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The game is just now starting to be played ….
On 7 March 2021, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle did a tell all on the British Royal Family. The interview was sensational as it was primed with all the right ingredients — mental wellness, thoughts of suicide, racism and financial blackmail — to inflict maximum damage on the reputation of the Royal Family.
In the aftermath of the interview, many were expecting Queen Elizabeth to come out strongly to dispute these accusations as it was the logical thing to do. But the Royals did not. Instead, they issued a 61-word statement that neither confirmed nor denied the accusations but conveyed the love of a grandmother.
As a public relations professional, I am in awe of the Queen’s mastery of managing public perceptions. In my mind, the Queen adopted two fundamentals of communications that will allow her to come out ahead of this, and indirectly, destroy Meghan’s reputation.
#1: Play The Long Game
Reputation is a long game and, as is the nature of things that happen over time, will fluctuate. One should therefore stay focused on amplifying the peaks and quietly riding out the troughs. While it will always be tempting to react to tactical defeats, viewed from the perspective of the long game, such reactions will likely cause one to win the battle but lose the…
