Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex attend the 2022 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Ripple of Hope Award Gala in New York on Dec. 6, 2022.ANDREW KELLY/Reuters
A new book about the Royal Family has added fuel to the row between Prince Harry and Prince William and raised questions about the identity of who the British media have dubbed the “royal racists.”
Endgame, released on Tuesday, is a controversial portrait of the Royal Family by British journalist Omid Scobie. The book includes a flurry of salacious tidbits, largely provided by unnamed sources, including William’s lust for power, Kate Middleton’s laziness and the many shortcomings of King Charles, including suggestions that staff must iron his shoelaces.
But the biggest scandal hanging over the book has been whether Mr. Scobie has identified the Royal Family member who expressed concerns about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s first child, Archie, before he was born.
The issue initially surfaced during Harry and Meghan’s television interview with Oprah Winfrey in March, 2021, shortly after the couple stepped back from royal duties and moved to California. The Duchess said that during her pregnancy with Archie, there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” She refused to identify who made the comments, but the allegation has been tabloid fodder ever since.
The plot thickened this week when a Dutch translation of Endgame included the names of two senior royals who allegedly made the comments. The book was quickly pulled from the shelves in the Netherlands after a reporter noticed that the identities had been revealed. The Dutch publisher, Xander Uitgevers, said it was “forced to temporarily withdraw the book from the market because an error had occurred.” The company plans to re-release the book on Dec. 8.
English editions of the book sold in Britain, the U.S. and Canada do not include the names.
Speculation about the identities has been rife on social media and in the British press ever since, but news outlets had avoided disclosing the names largely for legal reasons.
That changed on Wednesday when British television presenter Piers Morgan revealed the identities on TalkTV.
“If Dutch people wandering into a bookshop can see these names, then you, the British people who actually pay for the Royal Family are entitled to know, too,” Mr. Morgan said before announcing that the book names King Charles and Kate. “And then we can have a more open debate about this whole farrago because I don’t believe any racist comments were ever made by any of the Royal Family, and until there is actual evidence of those comments being made, I will never believe it.”
He lashed out at Mr. Scobie, calling him a “client journalist” for the Sussexes and describing Endgame as a “spiteful, fib-filled” book. He also chastised the author and the couple for not providing proof that the comments were made. “So either he or the Sussexes finally come forward with the evidence for their allegations, or this will be the endgame for his bank balance – and his career.”
Mr. Morgan’s move prompted the Guardian, The New York Post and news outlets in Australia and the Netherlands to also mention the names.
Mr. Scobie has denied that he was behind the revelations and blamed the Dutch publisher for a “translation error.”
“There’s never been a version that I’ve produced that has names in it,” he told the Dutch television show RTL Boulevard this week.
On Thursday, Mr. Scobie went further and said many journalists have been aware of the names for a long time. “We’ve all followed a certain code of conduct when it comes to talking about it,” he said on ITV’s This Morning program. “I am obviously frustrated. I wouldn’t say I am upset about it,” he added, referring to the names being revealed.
Mr. Scobie, 42, has also been forced to repeatedly deny suggestions that he has been a mouthpiece for the Sussexes. His first book, Finding Freedom, written with journalist Carolyn Durand, was a sympathetic telling of their split with the Royal Family. Endgame has few unflattering offerings about the couple.
But Mr. Scobie has strenuously refuted claims he’s had any direct contact with Harry and Meghan. “I’m not their friend. I have never sat down privately with Meghan for an interview, exchanged information with Meghan. I am not in their private world,” he told ITV.
In response to Mr. Morgan’s attack, Mr. Scobie said, “I only go by the reporting I have.” He added that he and his family have faced a fierce backlash since the release of the book. “I knew that it would be heated and controversial, absolutely. But a lot of this has been simply about me. It’s been unnecessary information about me, it has been unfair attacks about me, it’s been an assassination of my character. My father’s been harassed.”
Analysts and royal watchers have questioned how a translation error could have caused the names to be printed. There has been speculation that the mistake was a ruse to boost sales.
Mr. Scobie denied the error had been calculated. “I wish that was the case. It’s still being investigated,” he said Thursday.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the book. King Charles also made no reference to the issue during a public appearance in Dubai on Thursday where he is attending the COP28 climate summit. “I’m all right very much, just about,” the King said before a meeting with Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.