It may seem like a no-brainer: When enduring a public crisis, one must yield to the counsel of an experienced and knowledgeable PR team to protect your image and avoid bad press.
Yet the recent fall from grace for Prince Andrew, the British Duke of York, shows that what may be evident to the public doesn’t always translate to public figures, and it serves as an example of what not to do in the face of a public crisis.
In a disastrous Nov. 16 interview with BBC Newsnight, the Duke of York poorly danced around accusations of sexual misconduct and appallingly expressed a lack of regret for his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. He came across to his audience as lacking awareness and empathy for Epstein’s victims.
The interview was met with a flood of criticism. One critic deemed it as “nuclear explosion level bad.” A source with Buckingham Palace told The Times newspaper that the interview “would go down as one of the single worst PR moves in recent history.” Four days after the interview aired, Prince Andrew suspended all his public duties. On Nov. 24, Buckingham Palace announced he was stepping down from all patronages.
Shortly after the interview, UK media outlets reported that Prince Andrew’s PR adviser Jason Stein resigned weeks prior after urging against the interview and even clashed with the Duke’s private secretary, Amanda Thirsk, who pushed for the Newsnight appearance. Thirsk was reportedly ousted from her position over the interview.
So how could this have been handled differently? Hindsight is always 20/20. PR can be incredibly useful for driving a favorable narrative, but in crisis situations, this requires every potential hurdle and drawback to be thoroughly vetted and assessed.
Below, we look at a few crisis management rules that must never be overlooked in critical situations and how these factored into the Duke of York’s recent interview.
- Plan ahead and maintain awareness. One rule of thumb is to prepare for the worst to avoid confusion or PR missteps. In the face of a crisis, one must maintain sensitivity to the situation at hand and know the extent of its impact. During the Newsnight interview, Prince Andrew gave several responses that came across as perplexing and disingenuous, possibly due to lack of preparation. It’s important to brace for difficult questions so you’re able to appropriately address them and maintain integrity with your audience.
- Acknowledge, empathize and be human. No one likes a cover-up or being misled, and often, audiences can sniff out when someone isn’t being totally honest. Prince Andrew is no different. “It was striking that the prince had great difficulty remembering anything that might land him in trouble,” wrote journalist Allison Pearson. “But when it came to providing an alibi, suddenly he was Sherlock Holmes.”
Assuming responsibility and owning up to the truth can be difficult in times of crisis, but making an effort to hide something can make matters worse. Yes, there will be backlash to the cold hard facts around any crisis. But in being transparent, you’ll be showing your audience that you’re aware of the existing problem and taking steps toward resolving it.
- Surround yourself with a proven team to guide you down the right path. By building a trusted PR team, you’ll be putting in place a much-needed safeguard should a crisis arise. A PR team is tasked with protecting your brand’s image and will help you stay the course when things get bumpy. It’s crucial to listen to what your PR team has to say; they will only help with identifying solutions faster. Prince Andrew may have been given solid advice from some of his team members, but he chose to listen to the wrong people, exacerbating the crisis. Make sure you have a diverse team that can provide a range of opinions and feedback. This will only help in identifying vulnerabilities and strengthening your messaging. Yes, hindsight is 20/20. But the right PR team will help ensure such public blunders do not occur.