Why we didn't need corporate condolences for the Queen from Ann Summers or Shrek - Chris Burn

It was obviously entirely appropriate for organisations which The Queen had been directly connected with to pay tribute, with the likes of the Royal Shakespeare Company who she had been a patron for since its inception in 1961 sharing both the organisation’s sadness and memories of her last visit in 2011.

But the position was rather more nuanced for other organisations, whose corporate messages of condolence left some of them open to ridicule.

Did we really need to hear, for example, from Ann Summers (“Thank you Ma'am, for everything - for women, for family, for our nation. Sleep well”) or the British Kebab Awards (“It is with great sadness that we acknowledge Her Majesty the Queen's passing. For 70 years, she stewarded us through our darkest and brightest days. Thank you Your Majesty. RIP”)?

Heinz, Poundland, Pizza Express and Greggs were also among those posting tributes to Her Majesty, as well as Shrek’s Adventure! London in a message that read: “Shrek’s Adventure! London joins millions of mourners around the UK and the world in paying tribute to HM Queen Elizabeth II. United in our loss – we give thanks for a life of extraordinary service to this country, the Commonwealth and the wider world.”)

Unsurprisingly, many of these apparently well-intentioned messages of corporate condolence were often met with a combination of bafflement and mockery from followers of their online accounts.

But to be fair to those behind the posts, they were faced with an invidious position.

Not acknowledging the moment would have likely led to a barrage of criticism of a different kind - although I would perhaps respectfully argue that the team Shrek’s Adventure! London could have safely kept their counsel on this occasion.

But the issue highlights a wider challenge for companies in this period of national mourning and whether it is right to take a ‘business as usual’ approach right now or how to respectfully address the unusual and sad moment we are living through.

There have been some frankly dubious decisions in recent days - notably the Bank of England postponing a key meeting of its Monetary Policy Committee this week which was due to decide on further interest rate changes in the face of increasing inflation and the Government’s new policy to spend upwards of £150bn on energy bills interventions.

There are no easy answers but perhaps a good guide was The Queen’s own ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ approach she demonstrated after the London bombings of 2005 when she continued with public engagements in the days after those tragic events.

This is obviously a very different circumstance but the principle that it is possible to be respectful but also to continue with life in difficult times remains a sound one.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​