Prince Andrew: The Final Word?

Assumption has always been the mother of all ‘f@#k ups’ - if only someone around Prince Andrew had reminded him. Although it’s doubtful he would have listened. His catastrophic car crash interview had all the ingredients for disaster and so it proved with the story still rolling a week later. It reminds us that any business leader is half a pizza slice away from bad headlines if they are ill-advised, badly prepared and not experts in forensic level planning.

The smallest detail is always the thing that trips up the hubristic. Nobody can afford to always be right until they are wrong, and then do all the wrongs things to try to make it right again. It’s too late by then, as Prince Andrew has discovered. He is damned by the million memes and unrelenting headlines picking him apart. Disappearance was his only option and recovery will be hard-earned, if it’s even possible at this stage.

I've has made countless appearances on global news channels since Saturday night, offering a balanced voice on ‘what he should have done’ and ‘what it means now for the Royal Family’. I have tried to posit lessons to be learned for all brands.

Get intimate with:

1. Culture

2. Language

3. Speed

It’s no good existing in a bubble. Having an expert on your side to challenge you before you step into the spotlight is essential. That way the one thing you have forgotten or assumed isn’t relevant will already be tackled and answered before it damns you.