'For Better, For Worse'?
Royal Heirs Between Continuity and Change in Media Representations of British Royal Weddings (2005-2011)
Published on 1. October 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
354 pages
978-3-86821-869-5 (ISBN)
Description
What role does the British monarchy play in the 21st century? Do people (still) care about such an anachronistic institution? Why are they fascinated by the monarchy's ritual media events? This study investigates the last two wedding celebrations of British royal heirs: Prince Charles's marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005, and Prince William and Catherine Middleton's wedding in 2011. Based on an analysis of British television and newspaper coverage as well as archive material, this book examines royal reporting, i.e. representations of royalty and royal events in the British media. It is shown how a phenomenon with seemingly pure entertainment value functions as a site for socio-cultural negotiation processes. The powerful cultural narratives constructed and disseminated in the context of royal weddings are relevant for understanding contemporary British society and the role of media institutions as they trigger processes of reflection on the nation and on media consumption and performance in the changing mediascape of the attention economy. This study's media-cultural narratological perspective on royal reporting and the monarchy's ongoing refashioning process sheds light on the cultural functions of the British monarchy in contemporary Britain, the role played by the heirs to the throne, and the British 'cultural imaginary'.
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Content
CONTENTS (gekürzt)
1. Introduction: For Better or For Worse? ........................................................... 1
1.1 Balancing Acts: Royal Heirs Between Continuity and Change ............................ 6
1.2 Royal Marriages: From Political Instruments of Power
to World Media Events ....................................................................................... 16
1.3 Contemporary Royal Reporting: Gendered Discourses and Media Attention .... 21
2. Refashioning the British Monarchy Through Ritual Media Events:
Theoretical and Methodological Frames of Reference .................................. 28
2.1 Mapping the Marriages, Selecting the Sources:
Media Representations of the Royal Weddings 2005 and 2011 .......................... 29
2.2 Royal Reporting in the Age of World Media Events:
Describing the Royal Weddings .......................................................................... 35
2.3 The Refashioning Process of the British Monarchy ........................................... 69
3. Charles & Camilla (2005) or the "Triumph of True Love"? ...................... 114
3.1 Framing I: The Engagement and Public Reactions ........................................... 114
3.2 The Wedding Day: The Television Coverage
of Charles and Camilla's Wedding ................................................................... 171
3.3 Framing II: "Older Folks Wed With Little Ceremony and Some Pomp" -
The Post-Wedding Newspaper Coverage ......................................................... 206
4. William & Catherine (2011): A Modern Couple, a Modern Monarchy? ... 216
4.1 Framing I: The Announcement of a Long-Awaited Engagement ..................... 216
4.2 The Wedding Day: The Television Coverage of "a Glorious Pageant,
a National Celebration, and a Royal Love Story" ............................................. 258
4.3 "People's Fairy Tale" - The Newspapers' Recapitulation
of the Wedding Day and the Imagination of the (Royal) Future ....................... 291
5. Conclusion: To Have and to Hold from This Day Forward? ...................... 301
5.1 Functions of Royal Weddings as Ritual Media Events in the 21st Century ...... 306
5.2 Outlook: Trajectories for Studying the (British) Monarchy in the
21st Century ...................................................................................................... 311
6. Works Cited .................................................................................................... 315
1. Introduction: For Better or For Worse? ........................................................... 1
1.1 Balancing Acts: Royal Heirs Between Continuity and Change ............................ 6
1.2 Royal Marriages: From Political Instruments of Power
to World Media Events ....................................................................................... 16
1.3 Contemporary Royal Reporting: Gendered Discourses and Media Attention .... 21
2. Refashioning the British Monarchy Through Ritual Media Events:
Theoretical and Methodological Frames of Reference .................................. 28
2.1 Mapping the Marriages, Selecting the Sources:
Media Representations of the Royal Weddings 2005 and 2011 .......................... 29
2.2 Royal Reporting in the Age of World Media Events:
Describing the Royal Weddings .......................................................................... 35
2.3 The Refashioning Process of the British Monarchy ........................................... 69
3. Charles & Camilla (2005) or the "Triumph of True Love"? ...................... 114
3.1 Framing I: The Engagement and Public Reactions ........................................... 114
3.2 The Wedding Day: The Television Coverage
of Charles and Camilla's Wedding ................................................................... 171
3.3 Framing II: "Older Folks Wed With Little Ceremony and Some Pomp" -
The Post-Wedding Newspaper Coverage ......................................................... 206
4. William & Catherine (2011): A Modern Couple, a Modern Monarchy? ... 216
4.1 Framing I: The Announcement of a Long-Awaited Engagement ..................... 216
4.2 The Wedding Day: The Television Coverage of "a Glorious Pageant,
a National Celebration, and a Royal Love Story" ............................................. 258
4.3 "People's Fairy Tale" - The Newspapers' Recapitulation
of the Wedding Day and the Imagination of the (Royal) Future ....................... 291
5. Conclusion: To Have and to Hold from This Day Forward? ...................... 301
5.1 Functions of Royal Weddings as Ritual Media Events in the 21st Century ...... 306
5.2 Outlook: Trajectories for Studying the (British) Monarchy in the
21st Century ...................................................................................................... 311
6. Works Cited .................................................................................................... 315