The Spire

Sean Rego ’26

Opinions Editor

Truly, there is no better example of human obsession with conspiracy and scandal-mongering than the global press coverage of the Royal Family in the last 30 years. Naturally, being born in the 21st Century, I cannot pretend to know of the tumultuous times that were the 1990s for the British Royal Family. Yet, even though I cannot remember it, surely the 1990s resemble our current era of Royal press coverage? From divorces to scandals to deaths, it’s not particularly easy to be forced in the gaudy and inquisitive cameras of the global media, as we have come to learn. 

Without reason, news outlets yearn to simultaneously idolize and scandalize the members of Britain’s House of Windsor, the most recent example being the shameful coverage of the Princess of Wales’s hospital treatment. As an American, perhaps it is bizarre of me to go out to defend the British Crown, but I cannot help but feel the need to say that the Royal Family is simply something with which the media must reconcile and which they must cease to slander. 

The latest example of this type of coverage was with the Princess of Wales, most commonly known by her maiden title, Kate Middleton. I wanted to cover this topic for over a month now but have not thanks to a bevy of factors, though still it is an important example. If you scrolled through Tiktok or Instagram a couple of weeks ago, a lot of people were convinced that the “disappearance” of the future Queen of the United Kingdom was due to either a mental breakdown, divorce or her death. However, I was astonished by the looseness of the arguments put on the table, and the sheer ignorance exercised by internet users (which I suppose isn’t exactly uncommon but I digress). 

Sure, many of these sources of this conspiracy-mongering weren’t the finest lot, but they nevertheless were able to influence large portions of the population, which still makes them powerful in their own right. All of this banter against the Waleses was barbaric and unnecessary, and once more proved that the media simply wants a story out of any person from whom they can get it. As for the viewers of such journalistic speculation, we should think that they would see through the over-exaggerations, but alas, we’d be disappointed. Time and again, whether it be the raging calls to return to London in 1997 or the denunciations of the so-called racist Royal Family in 2021, the House of Windsor has been battered by the news outlets with much of the public as bystanders. 

So what is the solution to this? How should we (in my opinion) view the Royal Family? Well the first step would be remembering that the British Monarchy (and many others) are not just a cabal of celebrities or politicians but an ancient institution for over a dozen nations. The King and his successors primarily are meant to rule and advise his governments, not to be showy and please the masses with photoshoots. When the media complains that royals are closed off, in actuality they often are trying to prepare important government positions, discern how to converse with their ministers, or even simply raise their family. 

I am not saying that the King and his dynasty are above scrutiny– of course not– but they should be offered a higher position than the casual celebrity and should be respected as the apolitical figures that they are. At the very least, we should remember that they too are people with private lives and families. Just think for a second about the gross insinuations spread by the media about William and Kate; what if their children see that? How would they feel about such scandalous cover of their parents, or other family members? This is another lesson we should’ve learned from the 1990s. 

In the end of this most recent fiasco, it was sobering to learn the true trouble with the Princess of Wales, after it was disgustingly forced out in the open. Kate Middleton, like her father-in-law, the King, has been diagnosed with cancer. Like with Charles III and with anyone in a similar position, I hope that she can be treated by the best of medical science and with the utmost of respect in these hard times. I also hope the timeless lesson may be learned by the media and by all of us: our words have impact, and we should spare using them to lie. 

The struggle between the Royal Family and the media has always been unfair. The Crown cannot relentlessly unleash lies and gossip into the public sphere, nor can they infringe on the press. Yet the same rules do not apply to the media, and with little respect for one of Western Civilization’s most enduring and greatest institutions, it is no wonder that they spread baseless rumors on the likes of Princess Kate with little backing. It is sad because such royal conspiratorial hype can often distract from actual problems across the globe (or even within the nation itself). 

I conclude by stating that the British Crown, pesky as it may seem to some of us Yankees, is in charge of 15 nations and important to countless others. Perhaps divine right is too mystical for the 21st Century, but we should at least introduce ourselves to the idea that monarchy is more than just fame or political ambition– it is the symbol of nationhood itself. Maybe after remembering that, we will stop making fools of ourselves and appreciate the workings of the Royal Family. 

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