The Royal Family and the Media

[ACO]

The “boys” are taking back control but Harry and Meghan are free to do what they want. It’s their wedding. William isn’t the bogeyman for his brothers wedding. Does Harry tell William how often he should have his children photographed?

I feel like you trying to make this something it is not for whatever reason. Who has even made such a claim? The fact is that William and Harry are distant to the press and right now they are feeling some type of way because they were all expecting something and are being denied. No one has once blamed William, so you can stop trying to shoehorn that narrative. Harry and Meghan decided this and if the media are being honest with themselves they can't be surprised.

The "boys" have always had some control. They just thought it would change and they got a reality check that it is only getting worse.

 

[JuliannaVictoria]

The “boys” are taking back control but Harry and Meghan are free to do what they want. It’s their wedding. William isn’t the bogeyman for his brothers wedding. Does Harry tell William how often he should have his children photographed?

You are right, this is Harry and Meghan's wedding, but please let us not pretend that this idea to limit press access is some out of "left field" notion that Harry and Meghan come up with on their own, and it has not been going on for years. Maybe who you should be taking issue with is the tabloids that went in on Meghan full stock and barrel and now want to issue apologies because they can't have their cake and eat it too.

They were nasty and vicious, and this is the result. Again, there will be a lot of press at the event, and if the tabloids don't get their different "money shots" so that they can spin things days and weeks after the wedding, then so be it. They can cry me a river.

 

[royal rob]

Interesting that Edwards said that and isn’t there a saying about it’s when they don’t want your photo you need to worry. Royalty needs the people. I want to see photos of the wedding like I have at any other weddings Harry has the !! with press but the people that love him don’t get to see the photos

 

[Osipi]

I can't in all honesty believe that this is purely Harry and Meghan's decision either. This is taking place on the grounds of the Queen's residence of Windsor Castle and to presume that the Queen wasn't consulted on this is preposterous. It was probably a joint decision on how to handle the press by the Queen, the two people getting married, the head of security in charge of the wedding and most likely several of the Queen's advisors along with local dignitaries of Windsor itself.

I can't put the blame on Harry and Meghan solely because of a dislike for the way the media has handled his courtship and engagement (which actually is a valid point) but I can also see Harry and Meghan not wanting to turn their wedding day into a three ring circus either.

The fact that reporters and photographers are moaning and groaning about what they *are * being given shows me that they've their own personal interests at heart more than they are grateful that they're even being allowed to cover this wedding. One doesn't look at gift horse in the mouth and complain of bad breath. The gift horse may go away.

 

[JuliannaVictoria]

Interesting that Edwards said that and isn’t there a saying about it’s when they don’t want your photo you need to worry. Royalty needs the people. I want to see photos of the wedding like I have at any other weddings Harry has the !! with press but the people that love him don’t get to see the photos

Not quite, there will be tons of photos, however Tabloid reporters are complaining because they won't get prime spot. I understand what you're saying about the RF needing the press, and vice versa, but do you want a tit for tat relationship with what amounts to and excuse my French "gutter press?"

 

[Curryong]

There will be lots of photos. Photographers will be everywhere. You see on the day!

 

[jacqui24]

So, this refrain about it being a "private wedding" may be true in some respects, but private weddings do not cost the public purse millions and millions in security.

Harry is a member of the BRF who will be supported by the public as he does duties on behalf of a national institution. Meghan will now too. Their wedding is not a private event and the public deserves access which comes through the media. Claiming so is IMO disingenuous.

So, I am of two minds: media access being curtailed simply because the Boys have feeling about the media is bad strategy in the long run bcause the BRF NEEDS the media. Full stop. Love them or hate them, the tabs and mainsteam media set the national narrative. If Harry wants events that mean something to him like IG to be covered, he has to play the game. That is the reality. I think it is a dumb move to so restrict the media myself. These are photographers who are yes, obnoxious at times, but they are not the Niraj Tanna's of the world, they are respected photojournalists.

On the other hand, these publications, not the photographers who are often freelancers who sell to wires, but the Fleet Street groups have been out of hand for years. Both royals and every day folks claimed back some control after Leveson, but the papers have been out for blood with Meghan for MONTHS. So I understand not being friendly toward the papers.

I just think the wedding is a bad avenue to exact that revenge.

For Arthur Edwards to speak so negatively about Harry is a big, big red flag.

I also agree that Harry has IMO come across more petulant in his dealings with the media which reads badly to the broader public. I get he is protective now of Meghan, but diplomacy is a practice.

BUT, broadcast media will have lots of access it seems.

The millions of pounds are not sole for Meghan and Harry's benefit. They are for the people that line the street. If they only had to secure the royal family with no procession and no live streaming, then the security risk goes down significantly and will not cost nearly as much.

The public IS getting access. It's televised live and there will be a procession. We will have access to the whole event. However, it is up to the bride and groom if they didn't want to grant excess access to the tabloids that have crossed the line time and time again. We will get photos because the few that have access will have to share them. However, it's unlikely that any one paper is going to get the money shot as everyone will be treated the same. Hence the real issue here. They are just pissed that they wouldn't be making bank and get sole credit if they somehow luck out and got the right photo at the right time.

How is it petulant to have everyone treated equal? They will all have the same photos.

 

[jacqui24]

Interesting that Edwards said that and isn’t there a saying about it’s when they don’t want your photo you need to worry. Royalty needs the people. I want to see photos of the wedding like I have at any other weddings Harry has the !! with press but the people that love him don’t get to see the photos

That's just it. We WILL get photos. Just that no one will be getting an exclusive. The AP images will be shared with everyone like only BBC is in the chapel capture the whole ceremony, but the feed is given to everyone else.

 

[royal rob]

Boo hoo. I have ZERO sympathy for him or the rest of them.





LaRae

If he is so bad why do Will and Kate look for him and wave to him.

 

[Cocoasneeze]

Where does this idea, that there will be no photos come from. There will be hundreds of photos. There will be live feed, live tv broad cast through multiple channels. There will be photographs from all angles on all publications. Why do people think there will be no access for the public and no pictures?

 

[jacqui24]

I don't mind Arthur Edwards, and I think members of the royal family doesn't mind him either. However, when he doesn't get access to things, he ought to think about who he works for and what they've done. It's justifiable not to give prime access to The Sun given their behavior. He can whine all he wants, but at the end of the day, his employer brought it on themselves.

 

[ACO]

Interesting that Edwards said that and isn’t there a saying about it’s when they don’t want your photo you need to worry. Royalty needs the people. I want to see photos of the wedding like I have at any other weddings Harry has the !! with press but the people that love him don’t get to see the photos

You won't be struggling to find any pictures of this wedding. You will be bombarded with images as the media will be all over this. That is not even a real concern. They are upset because they wanted to be in position to get "the picture" that will grace all the front pages and they are not going to get it.

I thought it was more interesting that so many refused to be on record. They are fully aware why there is a strain. Even Edward acknowledged it. The press openly admitted they post more negative than positive and do it on purpose. Yet they are surprised that these men are protective of their loved ones?

I do feel somewhat bad for people like Edward but in the grand scheme of things I can't say I fault the decision. Yes the royals need the press but the press also need the royals. And that is a relation that has become distant for many years now and their antics don't give reasons to fix it.

So it will be interesting as everything moves forward especially when the HMQ is gone.

 

[Terri Terri]

Royalty needs the people and the people will be there! The over 2,000 specially invited people outside the church who will have the best vantage point as the couple leave the church and the people along the carriage route.

Have we forgotten Christmas 2017 at Sandringham? A woman amongst the crowd took a photo of the Fab 4 with her cellphone and her life changed! A woman in the crowd...not the media! That woman made thousands!

Those persons outside the church and on the carriage route will have their phones, cameras, Ipads and tablets! There will be hundreds to thousands of photos and videos on social media from all vantage points! Ordinary people will make the money!

What Harry and Meghan have done is genius! The power has been given to the people!!!

And as others have said, this wedding will abe very well covered and broadcast all over the world so I couldn't care less that the tabloid photographers are unhappy!

 

[TLLK]

Actually I think the big culprit here is the venue. Westminster Abbey and the area around it is public accessible. St. George's Chapel is on private land of Windsor Castle where there is more freedom to set the limits on who will be close and who won't be.

Good point Osipi. This is a very different space than Westminster Abbey. There are limits to how many members of the public and the press that can be accommodated simply due to the fact that London and Windsor are very different in size.

The millions of pounds are not sole for Meghan and Harry's benefit. They are for the people that line the street. If they only had to secure the royal family with no procession and no live streaming, then the security risk goes down significantly and will not cost nearly as much.

Thank you jaccqui24 for pointing this out. If anyone is vulnerable to an attack, I believe it is the members of the public who will be lining the streets. Their security is important too.

Those persons outside the church and on the carriage route will have their phones, cameras, Ipads and tablets! There will be hundreds to thousands of photos and videos on social media from all vantage points! Ordinary people will make the money

Yes they will Terri Terri and IMO the tabloid press knows that its industry is on life support because anyone can now have a photograph shared around the globe in an instant.

 

[soapstar]

Yes, correct! And if the tabloids had been just a bit nicer, just a bit fairer, a bit more welcoming of a foreigner who is going to marry into the BRF, things might well have been different.

But the photographers aren't the tabloids. They don't write the stories. As one royal photographer put it:

@JWhatling
Are you suggesting that Photographers should either cease supplying pictures to the UK Newspapers, or perhaps they should put a caveat in the caption, "only to be used in an article that shows the subject in a positive light". Hardly a free and fair press, but do carry on.

It would be a shame if royal photographers are being punished because Harry is angry at the tabloid writers. Like it or not, the media and the BRF need each other. When Harry wants to promote one of his charities, he's going to need these same photographers to come out and take photos. I have no problem with Harry putting his foot down, but he needs to learn how to pick his battles. This one with photographers is just perplexing. Particularly when it comes to Arthur Edwards (someone who is well liked by the members of the BRF).

 

[Osipi]

I just tried to imagine every reporter and photographer with a valid press badge outside of the chapel. There will be gazillions of them from all over the world and their assistants to boot and it would be way too many people for the area in front of where the wedding is to be held. It would make the wedding seem more like a photo op than witnessing a wedding.

These same reporters and photographers will be more then welcome to set up camp anywhere else in and around Windsor for their live commentary, their interviews with the celebrants in the street and of course for the carriage ride and even people arriving from London heading towards the chapel. They're only missing out on being in front of the chapel itself where a limited amount of AP reporters and photographers will be stationed and share with all outlets just as the live feed from inside the chapel during the ceremony will.

I don't feel that we will miss out on anything at all by this recent development.

 

[jacqui24]

But the photographers aren't the tabloids. They don't write the stories. As one royal photographer put it:

@JWhatling
Are you suggesting that Photographers should either cease supplying pictures to the UK Newspapers, or perhaps they should put a caveat in the caption, "only to be used in an article that shows the subject in a positive light". Hardly a free and fair press, but do carry on.

It would be a shame if royal photographers are being punished because Harry is angry at the tabloid writers. Like it or not, the media and the BRF need each other. When Harry wants to promote one of his charities, he's going to need these same photographers to come out and take photos. I have no problem with Harry putting his foot down, but he needs to learn how to pick his battles. This one with photographers is just perplexing. Particularly when it comes to Arthur Edwards (someone who is well liked by the members of the BRF).

The photographers might not write the stories, but their editors choose to let everything print. At the end of the day, is it the photographers that make the millions if they get a money shot? No. It's the papers. Why should Harry help line their pocket when they've been so nasty? As for promoting his charitable endeavors, let's not pretend like this is a situation where the tabloids are doing Harry any favors. If he stories about him didn't sell, they wouldn't be covering it. As long as he continues to sell, they will cover it.

Some are collateral damage along the way, but it happens. If Arthur Edwards worked for another paper that's more respectable and reasonable, the situation would be different. They can't control the situation at Westminster Abbey since it's on a public street, but this is private grounds we are talking about. While Arthur Edwards is upset about the access issue, he even acknowledges that he understands why Harry is upset with them.

The royal family, including Harry, understands that not everyone in press is bad, and that's why at times they've chosen to give access to some journalists. There is a reason why Rhiannon Mills is given deference in terms of asking royals questions at their events. They respect her enough to answer because she has treated them with respect. There is a reason why Harry gave Camilla Tominey of all people an exclusive on his Caribbean trip after she blew their cover first. He understands when they need to do their job, what he doesn't understand is when they choose to be abusive.

 

[JuliannaVictoria]

Royalty needs the people and the people will be there! The over 2,000 specially invited people outside the church who will have the best vantage point as the couple leave the church and the people along the carriage route.

Have we forgotten Christmas 2017 at Sandringham? A woman amongst the crowd took a photo of the Fab 4 with her cellphone and her life changed! A woman in the crowd...not the media! That woman made thousands!

Those persons outside the church and on the carriage route will have their phones, cameras, Ipads and tablets! There will be hundreds to thousands of photos and videos on social media from all vantage points! Ordinary people will make the money!

What Harry and Meghan have done is genius! The power has been given to the people!!!

And as others have said, this wedding will abe very well covered and broadcast all over the world so I couldn't care less that the tabloid photographers are unhappy!

I didn't even think of it that way. Perhaps it's a mixture of all three
1. Putting their foot down with the paps and tabloids
2. Limited space at Windsor
3. Giving the power to the people.

And I loved that shot on Christmas morning. It seems she made more than thousands. She was able to pay for her daughter's college, redid her home, etc.

 

[Rudolph]

It’s never just a free for all with photographers. There will be a media ‘pen’ outside the chapel it’s just not everyone gets equal access.

Accredited royal photographers aren’t a terrorist threat.

Mark Cuthbert said on Twitter he’s covered 25 royal weddings and hasn’t witnessed this limited level of press access

 

[Cocoasneeze]

Arthur Edwards seemed to understand where Harry is coming from. The photographers seem to.understand it too, they're just upset they wont be getting the big money shot coming from the church.

I'd say, that Harry putting his foot down on his wedding day, because of the way the press has treated his fiance, is pretty good battle to pick, imho. And it's not a tantrum, either. The press has been absolutely shameless. It hasn't been a few nasty articles, it's been at least weekly articles tearing Meghan apart this past 18 months. And they've harassed her mother and father for months. So, Harry, put your foot down, it's the right thing to do imo.

 

[ACO]

If he is so bad why do Will and Kate look for him and wave to him.

I am sure Harry would to if he saw him. He not personally attacking this man. He is part of an overall issue. No different than all the complaints about the Cambridges. It is just now Harry. I so have sympathy for some but I don't have any issue with the decision that was made.

 

[jacqui24]

One more thing. When we were debating where they would have the wedding, many mentioned that Harry is merely 5th, and soon to be 6th, in line to the throne. Thus his place is at St. George with less of the pomp and pageantry to reduce cost. Funny how people don't want that to also translate into reduced access. If Harry isn't that important, then why does he need to give as much access as his brother? They will give the live feed of the ceremony and subsequent procession. There will be photos. There just won't be a bizillion photographers aiming at them when they come out of church.

 

[Terri Terri]

Exactly! Can you imagine if the people who come out to support them on their wedding day are also able to make lots of money from their photos and videos? Win Win for Harry & Meghan as well as the public!!!

I bet that woman fro Sandringham may travel to Windsor! Who knows....lightning may strike twice for her!

 

[Zaira]

But the photographers aren't the tabloids. They don't write the stories. As one royal photographer put it:

@JWhatling
Are you suggesting that Photographers should either cease supplying pictures to the UK Newspapers, or perhaps they should put a caveat in the caption, "only to be used in an article that shows the subject in a positive light". Hardly a free and fair press, but do carry on.

It would be a shame if royal photographers are being punished because Harry is angry at the tabloid writers. Like it or not, the media and the BRF need each other. When Harry wants to promote one of his charities, he's going to need these same photographers to come out and take photos. I have no problem with Harry putting his foot down, but he needs to learn how to pick his battles. This one with photographers is just perplexing. Particularly when it comes to Arthur Edwards (someone who is well liked by the members of the BRF).

I agree Esp. with the bold.

 

[AlowVera]

I get most of my photos from Instagram and bypass the press completely. For coverage I prefer People or The Times that present a balanced view or just state the facts without any undertones or bias.

There will be plenty of coverage.

 

[jacqui24]

It’s never just a free for all with photographers. There will be a media ‘pen’ outside the chapel it’s just not everyone gets equal access.

Accredited royal photographers aren’t a terrorist threat.

Mark Cuthbert said on Twitter he’s covered 25 royal weddings and hasn’t witnessed this level of limited press access

Why do they need twenty photographers when four or five can do the job? As for royal photographers, I'm assuming they will also want to cover the procession. They can't just have people coming in and out of castle grounds that day. What if someone, who is not a photographer, puts on a camera and dress up like a photographer and somehow manages to get in in the middle of the chaos? Sometimes it's not the ones you know, but it's the ones you don't know that you have to worry about. He might have covered 25 weddings, but I highly doubt he covered 25 of these weddings on private ground with terror threat at the same level.

 

[Cocoasneeze]

Did Mark Cuthbert say anything about the way the tabloids had covered these 25 weddings? Were the brides subjected to weekly trash articles, based on nothing but bs? Were the brides called 'exotic', 'straight out of Compton'?

 

[JuliannaVictoria]

Exactly! Can you imagine if the people who come out to support them on their wedding day are also able to make lots of money from their photos and videos? Win Win for Harry & Meghan as well as the public!!!

I bet that woman fro Sandringham may travel to Windsor! Who knows....lightning may strike twice for her!

Some people are lucky like that.

 

[ACO]

One more thing. When we were debating where they would have the wedding, many mentioned that Harry is merely 5th, and soon to be 6th, in line to the throne. Thus his place is at St. George with less of the pomp and pageantry to reduce cost. Funny how people don't want that to also translate into reduced access. If Harry isn't that important, then why does he need to give as much access as his brother? They will give the live feed of the ceremony and subsequent procession. There will be photos. There just won't be a bizillion photographers aiming at them when they come out of church.

No kidding. Some need to pick a narrative and stick to it. It can't be both.

That said, I do think the members of the BRF do need to pick their battles. I just feel that is battle is worth it. Again, the media is not banned. They will be there from all parts of the globe. I understand the frustrations of the photographer but they should step back and also understand the frustrations of the royals as well.

 

[Pranter]

If he is so bad why do Will and Kate look for him and wave to him.

That's not the issue.



LaRae