The Queen Mother, known for her 'never complain, never explain' motto, reportedly had a clever way of dealing with family discord: she simply ignored it. Her staff nicknamed her "the imperial ostrich" for her habit of 'sticking her head in the sand' to avoid difficult conversations.
Royal Expert's Verdict
Author William Shawcross noted: "[The Queen Mother] wouldn't acknowledge, let alone confront, disagreeableness within the family." Royal expert Hugo Vickers, who wrote her biography, believes she would have been "so disappointed" with the actions of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
Speaking to The Sun, Vickers said: "I think the Queen Mother would have been absolutely horrified regarding Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah. Fundamentally, a lot of things that were said in there were not true and very easy to disprove. I'm sure she would be very unhappy."
A Family Pattern
Vickers explained that the Queen Mother's approach was to "blank out" anything she disliked. "It didn't happen, or the person didn't exist," he said, drawing a parallel with her treatment of the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. "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 Queen Mother, who shared her August 4 birthday with Meghan Markle, died in 2002. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have faced a turbulent six years since stepping back from royal duties.
