • Media
      • World
      • Innovation
      • U.S. News
      • Scouted
      • Travel
      • Subscription
      • Crossword
      • Newsletters
      • Podcasts
      • About
      • Contact
      • Tips
      • Jobs
      • Advertise
      • Help
      • Privacy
      • Code of Ethics & Standards
      • Diversity
      • Terms & Conditions
      • Copyright & Trademark
      • Sitemap
      • Best Picks
      • Coupons
      • Coupons:
      • Dick's Sporting Goods Coupons
      • HP Coupon Codes
      • Chewy Promo Codes
      • Nordstrom Rack Coupons
      • NordVPN Coupons
      • JCPenny Coupons
      • Nordstrom Coupons
      • Samsung Promo Coupons
      • Home Depot Coupons
      • Hotwire Promo Codes
      • eBay Coupons
      • Ashley Furniture Promo Codes
      © 2023 The Daily Beast Company LLC