As we all know, Kate Middleton and Prince Henry welcomed their first child into the world in the beginning of July this year. They decided to name the boy George Alexander Louis. The excitement around the pregnancy and birth of the royal baby was not just a focal point in England; it was also a big deal in the United States and many other countries. The excitement surrounded by the topic was in headlines throughout her pregnancy and now that the baby is here, that has not changed. Kate, Prince Henry and baby George are constantly in the spotlight. And an important topic that is going to be looked at constantly is the type of mother Kate is going to be. There was a lot of pressure on her just being pregnant since she is apart of the Royal Family now. But now that the child is actually here, there is going to be more pressure on her. She has to show not only her family, but the world, what kind of mother she is going to be.

The Duchess has been involved in many charity events and a recent one was for children. She is constantly thinking about her son and wants to make sure she can be the best mom for him. “‘She was very interested in the early years, from newborns to five-year-olds, which I guess is because she’s a new mother but also because she’s interested,'” Byron said, according to Clarence House.” Since she went to that charity event, she has become more involved with it because of her new job of being a mother. She’s proven to all of us that she is capable of being in the media and being able to manage being a new mother. She could not be more in love with her baby.

The social learning theory is important when it comes to the motherhood of Kate Middleton. With this theory it is described that we learn from what we see. When we see something in the news, we are going to relate that to our lives and learn from the outcomes of the situation. We model their behavior if the outcome is something that we would want. She knows that she is an important focus around the world. Therefore, she has to watch her what she says and does. Now that she is a mother, she has to worry about herself and her child. She is a woman that involves herself in charities revolving around children, that is going to help her image of being a new mother. She’s proving to everyone that being a mother is something very special to her. We learn from her that since becoming a mother, it is something that she was born to do. She is constantly thinking about her new baby and she is glowing every time she has her picture taken. She just wants to show and teach the world how being a mother is such a privilege and we can tell that alone, with the pictures of her and her beautiful family.

 

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/524130/20131121/kate-middleton-prince-george-royal-baby-william.htm

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/kate-middleton-wins-big-smile-britain-prince-george-royal-portrait-article-1.1498083

-Samantha Haglund

According to International Business Times Kate Middleton caught international attention when she and Prince William announced their engagement in 2011. She became known for being immaculately dressed for any occasion and for her ease and grace in the public eye. In December of 2012 the couple announced that they were expecting their first child. Immediately the public began to wonder how she would handle pregnancy and after that, motherhood.

The uses & gratifications theory understands that people use media actively, on a daily basis, and that they are selective about which media they choose to use; be it social medias like Facebook and Twitter or television programs like the Daily Show. As public relations professionals it is important to understand that people of different ages get information from different medias. Kate Middleton, and the recent birth of her son, is an example of this.

Kate Middleton is seen in many different medias globally but the message is always the same. The public sees an elegant and well-dressed princess who is active in children’s charities and will be an excellent future queen. This message is clear across all medias and all age groups. This continuity exists because the message is displayed in the news, in tabloids and all over social media. When Kate Middleton had her son the way the world viewed her changed slightly too. Now the tabloids are not just talking about what she is wearing but there is a “new mother” twist to everything.

This is and example of positive PR because people of all age groups are receiving the same message about Middleton through different media sources. This diversifies the audience but keeps Middleton, and her image as the future queen, constant.

Other Sources:

Other Tabloid Covers

Kate Middleton in Fashion

Kate Middleton Style Blog

 

-Dominique Vetromile

I looked at Kate’s image through her involvement with children’s charities after becoming a mother. She does a lot of work with children’s charities. In all of the articles about this involvement it is discussed in light of her being a new mother. (IB Times, IB Times)

Through situational theory, it appears that they are doing this to make her more easily relatable. If more mothers can relate to Kate then they might not feel as constrained and could feel more inclined to also help these charities. By presenting Kate as a “mother” rather than a “duchess”, her good deeds become tangible to the masses, rather than perceived as something that only a person of her stature could accomplish.

She is also portrayed playing with children and acting as any other mother would. In this video it shows Kate interacting with children at a hospital and just how relatable she is (besides all of the cameras and news people surrounding her). She is shown singing to the children along with other simple ways of helping that are easy for most people to do. It is much different than donating mass sums of money, which not everyone can relate to.

The main point that she is trying to relay to the public is that helping children is significant and she is showing this through her importance of raising royalty. Even though she is a duchess, she is also a mother and many women can relate to this and will be inspired to follow in her footsteps. She is trying to increase the level of involvement of the public by giving recognition to the problem and trying to show them that their constraint isn’t very high. She is showing that their constraint recognition should be low by presenting herself as a fellow mother throughout her help with children’s charities.

–Nicole Kuppens

 

Since the marriage of Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge; Kate Middleton, the media has been in a royal family frenzy. Every move the couple has made has been documented through various forms of mass media. The couples’ wedding was an internationally documented event, spurring on the hype surrounding news of the royal family. On December 3^rd, 2012 the media frenzy over the royal family skyrocketed due to the announcement of Kate Middleton’s pregnancy.

The next nine months were filled with daily headlines and articles surrounding the general lifestyle, clothing choices and personal details about the habits of Kate in her pregnancy. Finally, on July 22^nd, 2013 the world welcomed the birth of Prince George, 8 pounds, 6 ounces. Media outlets were flooded with photos, videos and articles surrounding every detail of the birth. One London based newspaper, Bolton News live-posted minute-to-minute details until 10:54 PM, ending the media stream by writing: “Well that was an interesting day. History in the making. A new king in waiting.”

Additionally, to garner even more hype about the baby after his birth, the media posted and re-posted congratulatory statements from renowned public figures, including President Obama.

This excitement surrounding the birth of the Prince of England is an example of agenda setting related to public relations theory.  Agenda setting says that the news tells us not what to think, but what to think about. Additionally, the theory states that public opinion is shaped by media coverage and what is presented on the “agenda” is considered most important.  In regards to Kate and Williams baby, agenda setting is a practice used to maintain positive publicity about the royal family. Since the couple is constantly in the public eye it is logical that so much of our media is dedicated to websites, articles and blogs about them.

All the media coverage created an environment of excitement and exuberance about the birth of the royal baby. Even before he was born, Prince George had millions of fans worldwide due to his constant presence in the media. Agenda setting is certainly a key player in maintaining this fan-base, and presenting a positive image of the royal family to the world.

 

-Teal Straton-Shea