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Privacy NoticeQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother famously coined the mantra ‘never complain, never explain’ – a rule that has guided the Royal Family through the ages. Known as ‘the best loved royal’ in her twilight years due to her unwavering dedication to public service, she was also known among her staff for skilfully dodging family topics she preferred to avoid. Her talent for evasion earned her the playful moniker “the imperial ostrich” from those who knew her best, for her tendency to ‘bury her head in the sand’. When it comes to the current tensions within the Royal Family, particularly between The Firm and The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, insiders have weighed in on what the Queen Mother might have thought.
The Queen Mother was nicknamed ‘the Imperial Ostrich’
(Image: Getty Images)
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Historian William Shawcross shared: “[The Queen Mother] wouldn’t acknowledge, let alone confront, disagreeableness within the family.” Meanwhile, Royal biographer Hugo Vickers expressed his belief that she would have been deeply troubled by Prince Harry and Meghan’s explosive Oprah interview. Speaking to The Sun, he said: “I think the Queen Mother would have been absolutely horrified in regards to Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah. Fundamentally a lot of things that were said in there that were not true and very easy to disprove. I’m sure she would be very unhappy.”
The Queen mother was nicknamed the Imperial Ostrich owing to her ability to turn a blind eye oto family drama
(Image: Getty Images)
“The Queen Mother was always someone who if she were unhappy or saw something she didn’t like she would just blank it out and just wouldn’t refer to it. It didn’t happen or the person didn’t exist.” “This was the attitude towards the Duke and Duchess of Windsor – she just didn’t bother with them. They just didn’t exist to her at all. I think that’s how she would also feel about Meghan and Harry – they would be ignored, they would be blanked. You wouldn’t have been able to get much out of her about what she thought about them.” “The public perception of the Queen Mother was of this little old lady in her crossover bodices, her floaty chiffons, her feathered hats but, as we all know, she was an iron fist in a velvet glove which is why, of course, the Queen was aware of what Mummy would have thought.”
The Queen Mother earnt the nickname as she would avoid the details of family scandals and drama
(Image: Getty)
“There is a lovely story that I was told that the Queen and her mother were arriving at some do and they were obviously having words between them in the car because when the door was opened the Queen Mother had just said ‘Darling, who do you think you are? ‘ and the Queen was heard to say ‘I’m the Queen, Mummy. I’m the Queen.” Diana, Princess of Wales’ biographer Andrew Morton revealed on The Mirror’s podcast ‘Pod Save The King’ that the late Queen might have been quite understanding of Prince Harry’s desire to step back from Royal duties. He shared: “They were thinking about living in New Zealand and they even spoke to the Prime Minister of New Zealand about this – so they had all kinds of plots and thoughts for their future.” “It didn’t work out because when it actually comes down to it, Prince Harry is cursed with charisma but hates being a prince and I think that he saw Meghan as a way out. They didn’t have to leave the Royal Family in the way that they did, but they did.”
Prince Harry’s great-grandmother was known for ignoring whatever she didn’t want to know
(Image: Getty Images)
Morton also noted: “Back in the late 1940’s after they married, The Queen and Prince Philip lived in Malta for a while as he was pursuing his career in the Royal Navy and many thought he would end up as First Lord of the Admiralty as he was such a star.” “They never thought for a minute that George VI would die so soon and thought that they would have 20 years or so on the fringes of the Royal Family.” He concluded by saying: “So The Queen has always been very understanding of anybody who wants to step back for a few years and just enjoy family life because you’re a long time being a royal.”Story SavedYou can find this story in  My Bookmarks.Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right.Follow OK! MagazineFacebookTwitterCommentMore OnPrince HarryPrince PhilipPrincess DianaRoyal FamilyQueen Elizabeth IIHarry and MeghanMeghan MarklePrince WilliamQueen Mother
