Prince Charles brings the former deputy editor of the “Daily Mail” to the palace. A decision that is dangerous on several levels.
What was he thinking again? As the “Sunday Times” reports, Prince Charles and Duchess Camilla are hiring a former deputy editor-in-chief of the “Daily Mail” for their communications department. In his role, Tobyn Andrae is responsible for ensuring that his boss gets the best possible press impression. It is obvious that this is urgently needed. But the heir to the throne feeds the poisonous snake directly on his chest with a plant from the “Mail”. Because the “Daily Mail” is Britain’s largest tabloid, which recently lost a lawsuit against Duchess Meghan for violation of privacy. Prince Harry has also filed a lawsuit against the publisher for defamation.
Prince Charles and the media: how impartial is he anymore?
On a family level, Charles sends a devastating sign with the new hire. It seems as if he does not take the complaints against the makers of the paper and their strategy seriously. Instead, the decision gives the impression that the future king also wants to benefit from it. Sure, Andrae probably knows better than almost anyone how the publishing house ticks, what it needs and uses. Accordingly, he can give out information in the best way at the best time. But that puts Charles in a dependency that can bring him down.
The accusation that he is questioning his impartiality by choosing a “Daily Mail” journalist is understandable. After all, there are other large news organizations such as the public service BBC, ITV or the Mail’s major opponent in the newspaper business, the Sun. And Charles, as the future king, must remain neutral and not play the media off against each other. It remains to be seen how the proximity to the “Mail” will affect the future. But the 73-year-old’s unhappy comments from the British palace correspondents should serve as a warning.
Charles’ new appointment is an affront to Duchess Meghan and Prince Harry
The situation is different when it comes to reconciliation with his younger son and his wife. The new hire Andreas is nothing more than an affront to Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan. The 42-year-old released a statement in early December 2021 after winning the case against the Mail on Sunday. It said: “In the nearly three years since it began, I have been patient in the face of deceit, intimidation and calculated attacks.” She warned to change the tabloid industries “that profit from the lies and pain they create”. It’s hard to imagine that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would approve of Andrae’s hiring.
The latest PR campaign by the heir to the throne team is now strange. They had leaked information about the Prince and Camilla’s meeting with the Sussex children last week. The hope of portraying Charles as a loving grandpa and thus covering up the fact that it had only just emerged that he had accepted a total of three million euros in suitcases and bags from a Qatari sheikh was quite obvious.
It is clear that the British royals need the media like they need air to breathe. They are only relevant if they take place in public. The question is how close media representatives get to the future monarch and have access to the most private information – and last but not least help shape the strategy of the royal family.
