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.
“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.”
