PR Week Echo Columns



May 05, 2006
Bad boy comes good?

Analysis and commentary by Echo Research. This article and further information is at: www.echoResearch.com

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The Buckingham Palace Press Office must be basking in a soft rosy glow. The launch last week of Prince Harry's AIDS orphans' charity, hard on the heels of his passing out from Sandhurst, produced a slew of good headlines for the young Royal: "Harry is prince of hearts" (The Sun, 28/4), "Harry helps Africa" (Megastar.co.uk), "Harry follows in his mother's footsteps" (Daily Mail, 28/4). Diana's commitment to HIV positive children, and Harry's pledge to continue her legacy was heavily talked up: "With his gentle grip and a genuine touching smile, Prince Harry shows he is every inch his mother's son" noted The Sun (28/4), in unusually saccharine prose.

Very few cynical comments were made about other motives Prince Harry might have for launching the charity, despite his chequered media reputation and Buckingham Palace's reputation for skilful spin doctoring. The Times (28/4) baldly dubbed it "a bold attempt to counter a loutish image", while the Sunday Times (30/4) hinted that for all Harry's apparent commitment to African AIDS orphans, the lure of London's bright lights could prove too strong for the fun-loving Prince: "The name of the prince's charity means Forget Me Not. The test is: will Harry remember, back in Boujis?" Note to Buck House Press Office: Harry's media rehabilitation is not yet fully complete.

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