Never complain, never explain

Last updated

"Never complain, never explain" is a public relations strategy that has been become particularly associated with the British royal family.

Origins

The phrase is believed to have originated with the prime minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli. [1] It was attributed to Disraeli by John Morley in 1903, as quoted in Morley's Life of William Ewart Gladstone with the saying originating from "Maxims for a Statesman" by Benjamin Jowett, the Master of Balliol College, Oxford, written between 1873 and 1876. [1] [2] One of Jowett's 11 maxims was "never quarrel, never explain, never hate, never fret, never fail". [1] The surgeon and writer Robert Tuttle Morris wrote in his 1915 book Doctors vs. Folks that "It is well to follow the rule to 'Never complain, never explain'. A man is judged by his character as a whole – not by individual acts." [2]

The writer Walter Bagehot in his 1867 work The English Constitution wrote of the British royal family that "Above all things our royalty is to be reverenced, and if you begin to poke about it you cannot reverence it... Its mystery is its life. We must not let in daylight upon magic". [1] Bagehot's views have been seen as a precursor of "Never complain, never explain", and Queen Victoria and her descendants followed his advice. [1] Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (the future Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) gave a newspaper interview after her engagement to Prince Albert, Duke of York (the future King George VI) which reportedly enraged his father, King George V. [1] She never subsequently spoke or commented on royal issues. [1]

The motto became particularly associated with Queen Elizabeth II and was perceived as crucial to the success of her long reign. [3]

With a less deferential and increasingly aggressive media landscape, the strategy of "Never complain, never explain" was abandoned by Prince Charles (the future King Charles III) and his wife Diana, Princess of Wales, in the 1990s. Charles was the subject of Jonathan Dimbleby's authorised biography The Prince of Wales: A Biography and a subsequent television interview, Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role broadcast that year. Diana collaborated with Andrew Morton for his 1992 book Diana: Her True Story and Martin Bashir in a 1995 television interview. [1] It was seen as damaging to the royal family in the 1980s as it left them unable to correct erroneous media stories about themselves. [1]

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son of Charles III, referenced his family's adherence to the motto in a 2023 interview to promote his forthcoming memoir, Spare . [4] He told Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes that "The family motto is 'never complain, never explain', but it's just a motto ... [Buckingham Palace] will feed or have a conversation with a correspondent, and that correspondent will literally be spoon-fed information and write the story, and at the bottom of it, they will say they have reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment. But the whole story is Buckingham Palace commenting." [4]

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall (later Queen Camilla), said in a 2017 interview that she was told as a child "Never complain and never explain – just get on with it". [5] The motto has also been described as a favourite of such personalities as Zsa Zsa Gabor, Simon Le Bon, Kate Moss, and Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer. [6] [7] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana, Princess of Wales</span> Member of the British royal family (1961–1997)

Diana, Princess of Wales was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of Charles III and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her activism and glamour, which made her an international icon, earned her enduring popularity.

The British royal family comprises King Charles III and his close relations. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is a part of the royal family. Members often support the monarch in undertaking public engagements, and pursue charitable work and interests. Members of the royal family are regarded as British and world cultural icons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles III</span> King of the United Kingdom since 2022

Charles III is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Andrew, Duke of York</span> British prince (born 1960)

Prince Andrew, Duke of York is a member of the British royal family. He is the third child and second son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and a younger brother of King Charles III. Andrew was born second in the line of succession to the British throne and is now eighth, and the first person in the line who is not a descendant of the reigning monarch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Standard of the United Kingdom</span> Flags used by the British monarchy

The royal standards of the United Kingdom are presently either of two similar flags used by King Charles III in his capacity as sovereign of the United Kingdom, the Crown dependencies, and the British Overseas Territories. Two versions of the flag exist, one for use within Scotland and the other for use elsewhere.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarence House</span> Royal residence in London

Clarence House is a royal residence on The Mall in the City of Westminster, London. It was built in 1825–1827, adjacent to St James's Palace, for the royal Duke of Clarence, the future King William IV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Duchess of Cornwall</span> British royal family title

Duchess of Cornwall is a title held by the wife of the heir apparent to the British throne. The Duchess of Cornwall is usually also the Princess of Wales, and uses that title. The current title-holder is Catherine, whose husband, Prince William, became the Duke of Cornwall on 8 September 2022, upon the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Previously, Catherine's stepmother-in-law, Queen Camilla, was known by this title.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady Susan Hussey</span> British noblewoman (born 1939)

Susan Katharine Hussey, Baroness Hussey of North Bradley,, known as Lady Susan Hussey, is a British noblewoman who served as a Woman of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth II and as a Lady of the Household from September to November 2022 under King Charles III. According to BBC News, Hussey "was a key and trusted figure in the British royal household for decades."

<i>The Queen and I</i> (novel) Novel

The Queen and I is a 1992 novel and play written by Sue Townsend, a fictional best-selling political satire revolving round the topic of republicanism in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Personality and image of Elizabeth II</span> Public depiction of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom

The image of Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms and Head of the Commonwealth from 1952 to 2022, was generally favourable throughout her years as a reigning monarch. Conservative in dress, she was well known for her solid-colour overcoats and matching hats, which allowed her to be seen easily in a crowd. She attended many cultural events as part of her public role. Her main leisure interests included horse racing, photography, and dogs, especially her Pembroke Welsh corgis. She ate jam sandwiches every day since childhood. Some of her other favorite foods were fish and chips, chocolate perfection pie, scones with jam and clotted cream, salmon from the River Dee and Morecambe Bay potted shrimp. Her views on political issues and other matters were largely subject to conjecture. She never gave a press interview and was otherwise not known to discuss her personal opinions publicly.

Paul Burrell is a former servant of the British Royal Household and latterly butler to Diana, Princess of Wales.

Alexandra Shân "Tiggy" Pettifer is a British former nanny and companion to Prince William and Prince Harry. She was a personal assistant to Charles III from 1993 to 1999. She has used her married name since her marriage to Charles Pettifer in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer</span> 1981 British royal wedding

The wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer took place on Wednesday, 29 July 1981, at St Paul's Cathedral in London, United Kingdom. The groom was the heir apparent to the British throne, and the bride was a member of the Spencer family.

<i>Diana</i> (musical) 2019 musical

Diana is a musical with music and lyrics by David Bryan and Joe DiPietro, and a book by DiPietro, based on the life of Diana, Princess of Wales. A filmed performance was added to the streaming service Netflix on October 1, 2021, to negative reviews.

<i>The Crown</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of The Crown, which follows the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Netflix on 15 November 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales</span> 35th episode of the 43rd season of Panorama

"An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales" is an episode of the BBC documentary series Panorama which was broadcast on BBC1 on 20 November 1995. The 54-minute programme saw Diana, Princess of Wales, interviewed by journalist Martin Bashir about her relationship with her husband, Charles, Prince of Wales, and the reasons for their subsequent separation. The programme was watched by nearly 23 million viewers in the UK. The worldwide audience was estimated at 200 million across 100 countries. In the UK, the National Grid reported a 1,000 MW surge in demand for power after the programme. At the time, the BBC hailed the interview as the scoop of a generation.

Fairytale (<i>The Crown</i>) 3rd episode of the 4th season of The Crown

"Fairytale" is the third episode of the fourth season of the historical drama television series The Crown. The 33rd episode overall, it was released on Netflix on 15 November 2020, alongside the rest of the season. "Fairytale" stars Olivia Colman, Tobias Menzies, Helena Bonham Carter, Josh O'Connor, Emma Corrin, Marion Bailey, Erin Doherty and Emerald Fennell, and was written by series creator and executive producer Peter Morgan, and directed by executive producer Benjamin Caron.

Oprah with Meghan and Harry is a 2021 television special hosted by American media personality Oprah Winfrey, that featured an interview between Winfrey, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex. The special premiered March 7, 2021, on CBS in the United States, and in the United Kingdom the next day on ITV.

<i>Spare</i> (memoir) 2023 memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex

Spare is a memoir by Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, which was released on 10 January 2023. It was ghostwritten by J. R. Moehringer and published by Penguin Random House. It is 416 pages long and available in digital, paperback, and hardcover formats and has been translated into fifteen languages. There is also a 15-hour audiobook edition, which Harry narrates himself.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 James Crawford-Smith (29 March 2022). "Royal Family 'Never Complain Never Explain' Motto—Who Said it First?". Newsweek . Retrieved 3 January 2022.
  2. 1 2 Doyle, Charles Clay; Mieder, Wolfgang; Shapiro, Fred R. (2012). The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Yale University Press. p. 42. ISBN   978-0-300-18335-1. OCLC   794004254.
  3. ↑ Rachel Burchfield (18 June 2022). "Here's Why "Never Complain, Never Explain" Has Been So Key to the Queen's Reign". Marie Claire . Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  4. 1 2 Miranda Bryant (2 January 2023). "Prince Harry: I would like my father and my brother back". The Guardian . Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  5. ↑ Starkey, Jerome (29 May 2017). "'Boring dinner parties prepared Camilla for her life as a royal'". The Times . No. 72235. p. 7. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  6. ↑ "There has been no shortage of shocks in the newsroom..." The Times . No. 72103. 26 December 2016. p. 52. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  7. ↑ Laura, Craik (26 January 2012). "My date with Kate". The Times . No. 70479. p. 76. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
  8. ↑ Le Bon, Simon (19 January 2013). "What I've learnt". The Times . No. 70786. p. 222. Retrieved 4 January 2023.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.