Prince William has made the right call by ignoring questions about his uncle Earl Charles Spencer's book and refusing to issue a statement, taking the classic royal approach of 'don't complain, don't explain'. The questions to the prince seem to have ended, and he is no longer being asked whether he has read it or what he thinks about the book his uncle has penned, which contains very damaging accusations about his father King Charles.
Ignoring the drama
Prince William does not want to be dragged into the drama created by Earl Spencer's "Swan Song: Diana, My Sister", nor does he want the traumatic memories of his mother's 1997 passing being brought up at all. By ignoring the questions and refusing to issue a statement, he has essentially slammed the door on the book disrupting his life.
However, while he has taken exactly the right approach this time, this approach is not always going to work for William, especially not when he is King.
Lessons from King Charles
The book painted King Charles in an awful light and risked the monarchy, so he had to address it with a very to-the-point Palace statement. If he had ignored it, he would have come off a lot worse from the accusations Earl Spencer made.
Although the monarch may not have wanted to give the book any attention whatsoever, he was probably advised that it was better to issue a simple statement and move on, which is exactly what he did. In a matter of weeks, the damaging accusations about the King seem to have faded from memory.
So, William, take notes. As the silent approach, especially when you are King, may not work forever.
