by A royal author has said there is an inquiry into how the Dutch version of his new book named two senior members of the British royal family who allegedly discussed the skin color of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s unborn son.
In an edition that has now been withdrawn from the bookshelves, King Charles and the Princess of Wales were named as having taken part in conversations about Prince Archie before his birth, according to allegations in the book which were broadcast on TV programs in the UK and the Netherlands.
The book claims there were conversations about Archie about how he started a debate about whether there was “unconscious bias” in the royal family.
Buckingham Palace declined to respond on Thursday. “It’s not something we’re going to comment on,” a spokesperson told the Guardian.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan used his TalkTV show on Wednesday to name the members of the royal family featured in a translated version of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival.
Speaking to ITV’s This Morning on Thursday, Scobie insisted he had “never submitted a book with their names in it”, and could only speak about the English version he had written.
He said he did not use the word “racist”, and that his book referred to “unconscious bias”. He claimed that “other journalists on Fleet Street have known those names for a long time”.
He said the inclusion of the names was “still under investigation at the moment. I wrote and edited the English version of the book with one publisher. That then gets licensed to other publishers. Obviously I can’t speak Italian, German, French, Dutch or any of the other languages. So the only time you hear about the book is when it’s out publicly.
“I’m as frustrated as everyone else. The truth is, however, that this is information that I am not privy to. Those names have been known to journalists across Fleet Street for a long time. We’ve all followed a sort of code of conduct when we talk about it.”
He said the Dutch book was immediately canceled and was being reprinted: “I’m glad to hear that.”
When asked if he was upset about the names appearing, he said: “I have never submitted a book with their names in it. So I can only talk about my version. I’m obviously frustrated, but I wouldn’t say I’m upset about it because, to be honest, I’ve been operating in an emotionless bubble for the past 10 days. But I’m frustrated by what many of the other things I’ve seen or written about the book have said.”
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, Meghan claimed that at least one member of the royal family had a “conversation” with Harry about their child’s skin color.
Scobie said: “First of all, I have never used the word racist in this matter. Even the book makes it clear that we are talking about unconscious bias here.
“We’re talking about a conversation that was raised about Archie’s skin color, which they called a “concern”. For me, it was important to get to the bottom of that; why wasn’t it covered again, why did the Sussexes never talk about it, what happened behind the scenes? The Palace said it was being dealt with privately. Was there?”
The Dutch royal reporter Rick Evers has posted a video pointing out the passages in the book that King Charles and Catherine named in relation to the allegation, and which do not appear in the English version.
On Wednesday night, Morgan said he was repeating the claims to encourage open debate.
He told the audience: “I’m going to tell you the names of the two senior royals named in that Dutch version of the book because, well, if a Dutch person wandering into a bookshop can pick it up and see these names , then. you, the British people, here – who pay for the British royal family – are also entitled to information.
“And then we can have a more open debate about this whole farrago because I don’t believe that anyone in the royal family has ever made any racist comments, and until there is actual evidence that those comments are being made, I don’t believe that ever .
“The members of the Royal family named in this book are King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales.”
The pair were also named in reports from non-UK media, including Sky News Australia and the New York Post.
The book’s publishers, Xander, said a re-edited Dutch version of the book, without the names, would appear in bookstores in the Netherlands on Friday.
Excerpts translated from the drawing book claim that Charles was identified in letters as the royal who speculated on Archie’s skin colour. Another passage refers more obliquely to Catherine in relation to the accusation. He claimed that Meghan and Charles exchanged letters about “unconscious bias within the family after it was revealed that the king and Princess of Wales were involved in such conversations about Archie”.
Speaking to Dutch television program RTL Boulevard Scobie said: “If there are translation errors, I’m sure the publishers will take care of it. I wrote and edited the English version. There’s never been a version that I’ve produced that has names on it.”
