Will the motto hold?

It appears unlikely – the next generation have been complaining and explaining quite a bit

Prince Charles and Camilla

The late Duke of Edinburgh is said to have been furious with his son Charles when he blew apart the ‘never explain’ motto during a TV interview in which he admitted having an affair. Royal author Penny Juror wrote in her book, The Firm, The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor, ‘[Philip] was incensed, the rest of the family flabbergasted, the Queen’s advisers and courtiers stunned, the prince’s friends appalled.’ Charles has continued to be vocal, last year speaking out on environmental issues at the climate conference in Glasgow.

Prince Andrew

The prince abandoned the motto in spectacular fashion in a BBC interview with Emily Maitlis in November 2019. He attempted to defend himself against the claims levelled at him by Virginia Giuffre and explain his friendship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, but the tell-all was deemed a huge PR disaster.

Harry and Meghan

Meghan was said to have found royal restrictions extremely tough. Needless to say, since the Sussexes broke ranks with the Royal Family they have complained and explained many times – most famously during their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, when they made allegations of racism. Harry also told James Corden on The Late Late Show, ‘I did what any husband and what any father would do and was like, “I need to get my family out of here”’.

William and Kate

The Cambridges remained tight-lipped after Harry and Meghan’s outburst, although William did say they were ‘very much not a racist family’. More recently he spoke of his ‘profound sorrow’ over Britain’s role in slavery on a Caribbean tour.