All Eyes on London: a case study
Sometimes, conflict spills over into public forums. When that happens, it becomes news, entertainment, and a source of public fascination.
While not always a healthy thing to devote our attention to, it’s human nature.
A friend invited me to her cottage Saturday night. In checking my calendar to be sure I was free, I saw an all-day event that I had not put there myself. “The Coronation of King Charles III”.
We all know about about the drama surrounding this event.
On the one hand, there is a Prince. On the other hand, there is a King, a Queen, another Prince and a Princess.
In more relatable terms, it’s a son vs his father, step-mother, brother and sister-in-law. It’s a family, but more specifically, it’s the Royal Family.
The Royal Family is a business. We’ve learned in recent years that those who within it refer to it as “The Firm”. You only get to the top by being born or married into the family/The Firm. It’s ongoing relevance depends on the popularity of its members.
It sounds pretty different from my family, and for that, I am glad.
At the best of times, the Royal Family is ripe for conflict.
Conflict is like fire. We need a little fire - it gives us heat for cooking, light for seeing, warmth for living. But when fire gets out of control, it destroys. So does conflict.
Right now, the Royal Family is embroiled in high conflict. Numerous factors have contributed to this:
Distinct Groups - In the ongoing drama, they’re divided by generation, gender, birth order, race, family status, nationality, and more. The public has an opinion on every single issue. So the groups get bigger and louder.
They’re not listening to one another - At least publicly, one side has done a lot of talking. Rumour has it that there is little to no ongoing conversation between the affected parties.
Rumination - From the side who has talked publicly, we’ve heard the same issues over and over. I’m no insider, but I’m guessing the quiet side is also dwelling on their version of events. In doing so, both sides are increasingly assured they are right and the other is wrong.
The stakes are high - There’s a lot at play. Diversity, inclusion, personal safety, mental health, freedom of the press, privacy, and the continued relevance of the Monarchy as an institution. Beyond that, there’s money, power and superstardom at stake.
Rigidity about the outcomes sought - One side seemingly wants a public apology or acknowledgement of their perspective. To do so would be an (at least) implicit acknowledgement that the allegations made are legitimate. I have a feeling the Royal Family considers that outcome very undesirable.
The firestarters just won’t quit - The flames of this conflict are being fanned from all sides, but especially by the media. Every interaction and facial expression will be photographed, analyzed and coloured by commentary. We, the public, will consume the coverage, form opinions, and converse about it.
So how will they move past it, if at all?
Only time will tell.
It’s going to take a lot of listening. A lot of discomfort. And a lot of reflection. From the sounds of it, that will not be on the agenda this weekend.
To be clear, I am going to the cottage this weekend. The Coronation may be in my calendar, but it’s not part of my plans. That being said, when it’s all over, I will click those headlines to see how the drama unfolded.
At least I’m curious.
If the Royal Family were more curious about one another’s experience, maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess at all.
At least, not until the next one.