In 1918, the working classes in Britain finally received the vote. Fearful of the democratic potential of the masses, the monarchy became aware of the need to appear relatable to its poorest subjects or they would risk irrelevance and revolution.
The monarchy consequently embarked on a mission to forge emotional ties with the British public, and I would argue the new pledge of allegiance is a manoeuvre to help revive those same ties.
Emotional Ties Throughout History
In the early twentieth century, King George V paid royal visits to industrial towns, charitable initiatives were established, and a symbiotic relationship was forged with the national press to ensure the monarchy was presented in the best possible light.
All of this was part of a deliberate national campaign to win the hearts and minds of the wider public, to give the appearance of benevolence and relatability that the masses could identify with.
Aided by the galvanising effects of two world wars, the monarchy came to be seen as an important symbol of national unity from which Britons could derive a sense of national identity, developing a deep emotional attachment to rulers whom they had never met.
Fast-forward one hundred years and similar media strategies can be seen being deployed for the Coronation of King Charles III.
The Homage Of The People
For King Charles’ Coronation, the ‘Homage of Peers’ will be replaced by the ‘Homage of the People’ in which the Archbishop will invite all those ‘watching and listening at home’ to swear an oath of allegiance to form ‘a chorus of millions of voices enabled for the first time in history to participate’.
Despite some media outlets conflating the term ‘invited’ with ‘asked’, the archbishop confirmed that it is an invitation that people can freely accept or decline to boost public engagement. This was done in consultation with the government and members of the royal household, who desired a ‘great cry’ of support around the world for the new King.
Here, the Royal Family can be seen adapting to the shifting cultural landscape of modern Britain. The homage, alongside the inclusion of other religions and female bishops, will allow the monarchy to construct a particular image of themselves as a progressive and inclusive institution, relatable to the masses.
New Age: New Strategies
The monarchy is clearly aware that it cannot rely on past forms of PR to reach the masses, but must also now target younger generations engrossed in the world of social media.
The pledge will serve as an opportunity for younger people to feel connected to the coronation when they might otherwise feel distant simply following the event on their smartphones.
It’s vital that the Royal Family attempts to do this as accusations of irrelevancy have arguably never been more, well, relevant. The monarchy has increasingly come under fire in recent decades for being out of touch with society with its ritualistic pomp and ceremony. In a global age of vast technological advancement, more people than ever before are questioning the role the monarchy actually plays in their lives.
Consequently, the Homage of the People can be seen as an attempt to pluck at the very heartstrings of those Britons who still feel nostalgia and loyalty towards the Crown.
In the face of raging anti-monarchist debates, the Royal Family have cleverly opened up a direct line of communication between itself and those members of the public whose belief in the monarchy might be waning.
By swearing the oath, the person may feel warm inside knowing they have taken part in a centuries-old tradition, strengthening their resolve, emotional ties, and love for the monarchy.
The Homage is therefore a deliberate attempt at reviving the emotional ties first developed in the mid-twentieth century, playing to people’s emotions and nostalgia in a bid to strengthen public support.
Even if few people take the pledge, and a recent poll suggests this will certainly be the case, then the monarchy has still made loyalty a talking point, and the image of thousands of Brits up and down the country swearing allegiance will captivate the imagination and give the impression of unwavering public support.
Criticism
This manoeuvre has the potential to backfire, however. By attempting to connect with the masses, the Royal Family may only inadvertently open up more space for public criticism of the monarchy.
Republic have come out to criticise the gesture as being ‘tone-deaf’ and ‘offensive’ to the millions of working-class people who are struggling to heat their homes during the cost-of-living crisis. Meanwhile, others believe that the swearing of an oath in and of itself epitomises just how out of touch the monarchy is with modern society.
Whilst it is difficult to gauge the true extent of public support, with different polls producing conflicting results, what is evident is that more people than ever before are questioning the self-evidence of the monarchy as the ultimate symbol of British national identity, and questioning what value that identity even has when the gap between rich and poor only continues to widen and have a more tangible impact on people’s lives than flags and pageantry.
The more the monarchy attempts to publicise and modernise itself, the more it may only ironically expose itself as an anachronism in society.
Ultimately, regardless of whether you are a royalist who believes the monarchy stands for our innate political freedoms, or more an idealist who believes the monarchy has always stood for inequality, the monarchy will not hesitate in the use of media strategy to ensure that you never see them as the latter.
Words by Stephen Maloney
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