Diana’s silent son: William sticks to Elizabeth II’s ‘never complain, never explain’ policy because ‘worst year of his life when Kate had cancer gave him perspective and inner strength’, says PHIL DAMPIER

The Prince of Wales sailed past reporters without answering a single question about his uncle’s explosive new book when he arrived at a community cinema in Acton this week.

Dressed in a navy suit and tie, William, 44, projected an unruffled air as he made clear that he had no intention of being dragged into the fallout surrounding Earl Spencer’s memoir, Swan Song.

It was a striking demonstration of the old royal maxim: never complain, never explain.

That philosophy has been repeatedly challenged in recent years, from Prince Harry and Meghan’s television interviews to Earl Spencer’s revelations last week, including claims that King Charles sounded ‘giddily elated’ in a phone call after the death of his former wife Diana and that he was in love with his valet.

It prompted Buckingham Palace to issue an unprecedented statement, with royal aides questioning the veracity of his account and suggesting that grief can ‘cloud reason, affect judgment and colour memory’. 

But William, who walked behind his mother’s coffin as a grieving 15-year-old, appears determined to keep family drama at arm’s length.

His silence may look like indifference but those close to the royals suggest there is a more personal reason for his refusal to engage.

William has spoken openly about the trauma of 2024, when both his wife, the Princess of Wales, and his father were diagnosed with cancer. Speaking in Apple TV’s The Reluctant Traveler, he described it as ‘probably the hardest year of my life’.

‘It’s been dreadful, it’s probably been the hardest year of my life, so trying to keep everything on track has been really difficult,’ he said.

Royal commentator Phil Dampier believes that experience has reinforced William and Catherine’s determination to keep their private lives firmly protected.

‘William and Kate have had a policy of never complain, never explain,’ he said. ‘We saw it earlier this week when a reporter asked him [about the book] and he didn’t reply, and that’s the way they’re going to play it.

‘William had the worst year of his life, which he has talked about himself. He had all the problems of Harry and Prince Andrew swirling about, causing problems for the monarchy that he will be heading in not a very long time.’

William has broken with royal silence on rare occasions. Following Harry and Meghan’s racism allegations during their Oprah interview, he famously responded to a reporter’s question by insisting: ‘We are very much not a racist family.’

But otherwise, William and Catherine have maintained a remarkably disciplined public front – one they believe allows their three children to grow up as normally as possible despite living in what Dampier describes as a ‘goldfish bowl’.

He said: ‘William is preparing for when he becomes king and he’s setting the standard for how he wants to play it.

‘The worst year of his life gave him perspective and inner strength. Catherine’s got that inner contentment that she’s seen off the worst. I think both of them, having come through that, are stronger for it.

‘Their priorities are first and foremost family and making sure the three kids have a normal background considering the goldfish bowl in which they live.’

Yet behind William’s quiet exterior lies a famously strong-willed streak and one which, according to Dampier, could shape the monarchy when he becomes king.

He points to something as seemingly trivial as William’s refusal to wear a kilt in Scotland.

When the Prince visited the Isle of Bute last week, he opted for an anorak, despite his father being renowned for donning a kilt whenever he is north of the border.

‘He doesn’t want to and has never been seen wearing a kilt in Scotland, whereas King Charles will don a kilt at the drop of a hat,’ Dampier said.

‘William doesn’t like wearing them and once he’s made his mind up, he tends to stick to it. If he doesn’t want to wear a kilt, he won’t.’

That quiet stubbornness could prove significant when William eventually inherits the throne.

Earlier this month, he and Catherine escorted their eldest son George to Eton, the same school where William himself was educated and prepared for his future role.

The image inevitably recalled 1995, when Diana, dressed in a chic blue suit, accompanied her eldest son to the Berkshire school as he began his journey towards adulthood.

Now William has come full circle. With his father entering old age and the crown edging ever closer, the Prince of Wales is increasingly conscious of the weight of history and of his mother’s legacy.

But rather than being drawn into the dramas that once consumed the Royal Family, William appears intent on doing things his own way: quietly, firmly and away from the headlines.