The Duchess of Cambridge could be joining the former Duke and Duchess of Sussex in abandoning the famous royal family mantra, “never complain, never explain” when it comes to the press. Since the 1930s, the royals have adopted as their motto for handling the press.
But Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, and William seemingly abandoned this rule by filing a lawsuit against Tatler magazine for an article they reportedly felt was “sexist and woman-shaming at its very worst.”
The saying, “never complain, never explain” – created by Benjamin Disraeli – was first adopted by the Duchess of York when she became Queen in 1936.
The old saying was then passed on to her own daughter the Queen who appears to have followed the rule without exception during her reign.
However, it seems this tradition could soon be one of the past.
In the article, written for Tatler, the writer claimed that Kate was feeling “exhausted and trapped” by the extra royal duties put on Kate in the wake of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s exit.
The author also compared Kate to William’s late mother, Princess Diana, saying that fans believe Kate might be suffering from similar eating disorders as Diana due to the added stress.
The profile featured interviews with anonymous sources who claimed to be family friends of the Cambridges.
The publication’s sources made numerous claims about the duchess’ relationship with Meghan Markle.
The sources said Kate was “furious” about the increased royal duties that resulted from Megxit.
A Kensington Palace spokesman previously said of the article: “This story contains a swathe of inaccuracies and false misrepresentations which were not put to Kensington Palace prior to publication.”
After the piece was published, a spokesman for Tatler said that they had been in touch with Kate’s lawyers.
A spokesman told Insider: “We can confirm we have received correspondence from lawyers acting for the Duke and the Duchess of Cambridge and believe it has no merit.”
However, in light of the publication, an inside source revealed that William and Kate were very offended by the article.
According to Daily Mail, the insider said that the article was “full of lies” and that Kate and William felt like it was “disgusting” work.
“That is such an extremely cruel and wounding barb. It’s disgusting.
“It’s sexist and woman-shaming at its very worst,” the source shared.
“The piece is full of lies. There is no truth to their claim that the Duchess feels overwhelmed with work, nor that the Duke is obsessed with Carole Middleton.
“It’s preposterous and downright wrong.”
The insider went on to say that the piece was an example of “class snobbery” and that the Cambridges could not believe the claims about Kate’s sister,
Kate and William are yet to comment on the situation.
The legal action is unusual for the Royal Family, causing much speculation that the Royal Family’s relationship with the press could be set to change drastically.