“It is historical, the king admits that he has a body, that he can die, and he can no longer hide it”

In Buckingham, bad news doesn’t seem to come alone. On January 16, we learned that Kate Middleton was admitted to the hospital for “gastric surgery”, the reasons for which we still do not know today. On the same day, the palace announced that King Charles would undergo, in the same establishment, a positive procedure due to an enlarged prostate. Since then, both have been released from the London Clinic after the operation which, according to official information, went perfectly. Alas: on February 5, Buckingham announced that the monarch was suffering from cancer. The disease, which is not related to his bladder intervention, was however diagnosed at the last moment. Currently undergoing treatment, the king looks “good” when it comes to the future and, if he has had to cancel his official commitments for the future, he remains “in charge of state affairs”.

Also read«The king has cancer»: the shock of the English press after the announcement of the illness of Charles III

This correspondence was praised by many media outlets, both British and foreign, for its openness, in contrast to the openness favored by Elizabeth II. However, gray areas remain: what disease does Charles III suffer from? Are his days in jeopardy? What will be the consequences of this announcement for the royal family, and for the kingdom of England in general? So many questions that Buckingham is trying, if not to answer, at least to control speculation. Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet, communication consultant and professor of communication at Sciences Po, gives his analysis of the strategy of the palace.

Madame Figaro.- With the announcement of Charles III’s cancer, it is said that a new era of transparency begins in the royal family. Is this true?

Philippe Moreau-Chevrolet.- Yes, we can talk about transparency as we communicate about the disease, and we give a word that has been scary for a long time: “cancer”. Today, you can be a leader and have cancer. No longer a death sentence, it can be treated and accepted. This is very important for all those who have suffered from the stigma of this disease for a long time. The truth of play clear It is a good strategy, unlike the one adopted in the case of Kate Middleton.

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But we do not know what cancer Charles III suffered from. Why give only partial information?

That is the real question, and it shouldn’t be. In communication, you have to be open to the end, otherwise, you open a box where people will express their fantasies and their fears. Here, we do not know if the life of Charles III is in danger, if he is in the early stage of the disease or not. We will have rumors about his life expectancy, the type of cancer he has, the treatment he will benefit from. And the question of his succession immediately arises: in the coming days or weeks, the topic about William, the future king, should begin to rise. But Buckingham has taken a big step in realizing that the king is not right. This is rare for leaders, who need to maintain an image of invulnerability. In general, we only know later.

Does this mean we are more tolerant of their weaknesses? What does it mean that they themselves agree to reveal them?

On the public side, we have become more tolerant of weakness, but not lies. We no longer ask our leaders not to be influenced, but to be fair and transparent. Otherwise, we will look for information ourselves or, if the imagination goes, make up our own story. Today, we have progressed so much, one could say that they are suffering. Covid has also been there, illness is a part of everyday life. As for the monarchy, it realized that it could no longer control the information. It is historical: the king admits that he has a body, that he can die, and he no longer hides it. For a ruler, it is a completely new thing to contemplate his death. Perhaps it is the last bastion that is fading. As for Charles, there were already no more secrets about his personal life: we know even his most intimate thoughts. From now on, we also know the last part of his personal life, which is his health. When we are kings today, we are completely dedicated to watching, not being able to escape. From this point of view, the kingdom accepted its defeat.

On the public side, we have become more tolerant of weakness, but not lies

Also readCancer, prostate, double fracture : l’historique médical du roi Charles III

Showing his vulnerability, and mentioning that he hopes this announcement will “contribute to public awareness of all those around the world who suffer from cancer”, also makes Charles III closer to the people.

Yes, and it is very intelligent because we give meaning to this communication. We are not just on the perverse side, of attraction: we communicate because we want to convey a message. The British Empire aligns itself with what the stars do today: when they reveal a disease, they do it so that this disease is well thought of by those who suffer. What they say is “I’m not doing this for myself, but for others.” And then, of course, it humanizes Charles III. If he survives this test that everyone hopes for him, he will probably gain a new popularity due to this weakness that differs from the image we had of him until now, that is, a person ‘unfaithful, proud and rude. It is surprising how much the topic of illness is at risk for a leader. For example, when Donald Trump had the coronavirus : it really humiliated him, because he was a strong fighter against the severity of Covid. But two or three days after being admitted to the hospital, we witnessed an exciting sequence. It was clear that he had been using performance-enhancing drugs, but he came back in good shape and landed by helicopter in the palace garden. He used his illness to show that he was stronger than Covid. In his own story, which is a story of strength, it served him. It was an interesting way to take ownership of the disease, and use it in communication.

News about the royal family always seems to be broadcast through two channels: some, like the situation in which this cancer was diagnosed, are very official. Others, such as the fact that Charles III would warn his relatives by phone, reaching the media “off the record”, from “sources close to the palace”. Why these two levels of communication?

Because today, it is impossible to completely control communication, there is a necessary leakage from those around you. So we tend to prepare these: instead of completely blocking communication, which is impossible, we will make “distant”, conditions. The Élysée does this regularly: this helps to put oil on the wheels with the media and the public. In short, we give less to avoid giving more. It is also a way of controlling the media narrative: we tell the story ourselves to prevent it from being told from outside. This “forgery” is completely rational: everything is controlled, planned, on purpose but we act as “as if”. It has become the main rule of communication: Emmanuel Macron does it a lot, as, for example, when we see him discussing Olympique de Marseille with his wife. Everything is planned, but some small things feel very real. This gives credibility and authenticity to the Buckingham story, which is constantly questioned. A bit like a TV series: we need other characters to believe the story.

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So is Buckingham managing his communications well?

It is understandable on the part of Charles, but not on the part of Kate Middleton, whose strategy of silence has decreased, giving way to all kinds of rumors. Correspondence around Charles III is more modern. But the difference between the two is worrying: it shows that since the death of the queen, there is no longer a unified communication from the monarchy. Obviously we are in a period of transition, the royal family still seems quite unstable. They are making an effort, it is commendable, but they are far from winning, because they are caught in the middle of royal questions: Charles never worked on his popularity and paid today. The revelations of Meghan Markle and Harry have caused them a lot of damage, there have been CrownLady Diana who continues to cast an evil shadow… We have a feeling of being like in the series Series : after the death of the matriarch, there are heirs who must be appointed. We can clearly see that Charles III is still not completely legitimate, and this illness weakens him when he needs stability. We have been in chaos since the death of the queen and it continues. This is not good for the kingdom.

It even seems like a series that with the return of Harry, we wonder if the illness of King Charles will cause reconciliation within Windsor …

If they play their part well, there is, indeed, a good story to be written about this disease, on the theme of vulnerability, family reconciliation, greatness and peace to be found. Charles can also get his royal stripes through torture, and regain a kind of popularity. It remains to be seen if they still have a way to have a controlled story. If, at the level of communication, there really is power in Buckingham. Are we in the mood for an “interregnum”, or are we waiting for “King William” to set things straight?

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