The past few years have been tumultuous for the British monarchy and the media. Allegations that Prince Andrew sexually exploited a minor and his well-documented friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have taken a chip out of the monarchy’s armour.
The disgust and criticism that ensued following reports suggesting the Queen had paid Andrew’s settlement with Virginia Giuffre in a civil sexual assault case brought in the US, said to be as much as £12m, has led to calls for transparency in royal finances and tarnished Buckingham Palace’s reputation further.
Such upheaval characterised the last few years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and reflects the importance of media representations from her coronation until her death. The Queen reigned over rapid technological media expansion, from the emergence of television, through tabloid newspapers and paparazzi, to social media and citizen journalism. Her time on the throne spanned an era that has seen our relationship to media cultures change beyond recognition. One result of this is that we have more access to the monarchy than ever before.
