Prince William has raised eyebrows in some circles with the appointment of a new member of his team – but Jennie Bond believes it’s an extremely shrewd move
Prince William has been vocal about how he is keen to embrace change in the monarchy -and his latest move has raised eyebrows in some quarters. It has emerged that the Prince of Wales has added a PR expert who specialises in crisis management to his communications team. The new hire is Liza Ravenscroft, who was once described as ‘bulletproof sunshine’ by a previous boss.
She has been recruited from communications company Edelman, where she runs the UK Crisis & Issues team, working “arm in arm with big names facing their toughest times”. The Mirror understands that Ms Ravenscroft will be operating in a ‘non-crisis’ role. But even though that might not have been why she was hired, royal expert Jennie Bond believes it is a clever ploy.
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The former BBC royal correspondent told the Mirror: “The Palace says Liza Ravenscroft hasn’t been hired because of her expertise in crisis management and, whether or not that’s true, her training certainly won’t go amiss.
“It seems to me more likely that she’s been seconded on the recommendation of Julian Payne, King Charles ‘ former communications secretary, who’s currently Liza’s boss.
“But, whatever the reason, it seems like a shrewd move. Crises crop up with relentless regularity in the royal family, and to have someone skilled at heading them off, or at least being prepared and fully briefed to deal with the situation, is basic good PR.”
Describing her talents and day-to-day work, Ms Ravenscroft’s LinkedIn page reads: “It’s often front page stuff: from boycott campaigns to sexual allegations to serious safety issues, geopolitical and ethical risks, I’m all about human-led response direct to the audiences which matter.”
The crisis guru’s CV boasts roles at Marriott Hotels and British Airways. She describes herself as someone who “believes in the power of strong relationships to defend and charm in equal measure”.
Of course, the royals have had to face several crises in the past few years, from the allegations levelled against them by Prince Harry and Meghan to the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor scandal. For William, the bitter rift with his brother Harry doesn’t show any signs of abating, with Harry due in the UK next week for another court battle.
And Jennie added: “This could be one of the changes William intends to pursue: ensuring his team is ahead of the game, fully proactive and not allowing ‘events, dear boy’ to destabilise the monarchy.
“There are still some difficult and testing situations on the horizon: what next for Andrew, and will Harry and Meghan be knocking on William’s door? The future King has his work cut out – and it’s now up to Liza Ravenscroft to smooth the path ahead.”
