The Colab Brief - 111: Corporate Comms Lessons from The Royal Family 👑

NOTE: Before we get into it, we want to extend our deepest sympathies to not only the Royal Family but to every person who is or has been faced with Cancer or a difficult diagnosis within their community. We cherish each and every one of you, and our hearts go out to all of you who have been personally impacted in this way. ❤️

Princess Kate’s recent announcement sheds light on why the Palace has been so inconsistent with its external communications - no one could ever prepare for such life-altering news.

Our analysis of the Royal Family’s recent comms is not meant to make light of this deeply serious situation. There are lessons to be learned, and our goal here is to help propel those learnings.

Read Time: 7 minutes. 

The best way to assess what the Palace did right, and what they did wrong, is to walk through their actions step-by-step and advise on what they should have done instead. 

Step 1. The Palace announces Kate’s planned abdominal surgery, and thus an absence from the public eye. 

In January, Kensington Palace said that Kate would be out of commission for a scheduled surgery. 

For all intents and purposes, this was the right move. 

If a public figure, say a CEO or a member of the executive leadership team (ELT) who is regularly in the spotlight will be missing for a concerted amount of time, it’s important to get ahead of it. Only release the most important details, and keep the rest close to the chest. 

Step 2. The internet begins to speculate and start rumors. The Palace stays quiet. 

Kate was not seen or heard from in Feb, and Prince William missed a couple of key engagements that started to raise eyebrows. The Palace didn’t address the speculation. 

This was also the right move.

If you’ve made an announcement that lets the general public into your communications plan, stick to it. Adhering to what you said you would do is the best way to uphold trust within the public eye. If you cave and address the rumors it looks like you’re trying to cover something up. 

Step 3. Princess Kate issues a doctored photo on UK Mother’s Day.

The photo that Kate and William posted to their Official X Account was a mess. 

Hands were mangled, sweaters were doctored, floor tiles weren’t lined up - and it took the internet about 2.5 seconds to collectively start them out on what was meant to be a well-intentioned update.

Posting anything doctored sends one message - that the real-life happenings occurring behind closed doors need to be covered up. 

It would have been in the best interest of the royal pair to continue to stay quiet (like they said they would) until they were ready to provide a substantial update on Kate’s health. 

In the corporate world, the worst thing you can do is try and trick your stakeholders. Telling someone what they want to hear, or showing them what they want to see, will only work if it’s genuine. Your constituents will sniff out every lie you are trying to tell, which will dissolve your credibility and trustworthiness within a matter of seconds. 

In short, if you can’t be completely transparent, don’t provide an update. 

Step 4. Kate issues a statement 13 hours after the photoshopping debacle. 

"Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a very happy Mother's Day."

We now know why William and Kate felt the need to not only make a digital appearance but to also make a statement. But at this point, after being led astray and lied to, the whole world only wants one thing - an update that Kate is safe and healthy. To provide an update that neglects to address the only information people care about creates additional speculation and distrust.

It’s hard to be perfect in comms all of the time. But if you’ve lied once, it’s important to try and gain the trust back from stakeholders by owning up to your mistake transparently and honestly. 

Let’s say you were quoted in the press in Q2 talking about company growth, issued a newsletter discussing hiring and headcount expansion in Q3, but then had to conduct layoffs in Q4. Not the best look. 

Instead of doubling down or not addressing the elephant in the room, be honest. Talk about what happened from a high level (the economy, product roadmap obstacles, putting additional emphasis on certain facets of the business), and in a way that reassures people that despite this misstep the company is still on a strong trajectory. Don’t lie, and don’t avoid it. Leading with honesty, empathy, and a commitment to trust moving forward can get your constituents back on board.  

Step 5. The royal family is seen at a shop close to the palace. The internet (and Andy Cohen) call BS. 

At this point, the Royal Family is still avoiding the one thing they need to do - which is to provide an update to the general public on the health of the Princess.

Whether you’re a princess or a CEO, holding a public platform comes with the utmost level of responsibility. To an extent, you’ve chosen to bring the public into the fold of your personal life. With this decision, your communications need to be perfect, and there isn’t any room for error. 

As a leader, you need to put yourself in the shoes of your constituents. What do they care about? What matters to them? What encourages them? What are they afraid of? 

All of your communications need to address the concerns and hopes of your stakeholders. While Never Complain, Never Explain may have worked for the last century for the Royal Family, it doesn’t work in today’s world, where essentially anyone can position themselves as an informer. 

Whether you’re royalty or a member of the C-suite, there is absolutely no room for half-truths, cover-ups, or dishonesty. 

If you’re planning to make a corporate announcement - in any capacity - you need to have a comms plan that covers every single potential outcome, even if it feels like overkill. We promise - you will not react appropriately in the moment if you don’t have a plan to fall back on. 

For the Princess, it has meant the whole world speculating on her wellbeing. For a business executive, it could mean the difference between being seen as a visionary or being outed by your board. 

Step 6. The Princess makes a personal announcement addressing what’s really going on

It seems futile to analyze something so incredibly personal, and yet so publicly impactful. It’s now abundantly clear why this wasn’t in the Palace crisis comms plan.

Without question, this was the exact move the Palace needed to make. It was raw, transparent, honest, and deeply heartfelt. After not knowing how to navigate such a difficult situation, they handled this one perfectly.

It is our hope that the Princess can receive the treatment she needs to heal in peace with her family by her side.

Until next week,

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