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There are a number of reasons why Prince Andrew’s (November 2019) BBC News Night Interview was received badly—some fair, and some not quite so fair.1. Failure to sympathise with Epstein victimsThe “missed opportunity” to at both the beginning and the end to distance himself from Epstein’s crimes by stating his concern, empathy or sorrow for the known under-age victims of Epstein was remarkably problematic.What it showed was two things: firstly, that Prince Andrew is a product of his class, status and privilege and unable to think clearly enough about the repercussions of both the crimes and the scandal on those other than his family.Secondly, it demonstrated his utter lack of skill and preparedness for such an interview. While public relations responses of sorrow, sympathy, concern etc., are often trite, conceited and false, they are part of what we might call the “expected theatrics” of public disclosure interviews in the management of scandal. The failure to do so up-front (particularly by deflecting the first question to state that this is his over-riding concern) meant that he failed to “fit in” with the expected and standard public response to scandal. This left him remarkably open to persistent attack by public commentators over the next few days.In short, it was poor interview form that left him looking selfish and disconnected from everyday people (he is, of course, and that is not his fault—but it was a problem that the interview made him look disconnected)2. Doing the interview at allFollowing from the above, adopting the known PR method of refusing to discuss the matter in public at all would have left him with a far better public image. In other words, the interview itself was a mistake.The British royal family have often been under media scrutiny (much of it unjustified muck-raking), and the known workable response has been to refuse a direct interview, manage the media process through third-party statements of support, and try to look “too busy on important matters” to deal with scandal, thereby making the scandal itself look silly or unnecessary.Interviews rarely clear up scandal—rather, they provide a massive amount of ‘content’ to be interpreted widely, and often in ways which allow people to believe the statements confirm scandal.3. Not placing conditions on the interviewAny media outlet would have agreed to conditions for an interview, particularly with a person of such high profile in the midst of a media scandal. Conditions are quite common: they could have been, in Andrew’s case, that the producers could ask 3 questions about Epstein, all of them given on notice, and the remainder of the questions about charity, work, or family.It is unknown why Andrew’s team did not agree to a conditional interview and pre-prepared questions, although it does seem clear that one of his senior PR advises, having resigned in disagreement over the handling of this interview, probably did recommend such conditions and limitations.Again, the interview was a mistake by providing 45 minutes + of content on the one issue of the relationship with Epstein, rather than4. Andrew’s lack of preparedness resulted in weird answersSome of the content, such as Andrew’s very strange discussion of his inability to sweat as proof that Virginia Roberts’ story about her night dancing with him were inaccurate was pretty bizarre.Again, a lack of preparedness that might have been possible under a conditional interview with pre-advised questions would have permitted a better response.5. The fact Andrew avoided discussions that would have helped himThere were a number of responses Andrew could have given, all truthful, that would have helped paint a picture of fact, rather than leaving him open to further suspicion of dishonesty.If he had described the fact that most of his activities and wherabouts are recorded and known by his staff and personal protection officers, the conditions under which he might be in a particular place without a PPO or staff member, how his international travel worked, his role in British trade liaison and why it required him to meet financiers, what it means to host people at a shooting party, etc., he would have made more clear some of the background through which it is possible for him to be associated with a man like Epstein.His failure to describe some of these details leaves the public/audience with even greater suspicion that his connection with Epstein related to gaining sexual favours from young women.In other words, he didn’t explain he gave excuses.6. Reasons for knowing EpsteinAndrew gave a number of reasons for how he met Epstein and the benefits of knowing him, although (per #5 above, did not describe in enough detail how they related to his work).He described the benefits of knowing Epstein as bringing him into closer contact with academics, business persons, politicians and the wide circle of people Epstein has long been known to have brought together.Andrew described this as a group of cosmpolitan eminence in the United States.I am inclined to agree with that value, and that such value should be kept separate from the private or scandalous issues related to Epstein. As Britain’s Special Representative for Trade and Investment, having access to a well-known financier and the kinds of people Epstein knew was, of course, significantly valuable.However, to some members of the public (I am thinking of, say, Trump supporters, Brexiteers, and others who are unfortunately ignorant of contemporary governance), cosmopolitan elites are seen as a sort of ‘enemy of the public’. Some actually are, of course, and others are wrongly assumed to be less-than-authentic members of their countries. The reality, however, is that if Andrew was to do his job on behalf of the British government, those were the kinds of people he needed to mix with both socially and professionally.However, mentioning them in this context without explaining why he needed to know them, was a serious PR error.7. Failure to express dismay at being duped by EpsteinWhen told of the third-party view that anyone who knew Epstein must have known what was going on, Prince Andrew states that due to his position and status many people act in a slightly different way.This was also a bit of a problem. By stating this, but leaving it there, he comes across as elitist adn privileged.The alternative was to push this statement. To note that it is something he regrets about his life, and to state that he feels very much that Epstein was duplicitous or using him.In other words, Andrew comes across as slightly defensive of Epstein whereas he had an opportunity (in PR terms) throw him to the wolves, condemn his actions, present himself as being among the victims of Epstein.Perhaps it is his military mascuinity or his sense of privilege that prevented him from wishing to be seen as vulnerable, but this was definitely the greatest PR mistake in the interview.In short, the interview was received badly because it was poorly conceived and questions were poorly answered due to a lack of preparation.For myself, I have not seen enough evidence (yet) to feel that there is any wrongdoing on Andrew’s part. Unfortunately, however, the interview failed completely to clear up any ‘grey issues’ and instead provided a lot of content is open to further misinterpretation.I am not advocating lies or distorted truths as a form of PR, but the right kind of ‘spin’ in the traditional sense of controlling the story through a strong narrative, could have been used to distance Andrew from Epstein, and clear up misconceptions through broader explanation.

I can only speak for the rules in the U.S. Here, you must apply to an exchange organization; in some cases the school may serve that role but most of the time an organization is involved. I recommend that potential host families research the exchange organizations active in their area -- don't just call the first one that Google shows you. Find out about their policies. Are they approved by CSIET (Council on Standards for International Educational Travel)? (If not, stay away from that organization.) What kind of ongoing support do they provide? How do you feel about the local contact/representative -- this is the person you will need to work with, so make sure you get a good feeling from him/her. What countries do they work with? How will they help you find a student who seems like a good "fit"?Once you decide who you want to work with, you will need to do the following:File a written (online most likely) application. This will include basic data about your family, ages of family members, personal interests, basic information about the home.Submit criminal background check forms for all adult members of the family (anyone over the age of 18).Provide personal references.Have an in-home interview / home visit from an exchange program representative, who will want to meet every member of the immediate family and conduct a tour of the home. He or she will also take several photos. These photos do not go to the student; rather, they are for the file to show that the home is clean and safe.Watch online or attend an in-person host family orientation which covers the US government rules and the exchange program's expectations for host families.The program rep will guide you through this process, and the program will also be there for you during the semester or academic year to offer advice and remain in contact.

In order to get a Schengen visa, it is necessary to apply for multiple entry visa from one of the Schengen countries. (For more on Schengen countries, read our article.) I applied and got a tourist Schengen Visa through the French Embassy last year: and here’s the good, bad and ugly of the process.Where to apply ?The French Embassy has outsourced the processing of their visa to an Indian company called VFS. So all the necessary information about what, where, how and when is available on the VFS France site. Any applicant can download visa forms for different categories for the site too.How much it costs ?For information on the visa fees structure: http://www.vfs-france.co.in/visafees.html. When we include the Visa fee + VFS’ processing charges, it rounds up to about Rs 5000.How long it takes?There are two aspects to this: first is scheduling of appointment and then the entire procedure of submitting, interview and getting the visa. The first part entirely depends on how busy the VFS is. I would definitely recommend getting your appointment date at least a month or month-and-half before your departure. This can be done online or by calling their VSF service.Once you have your date, the second part takes only 2 days and is done at the French Consulate of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Kolkatta (to the best of my knowledge). So remember, if you don’t live in these cities, there will be a trek involved.On the scheduled appointment day, the applicant has to FIRST go to the VFS office and submit the documents. The VFS officer then issues an interview token upon the receiving of the visa fee for the following day. The applicant then goes for his interview the next day (at the French Consultate) and receives his visa the very day.Regarding the paperwork?Don’t underestimate the power of paperwork. If they ask for a document, make sure you have it. And don’t let pride step-in. In my case, I happily wrote that my father was funding my trip – even though it was not the case – and showed his bank statements instead of mine, because of course, it made my application stronger. I arrived with a complete set of travel, accommodation and financial documents.Questions at interviews?The good news about the French Visa system is that if your paper work is strong, then the interview is a mere formality. For the tourist visa, they ask the usual questions like: who is funding? How many days? What accommodation? Etc. If the applicant is traveling alone, they might ask why? To that I simply give a guarded but confident answer like “ some of my friends will be joining me on my trip”. Please do NOT mention things like “I have family” or boyfriend. These are strict NO. At visa interviews, it is never a good idea to be TOO HONEST! (Though, read Aditi Tandon’s comment below for a contrary view. Also, if you get nervous during interviews, it might be better to just stick to the truth and slug it out).What is a biometric?The French consulate insists on taking biometric every time the applicant applies for a visa. Biometrics involves taking imprints of all your 8 fingers and 2 thumbs on a machine that they keep for records. I think, all the four consulates now have the biometric facilities available. When I applied last year, only the Mumbai and Delhi Consulates did, which meant I had to travel from Bangalore to Mumbai for this.Other tips.Even if you are actually staying with friends/family/hosts, I would suggest for you to not mention this in your application. The French system has a complicated procedure for anyone staying with French citizens. The host family has to first collect a paid application from the Townhall. Next, they are forced to answer absurd questions related to their personal/financial situation. (Again read Aditi Tandon’s comment below for a contrary view. Also, if you get nervous during interviews, it might be better to just stick to the truth, get your paperwork done in advance and slug it out).- See more at: http://indiancompass.com/2011/04/applying-for-a-schengen-visa-via-the-french-consulate/#sthash.WY9wUciC.dpuf