Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are being urged to distance themselves from Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame, as royal experts have slammed the “sensational read”.
The Royal author was once labelled Meghan’s “mouthpiece” and admitted to sharing “mutual friends” with the Duchess of Sussex.
However, Endgame has caused a storm in recent days as an “error” in the Dutch translation saw two members of the Royal Family named for allegedly raising “concerns” about the skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s son.
The allegations were first made when the couple were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 2021. In the chat, the Sussexes claimed a member of the Royal Family had expressed “concern” but chose not to name those involved.
When the Sussexes made their explosive allegations on Oprah, in an interview broadcast around the world, they set in train a public debate about who in the royal family might harbour such racially charged views.
In a multicultural modern Britain such allegations against the monarchy generated debate on a matter of such public importance with Scobie’s new book claiming to add to that public debate.
In Endgame, Omid claimed Harry was “kept in the dark” about the late Queen Elizabeth’s health decline in the hours before her death.
The author also labelled Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, as “cold” and said she “shudders” whenever Meghan is mentioned in conversation.
King Charles is accused of asking staff to “get rid” of Harry when the Duke of Sussex was in London, claiming he was “overworked”.
Meanwhile, the relationship between Harry and his estranged brother Prince William is also laid bare.
Amid the drama, several Royal commentators have encouraged Meghan and Harry to distance themselves from Omid and his new book, which one described as a “rant against the Royal Family”. Royal author Phil Dampier told MailOnline “The onus is now very much on Harry and Meghan” to denounce the book.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams also told the publication the couple should keep their distance in case people “conclude that the Sussexes may have been behind it or even instigated it”. He also said Endgame was simply “seeking sensation”. Omid has previously denied interviewing the Sussexes for Endgame.
He has also spoken out on rumours that he is friends with Meghan. Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, ahead of the book release Omid said: “And let’s get this nonsense out the way – #ENDGAME is about the current state of the British Royal Family. It’s not ‘Harry and Meghan’s book’, I’m not ‘Meg’s pal’, the Sussexes have nothing to do with it, their story is a small part of a much bigger one you can read in 12 days.”
The journalist has also denied responsibility for the error in the Dutch translation of his book. In the UK version of Endgame, Omid hasn’t named those involved in the racism row. He claimed that he knew the names but said “Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were.”
Speaking to the Dutch chat show RTL Boulevard, Omid said: “The book is in several languages, and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch. But if there are translation errors, I’m sure the publishers will have it under control. I wrote and edited the English version. There’s never been no version I’ve produced which has names in it.” Omid went on to deny that he had ever written the names claiming: “There’s never been no version I’ve produced which has names in it.”
