Why King Charles' Communications Secretary Is A Very Controversial Pick
King Charles III has only been in power for less than a month, but he is already making headlines for potentially controversial reasons. Even during the new monarch's first speech, some royal fans were perturbed about his characterization of his wife, queen consort Camilla. Then there was the issue of his inheritance from his mother Queen Elizabeth II, which reportedly the King will not have to pay taxes on, despite the jaw-dropping sum.
Now, King Charles' pick for his communications secretary has some people all worked up due to the former co-editor's position at tabloids that knocked senior members of the royal family. As BuzzFeed reports, Tobyn Andreae previously worked at the Daily Mail and the Mail on Sunday, two British publications which have not always reported favorably on the King's children and daughters-in-law.
Most notably, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle sued the Mail on Sunday for libel — and won (via NBC News). The tabloid also wrote many negative stories about the now-Princess of Wales before she wed Prince William, calling her "Waity Katie," while Andreae held a top role there. Incidentally, the royal family approved of other derogatory nicknames for Kate Middleton around the same time.
But there are still more reasons why Andreae's hiring has some people scratching their heads.
The King's new communications secretary lacks communications experience
Not only is Tobyn Andreae a former editor of British tabloids that haven't always done the royal family many favors, including dubbing the future queen consort of England "Waity Katie," but reportedly, the controversial choice, which interestingly was made before the Queen's death, puts a person without communications experience in the top position (via Deadline and BuzzFeed).
But Andreae is seemingly already heading off the accusation that he will be partial in his role as the communications secretary for the King of England and queen consort Camilla. A statement to BuzzFeed on Andreae's behalf read in part, "Over the course of a 25-year career in national newspapers, Mr. Andreae worked for publications that contained a great diversity of news stories and opinions on all matters of public interest, including members of the royal family."
The statement went on to declare that assuming a small portion of what had been published in the outlets reflects the personal opinion of the new communications secretary would be wrong.
It's worth noting that in a previous statement, the former editor did note that some Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday staffers have strong opinions he is not aligned with.