From private to public: Royal family memory as prospective collective memory in A Jubilee Tribute to The Queen by The Prince of Wales (2012)

Abstract

This article analyses the production of prospective memories in the 2012 BBC documentary A Jubilee Tribute to The Queen by The Prince of Wales. The contemporary British monarchy relies heavily on memory products in order to connect to their subjects and to secure their popularity. This entails the production not only of memories of the past, but also of memories for the future, i.e. prospective memories. One way to fashion opportunities for the creation of prospective memories is by sharing private recollections in the form of (royal) family photographs and films. These media were once located in the family’s private archive, but through forms such as documentaries commissioned by members of the royal family they were able to travel into the public sphere. Through commodification, these formerly exclusive small-scale memories reach vast audiences, who engage with them and might form new memories of their own. While cultural memory studies still tends to favour research on traumatic events and the actualisation of memories of the past, this case study demonstrates that a focus on positive events and on memories’ prospective side opens up rich and fruitful research avenues.