Last April, there was a curious story about Prince William, one which has never been mentioned in any reporting since. It turned out that William had suddenly decided to “be his own man” and not use his daddy’s law firm or his late grandmother’s law firm. William hired Mishcon de Reya, an all-purpose law firm, for what I imagine was a full slate of private, professional, personal and royal business. What was especially interesting is that Princess Diana hired Mishcon de Reya as her divorce lawyers back in the 1990s. Fascinating, right? Even more so because no one ever talked about it again. Well, William has made another interesting hire. He’s brought in a new “crisis management expert” named Liza Ravenscroft (which is such an Agatha Christie-ass name). What crisis though?
Prince William has hired a crisis management expert as the Royal Family continues to wrestle with the fall-out from Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s association with paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. Liza Ravenscroft – described as ‘bulletproof sunshine’ by a former boss – has been recruited from the blue-chip communications firm Edelman, where she works ‘arm in arm with big names facing into their toughest times’.
That description could apply to William as the Andrew saga rumbles on – while the monarchy also deals with dramas surrounding Prince Harry and the cancer treatments undertaken by both the King and the Princess of Wales.
Ms Ravenscroft, who runs the UK Crisis & Issues team, is understood to have been championed by Julian Payne, a former communications secretary to Charles and Camilla who is now the CEO of Edelman.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Julian Payne has stayed close to the King, so it is unlikely to be a coincidence that one of his most senior and respected members of staff has taken a key role in William’s office after a period of turmoil – and when they are looking for closer alignment between Kensington Palace and Buckingham Palace as minds turn to William’s eventual succession’.
A Kensington Palace source said that communications experts for the royal family boasted ‘a range of experience’ and Ms Ravenscroft would be operating in a ‘non-crisis’ role.
Ms Ravenscroft declares on her CV that ‘multinational brands have never had higher expectations nor more scrutiny when things go wrong’, and boasts that she tells companies ‘how to get past an issue as quickly as possible with minimum dents….It’s often front-page stuff: from boycott campaigns to sexual allegations to serious safety issues, geopolitical and ethical risks’.
Andrew has been stripped of his royal titles and evicted from his 30-bedroom mansion Royal Lodge in Windsor, but questions continue to mount about the extent and duration of his links to the late paedophile. Meanwhile, Prince Harry continues to attract attention for his relationship with Charles and William, his battles with the media and his security arrangements.
Ms Ravenscroft, who previously held roles at British Airways and Marriott hotels, says on the CV that a former boss described her as ‘bulletproof sunshine’, and that she is a ‘seasoned media handler who believes in the power of strong relationships to defend and charm in equal measure’.A Kensington Palace source told The Mail on Sunday: ‘Liza is joining in a non-crisis based role in the KP press office, working on the day-to-day press interaction Kensington Palace has. People who work in communications for the Royal Household come from an array of backgrounds.’
None of these things are crises: Harry trying to get police protection for his family; the Sussexes’ life in California; Andrew’s debauched, degenerate past haunting him 24-7; Kate’s self-declared recovery and remission from cancer; Charles’s improved health. While many seem to think that this is about William and Kate’s marriage, I think this is a significant passage: “Julian Payne has stayed close to the King, so it is unlikely to be a coincidence that one of his most senior and respected members of staff has taken a key role in William’s office after a period of turmoil.” This feels less like William understanding that he is the one in crisis and more like Charles ordering Kensington Palace to bring in seasoned, competent professionals so that William and Kate’s operations won’t be so juvenile, half-assed and clownish. There should have been a major housecleaning in 2024 after the months-long debacle of “Kate Missington” and the global kill order on the Mother’s Day photo. Instead, they mostly kept the same clowns around and they’ve just been limping along ever since, stalking the Sussexes and buying emotional-support polls.
PS… I’ve avoided posting this video, which has been widely circulated on social media, because I can’t confirm when it was taken. But if it was taken recently, it does seem like evidence of William and Kate’s separate lives, and how they’re possibly splitting custody of the kids. Perhaps this is a factor in hiring a crisis manager too.
At least the coparenting appears to be going well.
Here are Charlotte & George captured arriving by helicopter at Kensington Palace with their overnight bags. It’s been obvious for a while that Willy & Kate are separated & the kids shuttle between their parents’ homes. pic.twitter.com/dPrsGa7BKY
— Zandi Sussex (@ZandiSussex) January 7, 2026
Photos courtesy of Kensington Palace, Cover Images, AppleTV+.
