OBSERVARE

Universidade Autónoma de Lisboa

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier

International Relations and Social Networks

July 2021

STUDY OF THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY THE ROYAL HOUSES OF SPAIN AND

THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR DIPLOMATIC PURPOSES

MARINA RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ

marina.rodriguez@ufv.es

PhD student in Communication at King Juan Carlos University of Madrid (Spain). Degree in

Advertising and Public Relations. Specialist in Protocol and Institutional Relations. Master in

Fashion Communication and Marketing. Since 2009, she has combined teaching at the Faculty of

Communication Sciences of the Francisco de Vitoria University with his professional career in the

areas of retail marketing and digital communication.

ISABEL ADRIANA VÁZQUEZ SACRISTÁN

isabel.vazquez@ufv.es

PhD student in Communication at Complutense University of Madrid (Spain), specialized in virtual

reality and new technologies. Degree in Advertising and Public Relations. Master in Protocol and

Institutional Relations. She teaches creativity in the Advertising Degree at the Francisco de

Vitoria University (Spain). She has worked as Account Supervisor and Head of New Business in

several advertising agencies -Tapsa, Young & Rubicam, Kitchen, ATREVIA-.

AIXA JORQUERA TRASCASTRO

aixa.jorquera@ufv.es

PhD in Audiovisual Communication, Advertising and Public Relations from the Complutense

University of Madrid (Spain), she has combined her work as professor in Ecuador and Spain with

professional performance in the area of production and editing / post-production in television,

advertising and corporate content.

Abstract

As means of communication and citizen participation, social networks are undoubtedly also

today a way for the exercise of diplomacy. Therefore, we undertake this research with the

aim of verifying how the highest diplomatic institutions in Spain and the United Kingdom are

integrating the use of new technologies and, specifically, social platforms to connect with

society, transmit transparency and proximity, manage their reputation, and exercise their role

as national and international representatives of these States. Specifically, we compare the

Spanish case with the British Royal Family, because it is the most popular reigning European

monarchy among netizens. To do so, we analyse the adoption and use of social media by both

royal houses. We identify the official profiles linked to them. We catalogue and study the

content published by each institution. And we compare the practices carried out by them,

finding that, although both institutions release institutional messages and leave a record of

their diplomatic actions, the British Royal Family has been able to give a more personal,

affable, and relaxed tone, acquiring a style more in tune with the participants of the networks.

Keywords

Diplomacy, Royal House, Spain, social media, United Kingdom.

How to cite this article

Hernandéz, Marina Rodriguez; Sacristán, Isabel Adriana Vázquez; Trascastro, Aixa Jorquera.

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom for

diplomatic purposes. Janus.net, e-journal of international relations. Thematic dossier

International Relations and Social Networks, July 2021. Consulted [online] on date of last

visit, https://doi.org/10.26619/1647-7251.DT21.2

Article received on February 18, 2021 and accepted for publication on March 7, 2021

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

STUDY OF THE USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA BY THE ROYAL HOUSES OF

SPAIN AND THE UNITED KINGDOM FOR DIPLOMATIC PURPOSES

MARINA RODRÍGUEZ HERNÁNDEZ

ISABEL ADRIANA VÁZQUEZ SACRISTÁN

AIXA JORQUERA TRASCASTRO

1. Introduction

1.1. Diplomacy today: public, digital and social

There are many definitions of the concept of diplomacy by renowned authors such as

Cahier, Martens, Pradier-Fodéré, Rivier, Satow and Vilariño, among others. Although

each of them expresses differentiating nuances, by keeping their similarities in mind and

framing them in today's reality, we can define diplomacy as the activity of representation

and negotiation between subjects of international law who look after their interests, while

establishing and maintaining prosperous relations among themselves, through peaceful

negotiations.

We speak of subjects of international law because, as Professor Rubio (2014) explains at

length, we find ourselves in a context in which power is no longer the exclusive preserve

of states - to whom diplomatic practice was traditionally confined. On the contrary, new

actors have appeared, both groups and individuals, with authority and political influence,

both national and supranational.

In sum, states are not the only players on the chessboard. They lead foreign

policy actions, but they are not the most important ones. Other actors have

begun to participate in the international arena by developing an intense

foreign policy, whether or not this is the usual term. Regional governments,

multinationals, NGOs, lobbies, cities and individuals participate in and

influence decisions affecting international policy. They make moves to defend

their own interests in the international arena. (Rubio, 2014: 13).

Diplomacy has existed for as long as there have been relations between organised human

groups. However, we have been talking about modern diplomacy since the Treaty of

Westphalia was signed in 1648. Nevertheless, diplomacy is undergoing a real revolution

Article translated by Cristina López García.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

due to the progress of ICTs, which requires the practice of public and digital diplomacy.

Hocking and Melissen (2015) reflect on this issue, explaining how the DNA of diplomatic

practice has changed, in terms of both its processes and its structures. In the current

hybrid environment - marked by the blurring of the boundaries between the digital and

physical ecosystems - diplomacy is exercised in a network, involving many more

stakeholders who maintain horizontal relations with each other. In this regard, Casado

(2017) notes that "this is the most important transformation of diplomacy since the

Second World War". Communication being an indispensable tool for the exercise of

foreign policy, as the author points out, the current context demands higher levels of

dialogue, interaction, and reciprocity, as well as transparency, flexibility, and immediacy.

The web has increased the dissemination of all kinds of messages, including those that

concern us in this research. Contact between the official source and the citizen is now

possible and convenient. However, the content must be relevant.

In order for the public to follow our websites and social networks, we must

provide them with added value: quality, clear, rigorous, careful and

interesting information. It is not enough to communicate corporate content:

most current government information is limited to conveying official positions

or points of view. We need to get out of the "bureaucratic bubble" and interact

intelligently on current issues. Our obligation is to be aware of society's

concerns, as an antidote to irrelevance. We must strive to listen, converse

and engage people in the business of governing the public, which is their

business. We have to design an attractive, fast, close, flexible and visual

communication. Informing, but also exciting. A digital communication that is

"popular", but not "populist". (Casado, 2017: 3).

Social networks are an excellent two-way communication tool through which to combat

citizens' disaffection with the institutions. However, this demands the implementation of

a truly integrated communication policy adapted to social uses. In other words, it is not

enough to use them as a simple means of dissemination. On the contrary, it is imperative

to adapt the narrative to their tone, codes, forms, and formats, in order not only to

transmit information, but also to engage in reciprocal, enriching and strategically oriented

conversations.

The digital and diplomatic reality requires a qualitative leap, a true digital

transformation. “Diplomacy 3.0" requires more than just informing. It is

necessary to interact and converse with citizens. It is necessary to weave

alliances and complicities with governments and civil societies through the

Web. This requires accommodating structures under a basic premise:

integrating digital diplomacy into the diplomat's work. Countries that better

train their diplomats in the subtle art of digital diplomacy will more easily

achieve their foreign policy objectives. (Casado, 2017: 5).

Indeed, today, e-diplomacy must be part of the daily work of all diplomatic agents. All of

them and their cabinets must master the use of social networks and integrate them into

their communication to achieve their objectives.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

1.2. The language of networks: eminently visual.

"Social networks have become referents for access to audiovisual content" (Ramos and

Ortega-Mohedano, 2017: 707). And, in this sense, as the evidence shows, the language

used in them is eminently visual, perhaps due to its implicit quality of immediacy. “In

human behaviour it is not difficult to detect a propensity for visual information. We seek

visual support for our knowledge for many reasons, but above all because of the

directness of the information and its proximity to actual experience” (Dondis, 1976: 14).

We must be aware that the audiovisual messages published by the institutions we are

going to analyse on their networks are intentionally composed. They are not casual. On

the contrary, they are completely planned, from the styling of the protagonists to the

symbols that appear in the image, the lighting, the framing, the type of shot, etc. And

all of this is repeated in the transmission of meaning. “Content is fundamentally what is

being expressed, directly or indirectly; it is the character of the information, the message.

But in visual communication, content is never separated from form” (Dondis, 1976: 123).

This makes it absolutely relevant to study not only the textual content of social

publications, but also the composition and realisation of the accompanying still and

moving images.

1.3. Heads of State in Spain and the United Kingdom

The highest diplomatic institutions in Spain and the United Kingdom are the Heads of

State of both countries. Although, we are aware that the Head of State is normally a

unipersonal body exercised, in this case, by King Felipe VI in Spain and Queen Elizabeth

II in the United Kingdom, we have analysed the diplomatic work of all the members of

both royal families present in their official social communication, due to the functions

they exercise as representatives of their respective States and the impact and influence

they can have on the generation of engagement and the management of the reputation

of both nations.

Thus, as indicated on the royal.uk website, the members of the British Royal Family, in

addition to Queen Elizabeth II, are the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the

Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duke and Duchess of

Sussex, the Duke of York, the Duke and Duchess of Wessex, the Princess Royal, the Duke

and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent and Princess Alexandra.

According to information published by Ibbetson (2020) based on YouGov

data, the five

most popular members of the British Royal Family are: Prince William or Duke of

Cambridge (75%), Queen Elizabeth II (73%), the Duchess of Cambridge (67%), Princess

Anne (50%) and Prince Philip or Duke of Edinburgh (49%). These popularity ratings are

also evident in the question posed by the same platform, in October 2020, about the

continuity of the monarchy. Two thirds of Britons are in favour of it. And 68% of those

International company dedicated to market research and data analysis of the Internet, to extract

information about the habits and opinions of Internet users.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

polled consider that the couple formed by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be

the most influential in the coming years.

For its part, the Spanish royal family is currently made up of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia,

the Princess of Asturias, the Infanta Sofía and the emeritus kings Don Juan Carlos and

Doña Sofía.

As for the opinion of citizens, even though no questions have been asked about the

monarchy in CIS surveys since 2015, according to information gathered by the social

research and market research institute IMOP Insights in 2019, only half of those

interviewed would support this model of State. And among all the members of the Royal

Family, Doña Sofía would be the highest rated (6.7), followed by Don Felipe (6.3), Don

Juan Carlos (4.9) and Doña Letizia (4.8). However, due to recent events, these ratings

may have undergone changes in the present day.

Beyond popular acceptance, it should be noted that, although both are constitutional

monarchies with parliamentary governments, the British monarchy is much older than

the Spanish one. Moreover, Elizabeth II has been in office since February 1952, making

her the longest-reigning queen in Europe, while Felipe VI was proclaimed king 62 years

later, on 19 June 2014. And, in general terms, the British royal house has always been

more inclined to incorporate new media and technologies into its communication, as was

evidenced by George V's first radio Christmas speech (1932), the speech made by a

young Princess Elizabeth during the Second World War (1940) or the first televised

Christmas message in which she starred as Queen in 1957.

2. Design and Method

Retrospective, exploratory, descriptive, and explanatory research, based on the analysis

of the publications issued on the official social profiles linked from the websites of the

Spanish (www.casareal.es) and British (www.royal.uk) royal houses.

Objectives:

O1. To verify the degree of digital socialisation achieved by the royal houses studied, by

comparing the social networks in which they are present.

O2. To verify whether they publish content related to diplomatic actions on their social

profiles.

O3. Carry out a comparative analysis of the use that both royal houses make of social

platforms to communicate their diplomatic actions.

To achieve the aforementioned objectives, we resorted to a qualitative research method

commonly used in the social sciences, specifically, content analysis. In this way, we

collected, studied, and interpreted the communicative messages constructed and issued

by the entities under study. Subsequently, we proceed to compare the data obtained

from the two royal houses, considering three aspects: (1) construction of their social

profiles, (2) use and performance of these for diplomatic purposes, (3) typology of still

and dynamic images disseminated through these social accounts.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

3. Fieldwork and data analysis

To undertake this study, we first reviewed the social accounts linked from the websites

www.casareal.es and www.royal.uk., checking which social profiles were linked from the

websites of both institutions. In this way, we saw that the Spanish royal house centralises

all its activity in a single profile and two social networks (YouTube and Twitter), while the

British royal house has three groups of agents with representative functions of the State

- The Royal Family, Clarence House and Kensington Royal - active on four digital

platforms (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram).

Table 1. Social profiles of the Spanish and British royal houses

Casa Real

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/user/casarealtv

Twitter

https://twitter.com/casareal

The Royal Family

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/TheBritishMonarchy

YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheRoyalChannel

Twitter

https://twitter.com/RoyalFamily

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/theroyalfamily/

Clarence House

Twitter

https://twitter.com/ClarenceHouse

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/ClarenceHouse/

Kensington Royal

Twitter

https://twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kensingtonroyal/

Source: Own elaboration.

Below, we compile all the publications disseminated on the profiles between the first of

October and the 31st of December 2020, totalling 1,418 publications.

Table 2. Quantification of publications issued by the official social profiles linked from the websites

of the Spanish Royal Family and the British Royal Family

Network

Casa Real

The Royal

Family

Clarence

House

Kensington

Royal

Total

Facebook

YouTube

120

142

Twitter

277

299

263

144

983

Instagram

215

Totals

397

465

344

212

1.418

Source: Own elaboration.

As can be seen in the table above, all the subjects studied have a Twitter profile and

make intensive use of the network, with Kensington Royal being the account with the

lowest number of accumulated tweets during the period analysed. Regarding Instagram,

the only entity that is not present on this network is the Casa Real. However, it does

have a YouTube channel, with many videos (120). The Royal Family is also on the

platform, but with a much smaller amount of content (22). Finally, it should be noted

that only The Royal Family has a Facebook profile.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

Among all these contents, we selected those related to diplomatic issues, verifying that,

of the 397 total publications of the Spanish royal house, 26% deal with diplomatic issues.

Meanwhile, of the 1,021 social profiles associated with the British Royal Family, only 10%

deal with this type of issues. To conclude, we studied this selection from the point of view

of the use given to each social platform by both heads of state, as well as the performance

achieved on each of them, and the syntax of the image, both still and moving, that they

disseminate on these profiles.

4. Results

4.1. General information on the social profiles of the Spanish and

British royal houses. Analysis of their profile and cover images

The starting point for this analysis is the websites of both institutions. Although we are

not going to analyse them in detail, we must say that both sites are adapted to the size

of the screens of the devices from which they are viewed. In terms of design, royal.uk is

a more modern and dynamic site, thanks to the proportion of images-text, as well as the

quality, size, and colour of the images. Moreover, in terms of the subject that concerns

us, the British site shows the links to the social profiles in a preferential place: they are

anchored to the left margin of the page, so that, even when scrolling, they are always

present on the screen, increasing their accessibility. On the other hand, to find the links

to Casa Real social profiles, it is necessary to navigate to the middle-bottom area of the

website. The texts on casareal.es are abundant and are written in reduced font sizes. On

the other hand, the photographs offered on this site are entirely institutional, while on

the British royal website the more formal images are intermingled with more endearing

and apparently more spontaneous ones.

As for the profile and cover images of their social networks, those related to the British

Royal Family have been sharing the same cover image since 12 November 2019. This

features hundreds of citizens with state flags, celebrating an event, such as

Remembrance Day. The profile pictures also share similarities. In all of them, the

members of each family are dressed in shades of blue, a colour traditionally associated

with royalty because of its meaning related to honour and nobility. However, the cover

image of the Spanish royal family's Twitter account is a photograph of the Zarzuela

Palace. And that of the YouTube channel is the computer graphic composition shown

below:

Image 1. Header of Casa Real YouTube channel

Source: https://www.youtube.com/user/casarealtv

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

Moreover, the profile picture on both networks only shows the coat of arms of King Felipe

VI on his usual crimson red background.

Finally, before analysing the use of social networks for diplomatic purposes, it seems

important to point out the main data concerning these profiles. According to the date of

creation of each network, we summarise below the most important information about the

accounts of both royal houses on them:

The Facebook page @TheBritishMonarchy was created on 10 September 2010, and

currently has a community of over five million followers. As we have seen in the tables

above, Casa Real has no presence on this network.

Continuing with YouTube, the @casarealtv channel was created on 26 October 2011 and

today has 109,000 subscribers and more than 55 million views. The

@TheRoyalFamilyChannel, which dates to 5 October 2007, has 704,000 subscribers and

more than 177 million views.

As for Twitter, the only platform on which we found profiles of all the royal

representatives analysed, @RoyalFamily has been present since April 2009 and has more

than four million followers. The next highest number of followers is @KensingtonRoyal,

with two million. However, the account was not created until five years later, in

September 2014. @KensingtonRoyal has one million fans. It also joined the network in

2014, during the month of May. And, finally, we find @ClarenceHouse with its almost

nine hundred and forty thousand followers. Although it is true that it was the last profile

by date of creation (November 2014).

We end this first part with Instagram, a network on which the Spanish royal family does

not have an account. But @theroyalfamily has been publishing content on it since March

2014, accumulating 8.6 million followers. Although the first account related to the

Windsor Household was @ClarenceHouse (October 2012), which today has 1.3 million

followers. However, the most popular is @KensingtonRoyal, with 12.3 million like-minded

internet users, who have been following the profile since its creation in January 2015.

4.2. Analysis of the use and performance of social platforms by the

Spanish and British royal houses for diplomatic purposes

Comparing the percentage of content related to diplomatic issues indicated in section 3,

the Casa Real uses its social profiles more frequently to disseminate its actions in this

regard. On YouTube, during the period analysed, more than 40 videos have been

published that bear witness to the King and Queen's international trips, the King's

speeches at various summits, the presentation of credentials by various ambassadors

and bilateral meetings with presidents of other nations, among others. The average

length of the videos is four minutes and ten seconds, although there are some really long

videos (up to 18 minutes) in which Don Felipe's complete speeches are reproduced.

Practically all of them are accompanied by long descriptions explaining each of the acts

they include and highlighting some of the King's or Queen's words.

On Twitter, they also publish many messages on these issues. All of them include some

kind of audiovisual content, with the most popular option being the publication of several

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

images (80%), compared to 15% of videos and 5% of single images. They do not use

emoticons or hashtags, but they do mention other accounts. The average number of likes

obtained is around 1,100. And the language of publication is always Spanish.

When we analyse the social presence of the accounts associated with the British Head of

State, we see that they publish less diplomatic content. On Facebook, we find messages

of condolences, videos, and images of virtual audiences of the Queen with multiple

ambassadors, remembrance of historic days and dissemination of activities carried out

by other members of the Royal Family, especially by the Prince of Wales. They use

hashtags and incorporate links to other websites and YouTube videos, a platform they do

not emphasise, but on which they achieve a good number of average views (around

20,000). Twitter, however, is a preferred network for all the families linked to the British

royal family. In this case, it should be noted that they use emoticons to reinforce their

messages. Regarding the subject matter in question, the incorporation of the miniature

of the flags of the countries to which they refer stands out. On the other hand, they also

use other emoticons such as cameras or video cameras to indicate the authorship of the

images published or arrows to highlight links. They also use hashtags and, on specific

occasions, mention other accounts.

On Instagram, @theroyalfamily account often posts carousels of images beginning with

a snapshot of the Queen. Clarence House uses the network to highlight the Prince of

Wales, who is often shown in a relaxed and friendly manner. Although condolences and

formal acts are also published. In addition to using English, this profile does include

messages in other languages such as German and nods to other cultures, for example,

by congratulating him when the Hindu festival known as Diwali. Carousels of images

predominate, followed by videos.

The Kensington Royal profiles are the ones with the fewest publications on diplomatic

issues, but they also issue some messages of this type, following the style of the other

accounts associated with the British head of state.

Finally, it should be noted that the accounts of The Royal Family disseminate content

from both Clarence House and Kensington Royal, although more emphasis is placed on

Clarence House. And, in general terms, the accounts that achieve the greatest number

of positive reactions are those of The Royal Family and Kensington Royal.

4.3. Analysis of the still and moving images disseminated by the

Spanish and British royal houses on their social media profiles for

diplomatic purposes

After studying the audiovisual production of the selected social publications, we must say

that, in general terms, the profiles with the best production are those of Kensington Royal

and Clarence House. These are followed by those of The Royal Family. And, finally, we

find those of the Casa Real.

When analysing the treatment of the image, two totally different styles are evident:

Casa Real is dominated by a journalistic language, typical of reportage, a consequence

of the recording of videos with a shoulder-mounted camera without a stabiliser or post-

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

production stabilisation, as well as the capture of images typical of photojournalism. On

the other hand, cut or fade-in editing is used. They often use a type of video edition to

make spatial or temporal ellipses. But it is sometimes misapplied because it does not

change space or time. The lighting is of a naturalistic type, as no artificial light source is

added for reinforcement, resulting in overexposed or underexposed shots and photos,

for example, excessively bright or dark images. And the lenses used are wide-angle or

normal lenses. Moreover, in many shots, the focus is imperfect, and, in others, the

framing could be improved. On several occasions, only the foreshortening of the queen

is visible, while another person is framed. Or there is an overuse of the slightly

overlapping shot, the result of the use of the shoulder camera by operators who do not

bend down to take the frontal shots that would be appropriate. As for the type of shot,

most of them are open shots. The medium shot is rarely used, but there are American

shots, as well as long general shots, some of them slightly aberrated, which is unusual

and even inappropriate because this causes a sensation of instability in the scene.

Occasionally, the king is given medium shots with more neutral lighting, but the framing

is not correct because he is not in the centre but is displaced to the left of the viewer.

As for the UK, the photographs and videos are more careful, both in terms of lighting and

framing. In fact, most of them respect the law of thirds and are very well composed.

They use a wider variety of lenses (normal, wide angle and telephoto) and play with

depth of field, achieving more striking and attractive images. Also, they use cameras with

more dynamic range, on tripod and/or with stabiliser. Although some videos are more

journalistic and testimonial (recorded with a hand-held camera), in these cases, they try

not to move the device and only use one or two shots. The lighting is always equalised,

so we infer that in photographs they use flashes and post-production. And in the

recording of the videos, they have screens that do the filling. The lights are soft and

diffuse. Short shots predominate, especially medium-short shots, with frontal or

contrapposto angles. In terms of composition, it should be noted that in all their

photographs and videos they make it clear that the protagonist is the member of the

Royal Family who appears; this is achieved through the choice of the frame. In contrast,

in the images of the Spanish royal family, the framing conveys a lack of planning. Thus,

on many occasions, we see Queen Letizia foreshortened, and it is even difficult to

recognise her. On other occasions, she appears in a large general shot, where her figure

is seen in very small dimensions, surrounded by other people, among whom she is

somewhat lost, and she even appears at the edges of the image, not in the centre, and

out of focus.

On the other hand, in the videos in which they make a video call, in the case of the Queen

of England the multi-screen is shown, allowing all the participants to be seen, while in

the cases in which this occurs in Spain, only the King is seen. Continuing with the

differences, the Casa Real videos never contain subtitles, even if they are spoken in

another language. However, many of the videos of the British Royal Family do include

subtitles, even though they are in English.

With regard to the length and editing of the videos, those of the Spanish royal family are

considerably longer, while those of the British royal family are much shorter. Although

the transitions used are the same in both cases, the use they make of them is notably

different. In Spain, the ellipsis through the chained fade-out is often misused, because,

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

as we have said before, they remain at the same time or space. In the United Kingdom,

on the other hand, although they also resort to cutting or chain fade, they do it to move

to blocks of images (which are usually made up of photographs in which a slight zoom

in, zoom out or sweep movement is used) in order to avoid the jump cut

. Although not

entirely orthodox, the result is much more aesthetically pleasing than in the case of the

Spanish royal house videos.

Table 3. Comparative table of the use of audiovisual resources in social media publications related

to diplomatic actions of the Spanish and British royal houses

Spain

Value of the

plane

Generale plane.

Medium shot.

Angulation

Lightly chopped.

Frontal or counter-dive.

Lighting

Naturalist

(without artificial lighting).

Indirect, diffuse and equalised.

Lens

Angular and normal.

Wide, normal and telephoto.

Camera

To the shoulder (of reportage).

Wide dynamic range with

stabiliser.

Mounting

Cut and fade chained (to make

temporal or spatial ellipses).

A chained cut and fade (to move

to resource blocks and avoid jump

cuts).

Duration

Medium and long.

Briefs and media.

Subtitles

Never.

Occasionally.

Source: Own elaboration.

5. Conclusions and Discussion

As we have seen, in the United Kingdom, in addition to the official social accounts

associated with the head of state and the publications featuring Queen Elizabeth II, there

are also those of the families of her direct heirs: Clarence House, headed by the Prince

of Wales, and Kensington Royal, headed by Prince William. In contrast, in Spain, there is

only one social profile through which the Head of State and the other members of the

Royal Family communicate. Therefore, the Spanish Royal Family has far fewer diplomatic

representatives than the British Royal Family and the Spanish Head of State before the

abdication of King Juan Carlos I in 2014. This decline, due to the events related to

different members of the Royal Family, has undoubtedly affected its general

communication and also its diplomatic action. Although, in the case of the British

Household, we have seen how this work is carried out by three family groups (Royal

Family -comprising Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh-, Clarence House -with

the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall-, and Kensington Royal -comprising the

Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children-), in Spain, only King Felipe VI, Queen

Letizia, Princess Leonor and the Infanta Sofía have an official presence on the social

networks, under the same profile of a markedly institutional nature, which is evident from

the choice of profile and cover images on the different networks. While the British

networks contain personal images, Casa Real accounts feature State symbols such as the

Film editing technique that consists of eliminating a part of the footage, generating a time jump effect.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

Coat of Arms or the Zarzuela Palace. This aspect results in a more distant communication,

which makes it difficult to generate empathy among Internet users.

If we look at the usernames, we see that those of the accounts belonging to The Royal

Family are the most different from each other, especially the Facebook page

("TheBritishMonarchy"). This can be explained by the dates of creation of the different

profiles. However, despite these discrepancies, the name used in all the accounts is The

Royal Family. Casa Real incorporates the abbreviation for television (tv) into the name

of its YouTube channel: "casarealtv". Clarence House and Kensington Royal show no

disparity.

On the other hand, we find it significant that the Casa Real has only a Twitter account

and a YouTube channel. We believe that its incorporation into a more visual network

frequented by young audiences, such as Instagram, could be beneficial for its

communication. We also believe that it would be favourable for them to adapt to the

codes of the networks, in terms of the use of emoticons, hashtags and concise messages,

to be more attractive, dynamic and generate higher levels of engagement.

As for the use of their social profiles for diplomatic purposes, we conclude that the

publications of both institutions have an eminently testimonial character. They serve as

a reflection of the ceremonies undertaken, like an album of memories or an audiovisual

diary that testifies to the daily activity of their members. However, they do not delve into

the underlying diplomatic issue, nor are they used as tools for effective negotiation. They

are used as platforms to record the tasks undertaken by the members of the royal

houses, from a more aesthetic, protocol and ceremonial point of view.

From the point of view of the semantics of the image, we consider the Windsors' use of

the shots to be much more coherent, since, as opposed to the slightly sharply angled

shots, common in images of Casa Real, which transmit inferiority or weakness, the close-

ups typical of the British Royal Household exalt the figure and power; and to these are

added the frontal shots to communicate closeness to the spectator. Continuing with these

issues, we can affirm that the technical deployment made with the British royal house is

greater. This can be seen in the cameras, the choice of lenses, the use of stabilisers, etc.

It is evident that the staging is more careful, but this is counterbalanced by a correct

angulation and correct shot values, which transmit closeness. In this way, they achieve

aesthetically beautiful, carefully planned images, but with a correct shot meaning.

Whereas, in the Spanish case, we could consider that they seek to transmit naturalism,

verisimilitude and the absence of manipulation of the content, but the shot values and

framing go against their message.

For all these reasons, and taking into account the objectives of the research, we conclude

that both royal houses have a presence in social media. Although, the British one stands

out above the Spanish one, both for the number and variety of networks in which it is

present (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and Instagram), and for the profiles associated with

the representation of the monarchy (three groups of representatives -The Royal Family,

Clarence House and Kensington Royal- as opposed to one -Casa Real-). Meanwhile the

Spanish royal house uses its networks more assiduously for diplomatic purposes, its

communications are not adapted to the language of social platforms. In addition, their

messages are too institutional and tend to generate coldness.

JANUS.NET, e-journal of International Relations

e-ISSN: 1647-7251

Thematic dossier – International Relations and Social Networks (July 2021), pp. 19-31

Study of the use of social media by the Royal Houses of Spain and the United Kingdom

for diplomatic purposes

Marina Rodríguez Hernández, Isabel Adriana Vázquez Sacristán, Aixa Jorquera Trascastro

6. References

Cahier, P. (1965). Derecho diplomático contemporáneo. Madrid: Rialp.

Casado, A. (2017). Diplomacia 3.0: De la comunicación digital a la diplomacia digital.

Análisis [online]. Vol. 9. [2021-01-18]. Available at https://bit.ly/3jTOvc9

Dondis, D. A. (1976). La sintaxis de la imagen. Introducción al alfabeto visual. Barcelona:

Gustavo Gili.

Hocking, B. y Melissen, J. (2015). Diplomacy in the Digital Age. Netherlands Institute of

International Relations Clingendael. [2021-03-09] Available at https://bit.ly/2PF3Ku9

Ibbetson, C. (2020). How do Britons want the future of the Royal family look? YouGov

[online]. [2021-01-15]. Available at https://bit.ly/3rYIvS2

IMOP Insights (2019). Opinión sobre la monarquía en España. [2021-01-19]. Available

at https://bit.ly/37nR9lq

Martens, K. (2018). Manuel diplomatique. Sidney: Wentworth Press.

Pradier-Fodéré, P. (2011). Cours de droit diplomatique. Nabu Press.

Ramos, D. y Ortega-Mohedano, F. (2017). La revolución en los hábitos de uso y consumo

de vídeo en teléfonos inteligentes entre usuarios Millenials, la encrucijada revelada.

Revista Latina de Comunicación Social, 72, pp. 704-718. [2021-03-16] Available at

https://bit.ly/39nit4h DOI: 10.4185/RLCS-2017-1187

Rivier, A. (2013). Principes du droit des gens. Making of Modern Law.

Rubio, R. (2014). La diplomacia pública: nuevos actores en un escenario nuevo. La

Diplomacia Pública como reto de la política exterior [online]. [2021-01-15]. Available at

https://bit.ly/3pwuFVm

Satow, E. (2011). A guide to diplomatic practice. Vol. 1. Cambridge: Cambridge

University Press.

Vilariño, E. (2018). Curso de derecho diplomático y consular. Sexta edición. Madrid:

Tecnos.