London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 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
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×