Palace Intrigue: Soft Power, the Press and UK Monarchy

In this course we will consider the British royal family as a national and transnational journalistic beat, as well as an enduring institution of soft power central to British foreign policy. We will also explore how the royals’ controversies intersect with global debates about how modern institutions and societies should grapple with the legacy of empire. A key element of this course will be the complex interaction between the royals, the media and the public. We will read some key journalistic works and narrative non-fiction on monarchy, royal bodies, and the royalist tabloid press. We will consider and try to address these questions: Why do the travails and romances of British royals command the attention of English-speaking audience around the world, particularly in the Commonwealth and former colonies? How does the royal family function as a journalistic beat, what are royal correspondents actually reporting on, and who are their sources? How does the all-powerful British tabloid press shape and drive public attitudes toward the royals? In what ways does the tabloid press coverage of the royal family, specifically Harry and Meghan, intermingle with the tabloids’ treatment of race, migration, and terrorism?

This course will serve as an introduction to the British monarchy as a political institution and journalistic beat. It will lean heavily on reading, analysis, and media criticism, and we will examine the specific ways that royal coverage has evolved and changed. Is the most read, deeply-reported royal reporting now appearing in newspapers or on Substacks? How can you compare and contrast coverage produced by Substack writers, versus newspaper or tabloid royal reporters? How and why is American press coverage of the royals so radically different than the Australian press?