Recently, news flashed round the world that the remains of Richard III, last Plantagenet king of England and the last to be claimed in battle, has been found in a parking lot in Leicester, 500 years after his death and ignominious defeat at Bosworth Field. You may remember Richard III as the hunchbacked villain in Shakespeare’s play of the same name. For years he’s been a controversial figure: was he a usurper and a murderer, or a good man maligned by his vindictive successors?

His story has fascinated me for years, but unfortunately we may never know the truth. However his sad tale offers a blueprint for how not to do PR.

Here’s the back-story. Richard was the younger brother and trusted lieutenant of the popular Edward IV. Unfortunately, Edward died at the prime of his life, leaving two sons of middle school age – also named, confusingly, Edward and Richard. The eldest became Edward V, with his uncle Richard named Protector of the Realm and regent until he came of age.

On the eve of Edward’s crowning, scandal ensued when an elderly cleric came forward, claiming that the boy’s father was a bigamist and had been previously married to another woman. Hence, his sons with his “queen” were illegitimate. Well, what’s an uncle to do in that situation? Assume the throne of course, as the rightful heir. Meanwhile, the no longer princes were housed in the Tower of London, where after a few months, they were no longer seen by the public.

Richard’s attention was elsewhere, as his opponent Henry Tudor prepared an invasion of England and succeeded in defeating and killing Richard, ending the Yorkist dynasty and ushering in the reign of the Tudors. According to chroniclers in Henry’s day, Richard murdered his poor nephews, and that’s the version of the story history accepts to this day despite a plethora of books that identify other likely culprits, including Henry himself who needed them out of the way to secure his claim to the throne.

So where does PR come in here? Well, Richard made some classic mistakes that left his reputation open to calumny that companies still make today.

1. Tell your own story. Richard never explained what happened to the boys while he was alive, leaving the entire situation open to rumor and character assassination. Despite being preoccupied with traitorous friends, conniving in-laws, and invasion by usurpers, he should have been more – as we say today – transparent.

2. Don’t say “no comment.” Richard’s silence is tantamount to an admission of guilt. It’s the same today.

3. Get third parties to validate your story. Henry’s historians did what Richard’s did not – told the story with their ruler’s spin as expert third party validaters.

By the way, the discovery of Richard’s remains did confirm one thing – he had advanced scoliosis of the spine and would have looked like a hunchback. As to the veracity of the rest of his story – well, what do you think?

If you’re in healthcare, insurance, technology or other professional services industries, and need help with public relations, marketing or crisis communications, contact Scott Public Relations.

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