Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival

The Trooping the Colour parade in June 2022—the official parade for the ruling sovereign’s birthday—presented a powerful image. Marking 70 years of the Queen’s reign, the parade took place in the middle of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations. The high emotion in the atmosphere was exemplified by an image of the Queen surrounded by those representing the next chapter of the monarchy: Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Edward, and Sophie. These celebrations, and this image in particular, were much needed after a few difficult years.

The Firm has always excelled at “image advertising and reputational management” (82). During her reign, the Queen remained resolute and steadfast, emerging as a symbol of tradition and duty. This image became so powerful that it even helped cover up and distract from the country’s gradual decline. Beginning with the Empire winding down in different colonial countries, Britain went to war first in the Falklands, then in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside the United States. Following Brexit, the focus turned homeward. Still, the Queen persisted and emerged as a national icon, calling on nostalgia, patriotism, and a “glamour of backwardness” (84) to do so.

While she was alive and the family publicly cohesive, the monarchy as a whole could capitalize on these sentiments.