Attack after attack. Prince Harry’s book is not kind to his brother, Prince William. But the brother remains completely silent. The only clues as to what the brother is thinking come from anonymous friends.
– He will never answer, he never would, because he is dignified and incredibly loyal. He keeps quiet for the good of the family and the country, says an anonymous friend of the brothers Sunday times.
– He does well on the outside, but he cooks no objections, continues the friend.
– He’s furious
– Queen Elizabeth’s mantra
But even the British media have not received anything official from the royal house. It’s a well-known strategy.
– This is the strategy they have been using all these years. This was Queen Elizabeth’s mantra. They shouldn’t complain or explain. This is what they still live on, says Caroline Vagle, an expert on the royal house of Se og Hør, in Dagbladet.
Royal house expert and former court reporter for TV 2, Trond Norén Isaksen, shares Vagle’s view.
– This is the policy they followed because you are in a difficult situation if you have to refuse and deny something, Isaksen tells Dagbladet and explains:
– Then people will automatically think that if you don’t, then it’s true. And it’s a problem if you lock yourself into having to say whether things are true or not.
– A war
He calls the last two years a one-sided war. It all started with Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah two years ago. Then came the Netflix documentary and now comes the book.
– You get to a situation where they are constantly attacked by a family member, but it’s a war only waged by one side because the other side doesn’t defend itself.
As a rule, it was anonymous family friends or royal sources who commented on the attacks in the media. Like the friends quoted in today’s Sunday Times case.
– That’s how you usually act. One has sources and friends. He is a friend who does it for William. We can’t say for sure whether they’ve been given specific permission to tell the Sunday Times or whether it’s something they’ve agreed they can do or are doing it themselves, but that’s often how it works, says The Isaac.
FOLLOW YOUR GRANDMA: Prince William is sticking to Queen Elizabeth’s mantra. Photo: AP/NTB
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Commenting anonymously
Prince Harry has come to terms with precisely this use of sources in the royal house. He believes that they only officially adhere to Elisabeth’s mantra.
In reality, according to Harry, they comment on the issues anonymously to the biggest English newspapers.
– Harry’s argument is that it’s better to respond in public than to speak anonymously. He says nothing good will come of silence, Isaksen explains.
Vagle doesn’t think the royal house shares Harry’s opinion.
– Everything now indicates that they will not say anything. I think they are trying to keep it under wraps. But I have to say I’m excited to see if there will be any comments and what they might say.
– You have to shut up
– I can never imagine that
Norén Isaksen also does not think that we will receive any comments from the official side and does not think that William will appear in any interview to comment on his brother’s allegations.
– I can never imagine that he will. It will only make the situation much worse. The strategies are to weather it and wait out the storm to die down.
He believes the “war” will only continue if they respond and that the royal family’s negative image will not stick in Britain.
– In Britain, sympathy is not on Prince Harry’s side. Some actually say this is almost good for King Charles because he’s handling it right.
– So the Queen Elizabeth mantra still works?
– Yes, in a certain sense, Isaksen answers.
