It was British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli who first coined the phrase 'never complain, never explain', and succinctly encapsulated the stiff upper lip of the Victorian age.
Adopted by members of royalty, high-ranking army officers, aristocrats and fellow prime ministers Stanley Baldwin and Winston Churchill, its timeless wisdom, particularly in the face of the rise of the popular press, made it a guiding mantra of the powerful and the unaccountable. If Queen Elizabeth never actually said it, it didn't matter. It was the maxim by which she lived and guiding principle of the Firm; her view, and that of her courtiers, was always the long view.
'Say nothing, the storm will pass, everyone will move on.' As royal historian Robert Lacey observes, ""Never complain, never explain" is not a matter of personal choice or style - it is dictated by the system. The royals are not put where they are, nor are they paid public money, to have opinions or express negative emotions. It's not in the job description.'
Even during the biggest scandal of the 20th Century - the abdication of Edward VIII - the King made absolutely no comment on the furor of his relationship with divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. It was only after he'd abdicated the throne in December 1936 that he directly addressed the nation in a radio broadcast that began with the words, 'At long last, I am able to say a few words of my own.'
De-escalation
Yet even within that sensational message, read live to the nation, he didn’t mention Wallis by name, but said he had ‘found it impossible to carry the heavy burdens of responsibility and to discharge my duties as King as I would wish to do without the help and support of the woman I love.’
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