A Global Royal Wedding - the Royal Family and Soft Power.

It has become fashionable in some quarters to write off the UK as a nation in terminal decline, a nation that does not matter and one that is an irrelevance in the modern world. It is also popular among some to sneer at the values, standards and traditions that make up the fabric of this curious nation. Finally, many commentators on defence matters like pushing the idea that ‘the UK no longer matters’ due to defence cuts. This comes together into a narrative of national decline, putting forward the notion that we may as well give up as we don’t matter anymore.

The marriage of His Royal Highness Prince Henry (Harry) to Ms Meghan Markle is perhaps a timely reminder that despite this narrative, the UK somehow possesses an innate ability to hold events that for a few short hours bring the world together.

If the employment of soft power is seen as how you influence other nations and people to pay attention and consider you, then the Royal Wedding must have been one of the most effective tools of soft power in recent history. Estimates suggest that nearly 1.9 billion people worldwide watched the wedding on Saturday 19 May – roughly 25% of the entire world’s population.

Since Her Majesty The Queen came to the throne, the UK has seen its armed forces shrink and overseas territories diminish, while its economy is smaller in ranking terms, but it retains an ability to reach globally and attract people’s attention and interest. The fabric of the nation – the pageant, the splendour and the byzantine traditions, coupled with the sight of magnificent marching bands and cavalry come together to form an event that should on paper look ridiculous, yet somehow it just works.

This matters because soft power is about grabbing peoples attention, getting them to listen to you and having the chance to talk and hopefully shape the way they think about the world and get them to try and see it your way. The fairy tale story of the American girl who became a princess has captivated many and helps send a message of what the UK is, and how we have changed.

Image by Ministry of Defence; © Crown copyright

The power of the Royal Wedding is that it gave the UK a chance to show to the whole world what sort of nation we are, how comfortable we are in both our traditions and our values, and how we confidently look to the future. There are many nations out there which would dearly love to achieve the same widespread coverage of this event – a glance around the global media shows how this event took headline or leading coverage around the planet. It was a chance for the UK to show itself to the world and influence how the world sees us.

Soft power may be dismissed by some as a foolish thing but consider the huge benefits that an event like a Royal Wedding brings to delivering the UK’s diplomatic goals. Many UK embassies and High Commissions will have held parties to celebrate, a chance to invite prominent local politicians and dignitaries along and in addition to hosting, perhaps use the opportunity for some gentle lobbying or influencing on other foreign policy issues that matter. A small investment of time and catering may open doors later and generate a long term pool of goodwill from those grateful for what they would see as an invite on behalf of the British Government.

Likewise, the wider opportunity to use digital means and press releases to talk to host nations about the wedding is a brilliant opportunity to get UK diplomats out on the internet cyber highway and airwaves and influence people – messaging about the UK, our goals and what we stand for in the world. This may sound a bit simple but consider how few of the public take much interest in the day to day utterings of politicians and diplomats abroad via routine tepid press releases. To get interest you need a hook, a reason to google ‘British Embassy San Guana Annucion’ and find out about the Royal Wedding via their facebook page – a good example of this is the British Embassy in Brazils page HERE

Why Does it Matter?

The wider diplomatic benefit of events like this is that when politicians are invited, they rarely turn down the opportunity to come. The Royal Family and its weddings, funerals and coronations provides a chance for Britain to summon the worlds leaders, and the world’s leaders will come.

Very few nations can hold ‘soft’ (e.g. non-political) events that they know will bring together global leaders, putting them in the same place for a day or two and allowing an enormous amount of bilateral and multi-lateral diplomacy to occur. The recent Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) was a good example of this, bringing together over 50 heads of state and Prime Ministers to meet and hold many different diplomatic engagements.

Politicians are ultimately human, and it is worth considering how much influence the Royal Family brings that many of them will do anything for a State Visit to London. There are many influential global leaders out there who would dearly love to visit London and spend time with a diminutive 92yr old woman, and the pomp, pageant and glamour that is associated with this. It not only makes them look good, but there is enormous credibility attached to photos of nations leader meeting someone like Her Majesty or Prince Charles. Do not underestimate the difference it makes to diplomatic relations to extend, or withdraw, the offer of a State Visit to London.

The Royal Family is a global brand, one that almost anyone with a TV or computer has heard of in some way. They exude a glamour that transcends national politics, and due to the strengths of the Commonwealth system and the dominions, binds many different nations together as feeling as if they too have a shared history in, and claim to, in this organisation.

They provide the UK and the Commonwealth with an influencing tool and brand that is exceptionally powerful, and one that gives the UK enormous credibility and means to influence how the world sees us. Many other nations have Royal Families, but they lack the glamour or wider public interest – often even to their own people.  

We in the UK may mock the Royal Family at times or question the benefits of them. But their cost is miniscule, and even if they were to be replaced, whatever new ‘First Family’ emerged would accrue similar costs for transport and security due to the world we occupy. The cost benefits gained from the intangibles far outweigh the tiny amount of public money spent on them as an institution.

The UK is uniquely well placed to benefit from events like this. Other than Presidential inaugurations, it is hard to imagine any other media event occurring that would cause global media organisations to broadcast it, and for a quarter of the worlds population to stop and watch. In the modern Royal Family the UK has probably the single most influential and cost effective ‘soft power’ influencing tool in global history.