London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 10, 2025

The Queen Has an "Unspoken Rule" Against Talking Badly About Family Members to Outsiders

The Queen Has an "Unspoken Rule" Against Talking Badly About Family Members to Outsiders

"Most people can hide their family difficulties...hers are always the focus of public attention."

* No matter what drama might be going on between various members of the royal family, the Queen will never say a bad word about any of her relatives (or in-laws) to anyone outside the family itself.

* In his book Long Live the Queen! 13 Rules for Living from Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch, royal author Bryan Kozlowski explains why the Queen prioritizes keeping her family strong over everything else.

* Louis Mountbatten once said that keeping the royal family together in spite of all their drama was actually the Queen's greatest achievement, since their difficulties are "always the focus of public attention."

The Queen has a strict rule that she always follows: Never talk badly about any member of the royal family to outsiders—no matter what.

It's not an official edict, but this unspoken rule has been important to the monarch, particularly as she works to keep her family strong even as the world watches their every move (and gossips endlessly about every feud or bit of drama they go through).

The rule is one that royal author Bryan Kozlowski outlines in his book Long Live the Queen! 13 Rules for Living from Britain's Longest Reigning Monarch, which guides readers through how to live a happy and successful life by taking tips directly from the Queen herself.

"One of the Queen's unspoken rules is to never talk badly about any member of her family to outsiders, rather only support them, when she can," Kozlowski writes, citing Princess Diana's ongoing drama in the 1990s as example of a time when the Queen refused to deviate from her supportive stance, even when it wasn't the easiest thing to do.

"Diana might have made her life unimaginably difficult in the 1990s, but the Queen quickly jumped to her defense when, during a press conference at the Palace, an editor of the News of the World, inquired that if Diana didn't want the paparazzi following her, couldn't she send a servant to run her errands for her?" he writes. "'That's the most pompous thing I have ever heard,' responded the Queen, famously earning a round of applause from the other editors in the room."

Over the years, some people, including Prince Philip's uncle, Louis Mountbatten, have taken note of the Queen's stalwart support for her family members and praised her ability to handle all of their drama and difficulties with grace.

"The more he witnessed the royal drama unfold, the more Louis Mountbatten believed that keeping her family together and coping with their self-inflicted messes was the Queen's greatest personal achievement," Kozlowski writes. "More so when you consider, as Mountbatten told his confidant John Barratt, that while 'most people can hide their family difficulties...hers are always the focus of public attention.' Yet, for the Queen, it's always been the bigger picture, not the isolated tiffs with her children, grandchildren, husband or sister, that have most concerned her. She still believes, as her mother did before her, that 'a united family is the strongest thing in the world.'"

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
NVIDIA Achieves Historic Milestone as First Company Valued at $4 Trillion
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Linda Yaccarino Steps Down as CEO of X After Two Years
US Imposes New Tariffs on Brazilian Exports Amid Political Tensions
Azerbaijan and Armenia are on the brink of a historic peace deal.
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Weinstein Victim’s Lawyer Says MeToo Movement Still Strong
U.S. Enacts Sweeping Tax and Spending Legislation Amid Trade Policy Shifts
Football Mourns as Diogo Jota and Brother André Silva Laid to Rest in Portugal
Labour Expected to Withdraw Support for Special Needs Funding Model
Leaked Audio Reveals Tory Aide Defending DEI Record
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
London Stock Exchange Faces Historic Low in Initial Public Offerings
A new online platform has emerged in the United Kingdom, specifically targeting Muslim men seeking virgin brides
Trump Celebrates Independence Day with B-2 Flyover and Signs Controversial Legislation
Boris Johnson Urges Conservatives to Ignore Farage
SNP Ordered to Update Single-Sex Space Guidance Within Days
Starmer Set to Reject Calls for Wealth Taxes
Stolen Century-Old Rolls-Royce Recovered After Hotel Theft
Macron Presses Starmer to Recognise Palestinian State
Labour Delayed Palestine Action Ban Over Riot Concerns
Swinney’s Tax Comments ‘Offensive to Scots’, Say Tories
High Street Retailers to Enforce Bans on Serial Shoplifters
Music Banned by Henry VIII to Be Performed After 500 Years
Steve Coogan Says Working Class Is Being ‘Ethnically Cleansed’
Home Office Admits Uncertainty Over Visa Overstayer Numbers
JD Vance Questions Mandelson Over Reform Party’s Rising Popularity
Macron to Receive Windsor Carriage Ride in Royal Gesture
Labour Accused of ‘Hammering’ Scots During First Year in Power
BBC Head of Music Stood Down Amid Bob Vylan Controversy
Corbyn Eyes Hard-Left Challenge to Starmer’s Leadership
London Tube Trains Suspended After Major Fire Erupts Nearby
Richard Kemp: I Felt Safer in Israel Under Attack Than in the UK
Cyclist Says Police Cited Human Rights Act for Riding No-Handed
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Musk Battles to Protect Tesla Amid Trump Policy Threats
Air France-KLM Acquires Majority Stake in Scandinavian Airlines
UK Educators Sound Alarm on Declining Child Literacy
Shein Fined €40 Million in France Over Misleading Discounts
Brazil’s Lula Visits Kirchner During Argentina House Arrest
Trump Scores Legislative Win as House Passes Tax Reform Bill
Keir Starmer Faces Criticism After Rocky First Year in Power
DJI Launches Heavy-Duty Coaxial Quadcopter with 80 kg Lift Capacity
U.S. Senate Approves Major Legislation Dubbed the 'Big Beautiful Bill'
Largest Healthcare Fraud Takedown in U.S. History Announced by DOJ
×