The Royal Family has remained silent over bombshell claims made by Prince Harry in his memoir Spare. The tell-all book explore’s Harry’s time in the Firm and offers insight into life with the royals and his reasons for stepping back. Buckingham and Kensington Palace have refused to comment on the allegations made in the book, and Express.co.uk readers have praised the Firm’s “dignified silence” in a new poll.
The Royal Family is known for living by the mantra “never complain, never explain” with members of the Firm advised against speaking out, leaving comments to palace communications.
Foreign policy expert and Royal Family enthusiast, Nile Gardiner, praised the silence and claimed Harry is destroying his own reputation.
He told Express.co.uk: “The approach Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace have taken so far in response to these comments from Harry is one of silence and it is working because Harry looks increasingly ridiculous.
“He is doing immense damage to his own reputation. In a way, the Royal Family doesn’t have to respond publicly because Harry is just damaging his own reputation.”
Historian David Starkey claimed that King Charles III is playing a “clever long game” by not responding to Harry’s claims. He told The Mirror: “What I think Charles is doing is actually playing a rather clever long game. He’s just letting events take their course, which I think is a very wise thing to do.”
READ MORE: Royal silence on Harry book praised as duke ‘damaging own reputation’
In a poll that ran from 10am on Friday, January 6, to 4pm on Wednesday, January 18, Express.co.uk asked readers: “Should the Royal Family respond to allegations in Spare?”
In total, 3,751 votes were cast with the overwhelming majority, 89 per cent (3,330 people) answering “no” the Royal Family should keep their silence.
In contrast, 10 per cent (379 people) said “yes” they should speak out while one per cent (42 people) said they did not know either way.
Dozens of comments were left below the accompanying article as readers shared their thoughts on the Firm’s response to Spare.
In an analysis piece, the BBC reported that a response would have been expected from other public organisations if such allegations were made against them.
Jonny Dymond, the BBC’s royal correspondent, wrote: “If this were an allegation made against a government department, a political party, a business or a football team in the public eye, a response would be expected. The lack of any response or denial would be taken by many as an admission that the allegation was true.”
Royal author Christopher Andersen has claimed Queen Elizabeth II would have handled the situation with Harry’s memoir differently than her successor.
He told US Weekly last week that the King may “channel” his mother and “at some point do something decisive so he can put it behind him. If he can do that before May, I don’t know. But he’ll have to probably do it at some point.”
