--- title: Never Complain, Never Explain link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Never_complain,_never_explain source: hnrss-org published: 2026-11-02T11:55:48Z updated: 2026-11-02T11:55:48Z first_seen: 2026-11-02T16:59:20.971254334Z authors: - gregsadetsky content: extracted html: 2026-11-02-never-complain-never-explain.html remote_preview: url: https://en.wikipedia.org/static/images/icons/enwiki-25.svg --- From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia **"Never complain, never explain"** is a [public relations](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_relations "Public relations") strategy that has become particularly associated with the [British royal family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_royal_family "British royal family"). The phrase is believed to have originated with the [prime minister of the United Kingdom](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prime_minister_of_the_United_Kingdom "Prime minister of the United Kingdom"), [Benjamin Disraeli](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Disraeli "Benjamin Disraeli").[^1] It was attributed to Disraeli by [John Morley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Morley "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Jowett "Benjamin Jowett"), the [Master of Balliol College, Oxford](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Balliol_College,_Oxford "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Tuttle_Morris "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Bagehot "Walter Bagehot") in his 1867 work *[The English Constitution](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_English_Constitution "The English Constitution")* wrote of the [British royal family](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_royal_family "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Victoria "Queen Victoria") and her descendants followed his advice.[^1] [Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elizabeth_Bowes-Lyon "Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon") (the future Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother) gave a newspaper interview after her engagement to [Prince Albert, Duke of York](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Albert,_Duke_of_York "Prince Albert, Duke of York") (the future King George VI) which reportedly enraged his father, [King George V](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_George_V "King George V").[^1] She never subsequently spoke or commented on royal issues.[^1] The motto became particularly associated with [Queen Elizabeth II](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Charles "Prince Charles") (the future King Charles III) and his wife [Diana, Princess of Wales](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana,_Princess_of_Wales "Diana, Princess of Wales"), in the 1990s. Charles was the subject of [Jonathan Dimbleby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Dimbleby "Jonathan Dimbleby")'s authorised biography *The Prince of Wales: A Biography* and a subsequent television interview, *[Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles:_The_Private_Man,_the_Public_Role "Charles: The Private Man, the Public Role")* broadcast that year. Diana collaborated with [Andrew Morton](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Morton_\(writer\) "Andrew Morton (writer)") for his 1992 book *[Diana: Her True Story](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana:_Her_True_Story_\(book\) "Diana: Her True Story (book)")* and [Martin Bashir](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Bashir "Martin Bashir") in [a 1995 television interview](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Interview_with_HRH_The_Princess_of_Wales "An Interview with HRH The Princess of Wales").[^1] It\[*[clarification needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Please_clarify "Wikipedia:Please clarify")*\] 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Harry,_Duke_of_Sussex "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spare_\(memoir\) "Spare (memoir)")*.[^4] He told [Anderson Cooper](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anderson_Cooper "Anderson Cooper") on *[60 Minutes](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/60_Minutes "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camilla,_Duchess_of_Cornwall "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zsa_Zsa_Gabor "Zsa Zsa Gabor"), [Simon Le Bon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Le_Bon "Simon Le Bon"), [Kate Moss](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Moss "Kate Moss"), and [Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raine_Spencer,_Countess_Spencer "Raine Spencer, Countess Spencer").[^6][^7][^8] [^1]: James Crawford-Smith (29 March 2022). ["Royal Family 'Never Complain Never Explain' Motto—Who Said it First?"](https://www.newsweek.com/royal-family-prince-william-complain-explain-motto-queen-elizabeth-1692861). *[Newsweek](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newsweek "Newsweek")*. Retrieved 3 January 2022. [^2]: Doyle, Charles Clay; Mieder, Wolfgang; Shapiro, Fred R. (2012). [*The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs*](https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofmode0000doyl/page/42/). [Yale University Press](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yale_University_Press "Yale University Press"). p. 42\. [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)")   [978-0-300-18335-1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-300-18335-1 "Special:BookSources/978-0-300-18335-1"). [OCLC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OCLC_\(identifier\) "OCLC (identifier)")   [794004254](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/794004254). [^3]: Rachel Burchfield (18 June 2022). ["Here's Why "Never Complain, Never Explain" Has Been So Key to the Queen's Reign"](https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/royals/queens-motto-critical-to-reign/). *[Marie Claire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marie_Claire "Marie Claire")*. Retrieved 2 January 2023. [^4]: Miranda Bryant (2 January 2023). ["Prince Harry: I would like my father and my brother back"](https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2023/jan/02/prince-harry-would-like-father-brother-back-itv). *[The Guardian](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Guardian "The Guardian")*. Retrieved 2 January 2023. [^5]: Starkey, Jerome (29 May 2017). ["'Boring dinner parties prepared Camilla for her life as a royal'"](https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/AGZXSJ357468910/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=adc0fd33). *[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times "The Times")*. No. 72235\. p. 7. Retrieved 4 January 2023. [^6]: ["There has been no shortage of shocks in the newsroom..."](https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GFGBKM907227764/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=f000da59) *[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times "The Times")*. No. 72103\. 26 December 2016. p. 52. Retrieved 4 January 2023. [^7]: Laura, Craik (26 January 2012). ["My date with Kate"](https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/GFGBKM907227764/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=f000da59). *[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times "The Times")*. No. 70479\. p. 76. Retrieved 4 January 2023. [^8]: Le Bon, Simon (19 January 2013). ["What I've learnt"](https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/OXKJVD758942596/TTDA?u=wes_ttda&sid=bookmark-TTDA&xid=194eb58c). *[The Times](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Times "The Times")*. No. 70786\. p. 222. Retrieved 4 January 2023.