Sarah Ferguson Steps Out In Shoes With a Bold Royal Message — but The Palace Is Not Amused
For generations, the British royal family has lived by an unspoken rule: 'Say little, reveal less, and let silence speak louder than rebuttals. That philosophy has often been summed up by the phrase “Never complain, never explain,” which became a hallmark of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign and a cornerstone of the monarchy’s survival through scandal after scandal. However, that very motto found its way back into the headlines, recently, on a pair of shoes.
Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, attended a signing for her 2021 novel Her Heart for a Compass wearing velvet loafers embroidered with the words “Never complain, never explain.” On another day, the footwear might have been seen as a nod to royal tradition. But this time, the timing made it appear far more loaded.
Just days earlier, author Andrew Lownie had released Entitled: The Rise and Fall of the House of York, a blistering new biography of Ferguson’s ex-husband, Prince Andrew. The book alleges that the Duke clashed physically with Prince Harry, made disparaging remarks about Princess Kate, and more, hardly flattering reading for the York family. So when Fergie stepped out with the Queen’s legendary motto emblazoned across her shoes, it didn’t take long for observers to read it as more than a quirky fashion choice. To some, it looked like a pointed message, perhaps a dig at the palace’s silence, or even a subtle swipe at Lownie’s tell-all.
Royal biographer Penny Junor had once told PEOPLE, "There has been a long tradition in the British royal family of riding criticism out and keeping your head down and taking the long view. Crises come and go, and people get criticized — often for five minutes by the media, who then move on."
Inside palace walls, though, the reaction was frosty. “It’s cheeky at best, deeply disrespectful at worst,” a royal insider told Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop. “Her Majesty lived that phrase with dignity. Fergie and Andrew’s track record? Not exactly in the same league.” Another aide dismissed the footwear choice as “a silly, unnecessary stunt” that risked mocking a motto the Queen herself embodied. Critics also noted that Ferguson’s ongoing loyalty to Andrew makes the gesture especially tone deaf. “It’s almost mocking the Queen’s legacy,” one source said. Royal commentator Joan Berg echoed that while Beatrice and Eugenie shouldn’t be “tarred and feathered” for their parents’ missteps, the palace mood remains “frosty.”
And for Beatrice and Eugenie, the timing couldn’t be worse. While scandal has always been part of royal life, the release of Lownie’s book has created a whole new nightmare for the sisters. Sources say they are “utterly mortified” by the latest wave of revelations about their father and are keeping their distance as the fallout intensifies. “They’re keeping a distance from [their] dad,” one family source told the Daily Mail. “The extent to which the relationship can recover will depend on what further revelations, if any, emerge.”
Beatrice, who turned 37 recently, and Eugenie, 35, knew the book was coming, but insiders say the intensity of the global furore has been “worse than they feared.” For now, whether Ferguson’s footwear was a nod, a defiant statement, or simply an unfortunate coincidence remains unclear.