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British royals on defensive
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David Lee
"ONE can survive everything . . . and live down anything except a good reputation,'' said Oscar Wilde. The latest royal family "Sophiegate" scandal only lasted a week, but its fallout in Great Britain has been titanic.
Sophie Rhys-Jones, the Countess of Wessex, who is married to the Queen Elizabeth II's youngest child Edward, was caught in a damaging newspaper sting. She told a reporter posing as an Arab sheikh wanting to do business with her public relations company, how useful her royal connections could be and let slip a stream of indiscreet comments about top British politicians.
This fake Arab shiekh, named Mazher Mahmood, is actually from Britain's best-selling newspaper, the News of the World. Sophie and her colleague, Murray Harkin, were secretly taped as they set out their views of various public figures. The News of the World published details of the covertly taped conversations.
This sting operation by one of the country's most sensationalist tabloid newspapers has embarrassed the young lady, who has been accused of milking her position as wife of Prince Edward to win contracts for her public relations firm. She was forced to quit as chairman of this company. Prince Edward also runs a television production company whose few commercial successes have taken royalty as their subject.
This affair has caused many Britons to rethink the way royals are allowed to pursue business careers while claiming public money, for the tapes seem to support widespread suspicions that both Sophie and Edward have exploited their royal connections and some royals are mixing their constitutional roles with money-spinning projects. It has also given fresh ammunition to critics who say the royal family is a waste of taxpayers' money, are trapped in the past and perpetuating a damaging class divide in Britain. Though reforms in 1993 shrank the number of royals who receive money from the public purse, Prince Edward still receives US$200,000 annually.
Around 65 British members of parliament, mainly from the ruling Labour Party, demanded a "register of royal interests" to avoid conflicts of interest between the public roles and business interests of junior royals, calling for tighter scrutiny of royal finances and a select committee inquiry into the business interests of working Royals.
Sophie's affair has sparked a potential for disaster not only for the royal family but hot debates on the future of the monarchy. Republican sentiment runs strongly through the ruling Labour Party, despite Blair's ardently pro-monarchist leanings. Many Labour politicians said that the Royal Family should reform, while some Left-wingers are calling for a republic.
Two government ministers who criticized the royal family escaped any public censure from the Prime Minister. Gordon Brown became the most senior Labour politician to suggest that the Royal Family should modernize, saying that the Queen had "a lot of lessons" to learn from the problems that engulfed her daughter-in-law. Chris Smith, the culture secretary, gave the strongest cabinet signal for a closer look at the royal family's business dealings.
At the same time, British media are mulling the monarchy's future after the "Sophiegate" scandal. The Express said its survey showed that 30 per cent of Britons thought the scandal had damaged the popularity of the royal family. The left-leaning mass-market Mirror conducted a survey saying the monarchy should be abolished. Sixty-nine per cent wanted Britain to become a republic, while only 31 per cent believed the royal family should remain, said the Mirror.
Although the Queen is said to "deplore the entrapment, subterfuge, innuendo and untruths", giving a full support for her youngest son and daughter-in-law's business career, the countess expressed her distress at being entrapped but acknowledged her regret at her misjudgment. "I take very seriously the issues raised and naturally regret any embarrassment above all to the Queen. I believe my overriding duty is to support the Queen and the monarchy."
The countess may be penitent, but the newspapers aren't, despite serious ethical questions about the dramatic behaviour of the News of the World. The paper defended its story as being in the public interest. Rebekah Wade, editor of the paper, insisted that the paper's investigations had been legitimate and in the public interest. "Criticizing the News of the World is like beheading the messenger who brings bad news."
The focus of political unease is now turning to Prince Andrew, who is due to retire from the Royal Navy this month after 22 years of service. He will become a special representative of British Trade International. The role, which is likely to focus mainly on Middle Eastern countries, is unpaid, but all travel expenses are covered. The prince's appointment has brought about a serious concern that his jet-setting lifestyle could humiliate the royal family and damage the international reputation of the government and British business.
Facing growing pressure from both influential Labour Party politicians and the mass media, a palace spokeswoman responded that the royal family was considering ''a range of options'' to tackle potential conflicts of interest. However, Blair's spokesman says the prime minister remains "100 per cent behind the monarchy'' and has no plans for reforms at Buckingham Palace. Seventy per cent backed the monarchy and only 22 per cent thought it should be ditched, said the Express.
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