Queen's Diamond Jubilee success thanks to royal rebranding

(CBS News) LONDON - Few public figures have had the staying power of Britain's Queen Elizabeth.

Her reign began with a coronation at Westminster Abbey, and she's now starting her 60th year on the throne.

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COMPLETE COVERAGE: Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee

They held a little Jubilee party at Buckingham Palace -- otherwise known as Buck House.

"Our house, in the middle of our street. Our house!" the band Madness sang from the palace roof.

And, the Royal House of Windsor seems to be in pretty good shape.

Queen Elizabeth -- the opinion polls say -- is more popular than she's ever been with approval ratings of over 80 percent. That's not an accident. There's been a royal rebranding.

"Well, I don't think the royals ever saw the House of Windsor being a brand," public relations agent Mark Borkowski told CBS News.

The royals faced a PR disaster 15 years ago when Princess Diana died, and they were slow to sense the national mood of grief. The royal brand had to modernize.

"They clearly looked at their assets, and they focused on those assets," Borkowski said.

Diana's children -- and the woman one of them married -- could provide the glamor and accessibility that was needed. With an aging grandmother, William and Kate and Harry could also ease the royal burden of public appearances.

"So what we're seeing is the emergence of an inner core of young, cool royals," Rachel Johnson, a society magazine editor, explained to CBS News.

Johnson thinks the kids bring star power.

"I mean, you know, rail-thin Hollywood types who are turning into the biggest celebrities in the world, and so that is inevitably sprinkling its fairy dust over the whole, all of them," she added.

With that kind of surrounding cast, great royal extravaganzas like this weekend's river pageant become even more of a spectacle.

The world -- and even jolly old England -- have changed a great deal in the 60 years since Elizabeth has been on the throne, and the secret of her enduring popularity may be that, while appearing to change with the times, she hasn't really changed at all.

"She doesn't have to do anything," Johnson said, "She is her job. She doesn't do her job."

No wonder her job rating approval is so high.

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Queen off to the races for Diamond Jubilee

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[honest_pols]

Compared to the toils, support, and lives lost by their serfs, their peasant-slaves, and other of their subject exploitees, these royal parasites have NOT earned what they have unjustly accumulated.

By putting these royal parasites to hard labour, only an infinitesimal portion of their right to be free, would be paid back.

[AnnieDanny]

I think it's very annoying to talk about people as if they are a commodity. Somebody may argue that the Royal Family IS a commodity, and I suppose you could look at it that way. Maybe. But it's mostly annoying. They are PEOPLE first of all. If the royals are a commodity then so are we all, trying to convince others that we have something to offer.

I think it annoys me MOSTLY because the concept infers MONEY. It's all about money. And how shallow is THAT? Who wants to be put on the level of BRANDS such as peanut butter and potato chips. People are worth a lot more than BRANDS. I think it's a very derogatory way to refer to People.

Maybe it applies with Kim Kardashian though.

[Molly-Pchr]

Ew...bringing up the Kartrashians in the same breath?! Ew!

[swampy991]

Well thank you everyone. These must be the most sad and bitter, whining, stupid comments I've read for quite a long time. Congratulations. You all win the brain-dead moron of the week award.

[MagnaCartaUK]

Don't worry swampy, they're sad, insignificant little tools whose opinion is of no consequence. In contrast, we have American tourists who display exemplory behaviour - in fact the ones I've met have been amongst the politest, courteous people I've ever met - including a couple from North Carolina who we met and hauled along to our Jubilee Pub Party. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves, and understand our Monarchy and how it works a little better now. LOL, they seem to like our lager too!

[Molly-Pchr]

Hi, Magna Carta! I see you around here. Love the Brits! We're all a bit envious, just don't want to admit it. I heard today some Brits telling our American "news" people the queen costs about a dollar a year in U.S. Dollars to individuals. Don't listen to all these sour grapes.

[honest_pols]

It's time to put these royal parasites to work.

These elitist abusers of 'expendable commoners' - who we made rich and powerful - are the cause of Hundreds of Millions of our ancestors' grief, poverty, suffering, sacrifice and deaths.

These royal parasites should be stripped of their wealth, influence and power, and put to hard labour, and if they give us any trouble, then - as THEY have done to Millions throughout history - off with their heads!

[MagnaCartaUK]

Put your dad's whisky down and get to bed you drunken bum. God Save The Queen.

[Molly-Pchr]

Here, here, Magna Carta!

[Transatlantique]

I'd like to have been born English, .... free health care, a foreskin, and a fabulous Queen.

[northwalesman]

My My ...picky comments ... or what ...

[sammyi82]

Please fact check you guys. Queen Elizabeth's reign did NOT begin at her coronation at Westminster Abbey. By the time that ceremony was held, she had already been Queen for a year. The rules of succession and accession are perfectly clear. The moment a Sovereign is declared dead, or otherwise leaves the throne, his or her heir apparent/presumptive IMMEDIATELY becomes the new Sovereign. The formalities that follow, namely the proclamation in London, the Accession Council, and the Coronation, are ceremonies that are part of the process, but however counterintuitive it may sound, the Queen Elizabeth was already Queen when the Archbishop of Canterbury put that crown on her head.

With this in mind, she is not beginning the 60th year of her reign, but rather the 61st. 60 full years have passed, and she is now a third of the way through year 61.

[bross1776]

Why would Americans care...and the royals are a royal mess, actually, except for the global media and its infactuation with royalty. The Brits have been in more wars bar none than any other country of its size, or any other size...and only the new age globalists would state they have a "brand." The Brits need any excuse for a party, and the Queen is their excuse this time. I mean what else is there to do in rainy London, anyway?

[northwalesman]

At Least we know how to party ... and we got one of the best assets goin ... a Queen ... what you got ... hmmmm

[Transatlantique]

You obviously can't afford to go either. How sad that is.

[northwalesman]

That`s how you put on a show. Welsh but royalist. Sorry about Cliff ... but Tom rocked. Come and pay Wales a visit as you pass through. x

[Molly-Pchr]

hello to north wales from Molly and family in USA. Don't listen to these sour grapes over here! Wish we were there.

[alientravelogue]

Hey Queen Elizabeth, ISIS want's her crown back.

[JaredKennedy]

aww yeah