Prince Harry needs to follow Sarah Ferguson's subtle way of responding to scandal

I was tickled this week when I saw a picture of Sarah Ferguson wearing shoes with the slogan "never complain, never explain" on them. The phrase has become the unofficial motto of the Royal Family as it embodies the Firm's response to scandal and criticism - no comment.

Queen Elizabeth II was a big believer in the principle, but while she didn't publicly express her opinions verbally, she would often make a point through her clothing and jewellery. The King has also adopted this approach of riding criticism out and keeping his head down in the wake of thestring of allegations his youngest son has levelled against the family in recent years.

Staying silent is clearly a savvy PR move, but as the Prince of Wales showed with his outburst following the infamous Oprah inter-
view - when he told reporters, "we're very much not a racist family" - it's not always the easiest advice to follow.

The book, serialised in the Daily Mail last week, includes a series of bombshell claims, including allegations that Jeffrey Epstein
sold Andrew's "most intimate secrets" to foreign intelligence agencies and outrageous claims about his sex life.

And Fergie doesn't come off lightly either, with claims she pursued Tiger Woods and other famous faces romantically and spent extravagantly on staff, holidays, parties and food.

Neither Sarah nor Andrew has publicly responded to the allegations levelled in the book yet, though Prince Harry's team came out swinging when the Duke was accused of "punching" his uncle.

With the loafers front and centre, the Duchess reminded the public that members of the Firm do not publicly respond - they patiently wait it out. If only Harry had taken on board that advice.

If you thought that the Charity Commission's criticism of "all parties" in the Sentebale row for letting a "damaging" boardroom battle play out in the "public eye", would result in laying down of swords, you'd be wrong. Less than 24 hours after the report was published, another furious row erupted.

Sources at the charity were angry that coverage of the report appeared to vindicate Prince Harry from the bullying allegations chairwoman Dr Sophie Chandauka had levelled against him, and they wanted it made clear that individual allegations were not investigated.

This provoked a fierce rebuke from the Duke's allies, who accused Sentebale of "rehashing unsubstantiated allegations," saying the move was not "just provocative; it's pitiful."

The watchdog had a sensible response, however, and urged the two sides to move on and allow the charity to focus on its work. Let's hope they start to heed that advice.

Meghan Markle isn't exactly known for following advice, but it appears she has listened to PR and branding recommendations on the launch of her new wine.

When she released her first batch of rose, it sold out in under hour - much like the launch of her other products, such as the jam, honey and flower sprinkles.

But this time she appears to have increased the number of bottles available (either that or fans have run out of cash or lost interest in her products) as the wine remains in stock.

Only time will tell if her latest venture is successful, but the recent sell-outs suggest there is at least some appetite for her branded products, so it's worth capitalising on that while she still can.

Yesterday, a new picture of Princess Anne was released ahead of her 75th birthday, which also falls on Friday.

The no-nonsense royal wanted to mark the milestone with little fuss, evidenced by her desire to celebrate by focusing on her charities, not herself.

In June, she hosted as many of her 400 patronages as possible at Buckingham Palace to hear more about their work and how she can help them.

There was no clearer sign that she wanted to pass her special day without fanfare than the fact that her birthday event took place two months before her actual birthday.

But while Anne just wants to quietly focus on her work and stay out of the spotlight, she'd do well to remember that she's a national treasure - and the nation appreciates her unwavering dedication to service and duty.

The King will lead the nation in marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day this week, just as he did earlier in the year with VE Day celebrations.

Charles will speak directly to the nation in an audio message, which will be shared on Friday morning.

He and the Queen will then attend a Service of Remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire before attending a reception with Second World War veterans.

Other royals, including the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, will also participate in events to remember the end of the war worldwide.