"Never Complain, Never Explain" Era Is Over for Royal Family

King Charles and Queen Camilla standing in front of a painting on a red wall with serious expressions — (Image credit: Getty Images)

During Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the Royal Family operated by a simple mantra: “Never complain, never explain.” Even during the tumultuous ‘90s, which were filled with royal divorces and tell-all interviews, the royals largely relied on riding out the storm and knowing the public attention would eventually drift to another scandal. But in the wake of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s arrest, that tight-lipped era appears to be over.

Royal expert Phil Dampier told Hello! that the royals can no longer afford to stay quiet when the monarchy is now facing one of its biggest scandals. “The days of 'Never complain, never explain,' have clearly gone,” he said. “They can't just bury their heads in the sand and say we've got nothing to say about this.”

Although The King released a statement stating that he fully supported any investigation into his brother, Dampier added that a further public message could be necessary. “I think a reset is needed and it will be good if Charles can do it,” the royal expert noted.

King Charles, Queen Camilla and the rest of the family have kept up with regularly scheduled duties since Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on February 19. Dampier said that the strategy appears to be a solid one.

King Charles smiling in a suit and tie talking to a man — King Charles attends a reception for the Queen Elizabeth Prizes for Education on February 24.

Princess Kate wearing a pink gown on the BAFTA red carpet with Prince William — The Prince and Princess of Wales are pictured at the BAFTAs on February 222.

“They're showing that The Firm is still working so Andrew is almost portrayed as one bad apple, so to speak,” he shared.

Prince William and Princess Kate displayed this “keep calm and carry on” philosophy as they attended the 2026 BAFTAs on February 22. Although the couple avoided addressing the Andrew situation, the Prince of Wales did make a telling remark while talking about the historical drama Hamnet.

After sharing that Princess Kate “was in floods of tears” after watching the film the night before, William said he wasn’t in the right mindset to take in the movie himself.

The Prince of Wales admitted he had “to be in quite a calm state” in order to watch such a sad movie, adding, “And I am not at the moment.”

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Kristin Contino is Marie Claire's Senior Royal and Celebrity editor. She's been covering royalty since 2018—including major moments such as the Platinum Jubilee, Queen Elizabeth II’s death and King Charles III's coronation—and places a particular focus on the British Royal Family's style and what it means.

Prior to working at Marie Claire, she wrote about celebrity and royal fashion at Page Six Style and covered royalty from around the world as chief reporter at Royal Central. Kristin has provided expert commentary for outlets including the BBC, Sky News, US Weekly, the Today Show and many others.

Kristin is also the published author of two novels, “The Legacy of Us” and “A House Full of Windsor.” She's passionate about travel, history, horses, and learning everything she can about her favorite city in the world, London.