This speech by King Charles is a masterpiece in communication
In a world where communication skills can shape a career, this speech delivers lessons for us all. Here is why I love it so much | WATCH
It remains one of the most impactful pieces of communication I have ever experienced – thoughtfully conceived and flawlessly delivered. It is Charles’ televised eulogy to his mother, the Queen, broadcast days after her death in September 2022. (You can watch it on the internet.)
In a world where communication skills can shape a career, this speech delivers lessons for us all. Here is why I love it so much. I have no doubt that Charles’ eulogy was substantially written by him. It was deeply personal. But I’m sure it was reviewed by palace advisors, wordsmiths and protocol experts, too. Unlike other palace announcements such as a birth, an engagement or a death, a eulogy is an extended piece of communication.
Charles’ nine-minute eulogy comprises more than 1500 words. There’s scope in every sentence for his meaning to be misinterpreted – after all, the audience wasn’t just the UK and the Commonwealth but friend and foe alike across the world. This was not a time to make a blunder that could sully the Queen’s mourning.
The speech is tightly written. Charles speaks of his darling mama, his dear papa, his darling Camilla. He refers to William and Catherine and to Harry and Meghan. But he doesn’t name anyone else; he keeps the focus on his family and on the realm. He refers to the UK and to the Church of England, but no other country or institution by name. He talks warmly of a family of nations and of the wider world.
Charles chooses his words carefully. There is no mention of popular concepts like diversity when diversity is exactly what he means. For example, he makes the point that “our society has become one of many cultures, many faiths”, thus avoiding a word that in some quarters might trigger an unhelpful response.
He makes no mention of the sadness of his siblings, who are also not referenced (and for specific reason in one case); rather, he keeps it general by referring to his family’s loss. Every sentence, I am sure, would have been scrutinised for the value it adds, weighed against the risk of going off piste.
And then, in his closing sentence, Charles looks solemnly to camera and delivers the crowning glory, the pièce de résistance of this thoughtful, meaningful eulogy when he says, “May flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.”
I had not heard or read this phrase previously. It electrified me. I learned that it’s taken from Hamlet, written 420 years earlier. Charles dropped it in as if these words belonged to the institution of Britain. And in a sense, this is correct; Shakespeare’s words and sayings litter the English language.
Indeed, here we have 1500 words constructed for the purpose of a 21st-century eulogy to be broadcast globally, perfected by the best writers Britain can muster, and yet these words are outshone, if not entirely eclipsed, by just nine words conceived by a bloke with quill and ink four centuries earlier.
The lesson here is to think carefully about how communication is constructed and delivered. Impactful communication is always perfectly pitched to the occasion and to the audience. And, regardless of your views on the monarchy, on this occasion I think Charles got it exactly right. This isn’t simply a eulogy, it’s an exemplar of good communication.
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