Editing British royal family (section)

==Media and criticism==
{{further|Royal Rota|Never complain, never explain}}
Royal biographer [[Penny Junor]] says that the royal family has presented itself "as the model family" since the 1930s.<ref name="Davies1"/> Author Edward Owen wrote that during the [[Second World War]], the monarchy sought an image of a "more informal and vulnerable family" that had a unifying effect on the nation during instability.<ref>{{cite web |title=Meghan's Use Of "The Firm" Could Be A Reference To Diana's 1995 Interview |url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/why-is-the-royal-family-called-the-firm-meghan-markle-oprah |website=Bustle |access-date=15 November 2021 |archive-date=15 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115062011/https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/why-is-the-royal-family-called-the-firm-meghan-markle-oprah |url-status=live }}</ref> [[annus horribilis#Elizabeth II|In 1992]], the Princess Royal and her husband [[Mark Phillips]] divorced; the Prince and [[Diana, Princess of Wales|Princess of Wales]] separated; a biography detailing the Princess's [[bulimia]] and [[self-harming]] was published; [[Squidgygate|her private telephone conversations]] surfaced, as did the Prince's [[Camillagate|intimate telephone conversations]] with his lover, Camilla Parker Bowles; the Duke and Duchess of York separated; and photographs of the topless Duchess having her toes sucked by another man appeared in tabloids. Historian Robert Lacey said that this "put paid to any claim to being a model of family life". The scandals contributed to the public's unwillingness to pay for the repairs to [[Windsor Castle]] after the [[1992 Windsor Castle fire|1992 fire]]. A further "[[public relations|PR]] disaster" was the royal family's initial response to the [[death of Diana, Princess of Wales]], in 1997.<ref name="Davies2">{{cite news|first=Caroline|last=Davies|title=How the royal family bounced back from its 'annus horribilis'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/may/24/royal-family-bounced-back-annus-horribilis|access-date=4 August 2021 |website=The Guardian|date=24 May 2012|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407014047/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2012/may/24/royal-family-bounced-back-annus-horribilis|archive-date=7 April 2015}}</ref>

In the 1990s, the royal family formed the Way Ahead Group, made up of senior family members and advisers and headed by Elizabeth II, in a quest to change in accordance with public opinion.<ref name="Davies2"/><ref name="Reynolds">{{cite news|first=Paul|last=Reynolds|author-link=Paul Reynolds (BBC journalist)|title=Royal Family's changing guard|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/diana_one_year_on/reporters_reflections/p_reynolds.stm|access-date=5 August 2021 |work=BBC News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430075818/http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/diana_one_year_on/reporters_reflections/p_reynolds.stm|archive-date=30 April 2011}}</ref> The [[wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton]] in April 2011 led to a "tide of goodwill", and by Elizabeth II's [[Diamond Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Diamond Jubilee]] in 2012 the royal family's image had recovered.<ref name="Davies2"/> A 2019 [[YouGov]] poll showed that two-thirds of British people were in favour of maintaining the royal family.<ref name="Anthony">{{cite news |first=Andrew|last=Anthony|title=The monarchy: so what are they for?|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/14/harry-meghan-royal-family-monarchy-what-are-they-for|access-date=13 January 2020 |website=The Guardian|date=14 March 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210413175742/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2021/mar/14/harry-meghan-royal-family-monarchy-what-are-they-for|archive-date=13 April 2021}}</ref> The role and public relations of the extended royal family again came under increased scrutiny due to the Duke of York's friendship with convicted [[sex offender|sex offenders]] [[Jeffrey Epstein]] and [[Ghislaine Maxwell]], and [[Prince Andrew, Duke of York#Allegations of sexual abuse|allegations of sexual abuse]], along with his unapologetic conduct in the [[Prince Andrew & the Epstein Scandal|2019 interview]] about these subjects and subsequent [[Virginia Giuffre v. Prince Andrew|2021 lawsuit]].<ref name="Williamson">{{cite news |first=Harriet|last=Williamson|author-link=Harriet Williamson|title=Why Do Royals Get Away With So Much?|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/04/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-royal-family-abuse-britain/|access-date=6 August 2021 |website=[[ForeignPolicy.com]]|date=4 September 2020|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210419053302/https://foreignpolicy.com/2020/09/04/jeffrey-epstein-prince-andrew-royal-family-abuse-britain/|archive-date=19 April 2021}}</ref><ref name="Haynes">{{cite news |first=Suyin|last=Haynes|title=Prince Andrew Faced Questions About Jeffrey Epstein for Years. Here's Why the Royal Family Finally Reacted|url=https://time.com/5735362/prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-royal-family/|access-date=6 August 2021 |website=[[Time.com]]|date=21 November 2019|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110032528/https://time.com/5735362/prince-andrew-jeffrey-epstein-royal-family/|archive-date=10 January 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Max Foster |first1=Lauren Said-Moorehouse |title=The civil suit against Prince Andrew has wider implications for the British royal family |url=https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/13/uk/royal-news-newsletter-08-13-21-scli-gbr-cmd-intl/index.html |website=CNN |access-date=6 September 2021 |archive-date=11 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220611213920/https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/13/uk/royal-news-newsletter-08-13-21-scli-gbr-cmd-intl/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In June 2019, the royal family, several members of which advocate for environmental causes, faced criticism after it was revealed that they "had doubled [their] carbon footprint from business travel".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/25/europe/royal-family-carbon-emissions-scli-intl-gbr/index.html|title=Britain's royal family doubles carbon emissions from travel|work=CNN|first=Bianca|last=Britton|date=25 June 2019|access-date=17 November 2022|archive-date=17 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221117073352/https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/25/europe/royal-family-carbon-emissions-scli-intl-gbr/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In a [[Oprah with Meghan and Harry|2021 interview]], the Duchess of Sussex, who is of [[biracial]] heritage, relayed second-hand that there had been "concerns and conversations" within the royal family about the [[skin colour]] of their son, [[Prince Archie of Sussex|Archie]], while the Duke of Sussex stated it was a single instance.<ref name="McGee"/> The interview received a mixed reaction from the British public and media, and several of their claims were called into question.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Suliman |first1=Adela |last2=Arkin |first2=Daniel |title=Meghan and Harry's Oprah interview revealed cultural divide between U.K. and America |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/meghan-harry-s-oprah-interview-revealed-cultural-divide-between-u-n1261275 |date=20 March 2021|website=NBC News|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424185045/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/meghan-harry-s-oprah-interview-revealed-cultural-divide-between-u-n1261275|archive-date=24 April 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Ott |first=Haley |date=9 March 2021 |title=Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah draws mixed reaction in Britain |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meghan-markle-prince-harry-oprah-interview-britain-mixed-reaction/ |website=CBS News |access-date=25 August 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210420100124/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/meghan-markle-prince-harry-oprah-interview-britain-mixed-reaction/ |archive-date=20 April 2021}}</ref> The Duke of Cambridge said the royal family were "very much not a racist family". In June 2021, documents revealed that "coloured immigrants or foreigners" were banned by Elizabeth II's chief financial manager at the time from working for the family as [[clerk]]s in the 1960s, prompting black studies professor [[Kehinde Andrews]] to state that "the royal family has a terrible record on race".<ref name="McGee">{{cite news |first=Luke|last=McGee|title=Britain's royals have denied being a racist family. Archived papers reveal recent racist past|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/03/uk/queen-racist-employment-policy-intl-cmd-gbr-analysis/index.html|date=3 June 2021|website=CNN|access-date=6 August 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210619090532/https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/03/uk/queen-racist-employment-policy-intl-cmd-gbr-analysis/index.html|archive-date=19 June 2021}}</ref> In response, the palace stated that it complied "in principle and in practice" with anti-discrimination legislation, and that second-hand claims of "conversations from over 50 years ago should not be used to draw or infer conclusions about modern-day events or operations."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-03/buckingham-palace-barred-nonwhites-office-jobs-1960s|title=Buckingham Palace barred nonwhites from office jobs in the 1960s, report says|work=Los Angeles Times|first=Danica|last=Kirka|date=3 June 2021|access-date=29 August 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624160602/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-06-03/buckingham-palace-barred-nonwhites-office-jobs-1960s|archive-date=24 June 2021}}</ref> In March 2022 and during the Caribbean tour of the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as part of the [[Platinum Jubilee of Elizabeth II|Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations]], the family encountered criticism from a number of political figures and the press, given their past connections to [[colonialism]] and the [[Atlantic slave trade]] via the [[Royal African Company]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=27 March 2022 |title=Caribbean tour: Prince William says future is for the people to decide |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60890440 |access-date=27 March 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418214618/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60890440|archive-date=18 April 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Tobi |date=23 March 2022 |title=What are the British monarchy's historical links to slavery? |url=https://theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/23/british-royal-family-monarchy-historical-links-to-slavery |url-status=live |website=The Guardian |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220403110716/https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/mar/23/british-royal-family-monarchy-historical-links-to-slavery |archive-date=3 April 2022}}</ref> [[Reparations for slavery]] emerged as a major demand of protesters during the couple's visit.<ref>{{Cite web |last=White |first=Nadine |date=26 March 2022 |title=Belize signals intention to remove Queen as head of state following royal visit |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/world/belize-queen-caribbean-head-of-state-b2044585.html |url-status=live |access-date=27 March 2022 |website=The Independent |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407192943/https://www.independent.co.uk/world/belize-queen-caribbean-head-of-state-b2044585.html |archive-date=7 April 2022}}</ref> Both the then Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge have condemned slavery in their speeches,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.sky.com/story/prince-charles-acknowledges-appalling-history-of-slavery-as-barbados-becomes-a-republic-12482796|title=Barbados: Prince Charles acknowledges 'appalling' history of slavery as island becomes a republic|work=Sky News|first=Rhiannon|last=Mills|date=30 November 2021|access-date=24 March 2022|archive-date=30 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211130052708/https://news.sky.com/story/prince-charles-acknowledges-appalling-history-of-slavery-as-barbados-becomes-a-republic-12482796|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-60856763|title=Prince William shares 'profound sorrow' over slavery in Jamaica speech|work=BBC News|date=24 March 2022|access-date=24 March 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406234649/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-60856763|archive-date=6 April 2022}}</ref> and the Prince has described acknowledging the wrongs of the past as a necessity for the Commonwealth countries to realise their potential.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-61919514|title=Prince Charles tells Commonwealth of sorrow over slavery|work=BBC News|date=24 June 2022|access-date=25 June 2022|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220722150347/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-61919514|archive-date=22 July 2022}}</ref> In a [[Harry: The Interview|2023 interview]], the Duke of Sussex was questioned if he and his wife had accused members of his family of racism during their 2021 interview, to which Harry responded "No. The British press said that, right? Did Meghan ever mention 'they're racists'?"<ref>{{Cite web |last=Payne |first=Josh |date=8 January 2023 |title=Harry denies royal family is racist in ITV interview |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/harry-meghan-racism-royal-family-b2258323.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108230448/https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/royal-family/harry-meghan-racism-royal-family-b2258323.html |archive-date=8 January 2023 |access-date=11 May 2025 |website=The Independent}}</ref>

Historically, the royal family and the [[Mass media in the United Kingdom|media]] have benefited from each other; the family used the press to communicate with the public, while the media used the family to attract readers and viewers.<ref name="Taylor">{{cite news |first=Alex|last=Taylor|title=Harry and Meghan: What's the media's 'invisible contract' with British royalty?|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56326807|date=11 March 2021|website=BBC News|access-date=6 August 2021|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210424094759/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-56326807|archive-date=24 April 2021}}</ref> With the [[advent of television]], however, the media started paying less respect to the royal family's privacy.<ref name="Davies2"/> Princes William and Harry have had informal arrangements with the press whereby they would be left alone by the [[paparazzi]] during their education in return for invitations to staged photograph opportunities. William has continued the practice with his family posts on [[Instagram]]. Relations between the media and British royals have been destabilized by the rise of the [[digital media]], with the quantity of articles becoming paramount toward gaining [[advertising revenue]], with neither side able to exercise control.<ref name="Taylor"/> In the 2000s, the phones of Prince William and Catherine Middleton, and Prince Harry and his then-girlfriend [[Chelsy Davy]], were hacked multiple times by media outlets, [[News of the World royal phone hacking scandal|most notably]] by a private investigator working for a ''[[News of the World]]'' journalist.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27413632|title=Phone-hacking trial: Kate Middleton 'hacked 155 times'|work=BBC News|date=14 May 2014|access-date=22 November 2021|archive-date=20 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720122144/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-27413632|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59361142|title=Prince Harry: Private investigator apologises for targeting prince's ex-girlfriend|work=BBC News|first=Amol|last=Rajan|first2=Joseph|last2=Lee|date=22 November 2021|access-date=22 November 2021|archive-date=20 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220720121919/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59361142|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2021 [[BBC]] documentary suggested that briefings and counter-briefings from different [[Royal Households of the United Kingdom|royal households]] was the reason behind the negative coverage about members of the royal family. Buckingham Palace, Clarence House and Kensington Palace, which represented the Queen, the then Prince of Wales and Duke of Cambridge respectively, described these suggestions as "overblown and unfounded claims".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59384443|title=The Princes and the Press: BBC responds to claims against documentary|work=BBC News|first=Dulcie|last=Lee|first2=Sean|last2=Coughlan|date=23 November 2021|access-date=23 November 2021|archive-date=23 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123152108/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-59384443|url-status=live}}</ref>