What We Learned From Omid Scobie's New Book About The Royal Family
We are, it seems, endlessly fascinated by the drama of the royal family. From Netflix's hit series "The Crown" to the many documentaries about the members of the firm, we can't seem to get enough of them. Now, there's a brand new tell-all book about the royals causing a fair amount of stir. "Endgame" by Omid Scobie, a London-based royals expert, has hit the shelves.
According to publisher Harper Collins, it's an "explosive new book" that offers "a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy." The description went on to describe how it would portray the royals we all know: "An unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to great lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family."
Naturally, we are all very intrigued. Here are some of the biggest revelations to come out of the book so far.
Both Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle were told to 'cosplay' as Diana
The public adored Princess Diana — in fact, since her death, she's become something of a cult figure. To this day, she remains extremely popular. So, it should come as no surprise that the next generation of princesses were sometimes encouraged to imitate her. However, you may be shocked to learn that both Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle were actually asked to dress up as the late princess.
As Omid Scobie wrote in his book, Catherine and Meghan were sometimes asked to "cosplay" as Diana in an attempt to "leverage her popularity" (via Cosmopolitan). "Diana cosplay has become a royal staple," Scobie wrote (via People), adding that their husbands, Prince William and Prince Harry, would always be involved in the plans to recreate Diana's outfits. Although Scobie noted it could be a "sweet gesture," he also described feeling "queasy" about the morbid cosplaying.
Princess Catherine has allegedly become synonymous with the institution
Who is Princess Catherine really? Lately, the Princess of Wales has certainly seemed to be the monarchy's dream come true. She always comes across as the perfect, polite princess at every royal event — she wears the right thing, says the right thing, and does the right thing. But according to Omid Scobie's "Endgame," there is a reason for all this.
Apparently, there is now no difference between her and the royal institution she married into. In fact, Scobie alleges that Catherine has been completely transformed into the ideal figurehead for which the monarchy represents.
As Scobie put it, she is now an "institutional dream come true" having "successfully sublimated her authentic self, becoming an enigma to the public and perhaps even herself." Her transformation allegedly included some intensive accent classes, which left her sounding "posher" than even Prince William (via Independent). In other words, according to Scobie, Catherine has become so subsumed by the system that she might not even know who she is anymore. A pretty bold claim!
Princess Catherine allegedly ignored Meghan Markle's need for mental health support
As any royal fan probably knows, there have been a lot of reports about the allegedly tumultuous relationship between Princess Catherine and Meghan Markle. Were they friends? Or were they more reluctant sisters-in-law? While the tabloids have often painted their relationship as a volatile one, other reports suggested that the pair were simply indifferent to each other. "I was talking to someone very early on in the Sussex marriage who had been at a dinner with Kate and had been asking about Meghan," said True Royalty TV co-founder Nick Bullen to Fox News. "And Kate just said, 'She's just really different [from] the rest of us.' And not in a negative way. They just didn't have lots in common."
However, according to Omid Scobie's book, Catherine might have actually been actively "cold" toward her new sister-in-law. One source the author quoted claimed that she can be "cold if she doesn't like someone." Scobie went on to note that it was ironic considering the fact that Catherine claims to be a mental health advocate. "Advocating for mental health causes — the mental health of mothers, for that matter — but ignoring her own sister-in-law's cries for help seemed out of character for someone the public knew as sweet and easy to get along with," Scobie wrote of Catherine (via Sky News).
There's an alleged rift between King Charles and Prince Harry
The relationship between King Charles III and his youngest son, Prince Harry, has also been the subject of plenty of tabloid gossip — especially since Harry made the decision to leave behind his royal duties for a quiet life in California with his family. Things apparently got worse between the father and son after Harry's explosive Netflix documentary "Harry & Meghan" came out in 2022, which included several revelations about the inner workings of the royal family.
In "Endgame," Omid Scobie wrote that Charles "went from not wanting anyone to talk about his son to openly criticising 'that fool'" (via the Evening Standard). Scobie went on to describe how Harry wants his father to be accountable. He is apparently looking for "apologies." However, Scobie adds, Charles is too "stubborn." All Charles offers, allegedly, is "a half-hearted declaration that [Harry and Meghan Markle] would always have 'somewhere' to stay." Scobie's source added that Harry now has little hope their relationship will get better.
Different houses in the royal family have different stories they tell the press
There are different factions within the royal family who all have their own agendas. As Omid Scobie paints it in "Endgame," different "houses" in the family often present the press with their version of events — sometimes, even targeting other groups in the family.
Apparently, certain groups within the royal family also have special relationships with specific newspapers. "If you're reading coverage in the [Daily] Mail about Camilla, the relationship between the Daily Mail and Camilla and their royal correspondent is much cozier than you would find with any other journalist in that press pack," Scobie told Elle in an interview about his book. "Anything about Camilla [in the Daily Mail] is always going to be presented in extremely positive light. If it's a situation involving another member of the royal family, you can guarantee that in that case Camilla is always going to come out well in the story."
Tensions were high in the family after the queen's death
Queen Elizabeth II's death in 2022 naturally sent shockwaves around the world, and apparently, within the royal family itself, things were no different. In fact, according to Omid Scobie's book, tensions were running extremely high, especially for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. When the queen fell sick, Scobie claimed in his book, Harry was summoned to Balmoral but had no idea how serious her illness was.
According to the book, "Endgame," Harry reached out to his brother, Prince William, to ask if they could travel together, but he was rejected. "It was upsetting to witness. [Harry] was completely by himself on this," Scobie's source said in the book (via the Independent). When Harry reached out again, "William ignored him. He clearly didn't want to see his brother," revealed the source.
Apparently, the family didn't even bother to tell Harry that the queen had died — instead, he learned the news from his wife after she saw it on the news. "Harry was crushed," said a friend of Harry's in the book. "His relationship with the queen was everything to him. She would have wanted him to know before it went out to the world."
The book referenced two royal racists
One of the biggest revelations to come from Omid Scobie's book on the royals has been something of an accident. In the original English version of the book, Scobie refers to two royals who allegedly raised concerns about the color of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's children's skin — Harry and Meghan had also referenced the incident during their interview with Oprah Winfrey. "In those months when I was pregnant ... we have in tandem the conversation of, 'He won't be given security. He's not going to be given a title,' and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born," Meghan told Winfrey in 2021 (via the Independent).
Although Scobie didn't name these two royals in his book, due to an alleged "translation error," the royals were named in the Dutch translation as Princess Catherine and King Charles III, as Piers Morgan later revealed (via the Independent).
Apparently, Meghan and Charles exchanged a series of letters, which contained the names of the "royal racists." Although some people claimed that Meghan must have shared her letters with Scobie for his book, Scobie and Meghan have denied these rumors.
Prince William allegedly thinks Prince Harry has been brainwashed
Omid Scobie's "Endgame" contains a few insights into what the royals might secretly be thinking about each other. According to the book, Prince William isn't exactly a big fan of Prince Harry since his move to America. In fact, he allegedly thinks he's changed a little too much. As Scobie puts it, William thinks Harry is now "oh so California." William apparently blames an "army of therapists" for transforming Harry. "He feels he has lost Harry and doesn't want to know this version of him," said a source (via the Independent).
Harry has previously spoken about how therapy in California has helped him deal with the "trauma" of losing his mother and of serving in Afghanistan. "The biggest struggle for me was that no one around me really could help," he said in the documentary "Harry & Meghan" (via PopSugar). "I didn't have that support structure, that network, or that expert advice to identify what was actually going on with me."
Queen Camilla was sympathetic to Meghan Markle
Even though Omid Scobie's book may paint a pretty dismal picture of the relationship between Meghan Markle and the rest of the royal family, there is one exception — apparently, Meghan and Camilla, Queen Consort, had a slightly better relationship.
According to the book, Camilla has "great sympathy" for Meghan (via Independent). However, she doesn't exactly approve of their interviews and documentary. As a source told Scobie, she has "no respect for the way [she and Prince Harry] handled themselves."
Despite her sympathy for Meghan, it seems that Camilla doesn't have much of a relationship with the American royal. However, she has become close with her sister-in-law, Princess Catherine, and her husband, Prince William. "In the early days it would have been unimaginable to think that one day William and Kate would meet Charles and Camilla for laugh-filled lunches, but the two couples have grown increasingly closer over the years, especially since the Sussexes' departure," wrote Scobie in his book (via Express).
Prince William is already eyeing the throne
Ever since his father, King Charles III, succeeded to the throne, Prince William has been next in line. And if Omid Scobie's "Endgame" is anything to go by, he's pretty eager to take over. According to Scobie, William has a lot of ideas about how his reign will go — many of which include modernizing the institution. He wants to implement what Scobie calls "the Cambridge way" (via Euronews). Elsewhere in the book, he calls William a "power-hungry heir to the throne." Apparently, William frequently presents his father with his opinions on how things should be run. According to Scobie, William is "not giving his father the same space" Charles had given Queen Elizabeth II (via the Independent).
All of this has allegedly led to some tension between the father and son as Charles feels smothered. "Distrust and simmering animosity between father and son are nothing new to their working relationship," Scobie put it in his book (via Sky News).
King Charles is apparently struggling to control the family
King Charles III may be in charge of the country, but as Omid Scobie's "Endgame" explains, he might not be very good at being in charge of his own family. Many believe that the king should have been more in control of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, who are thought to have acted out against the family when they spoke out about their experiences as royals.
"His ineptitude surrounding the Harry and Meghan saga has effectively turned the couple into the disruptors they were feared to become in the first place," wrote Scobie, adding that Charles "is still dealing with the fallout from his inability to convene and command his own family" (via Sky News). By the sounds of things, some people within the family are struggling to trust Charles after what is seen as an inability to make royals like Harry and Meghan fall into line.
King Charles wears ironed shoelaces
The royals are known for their idiosyncrasies. Queen Elizabeth II allegedly didn't let anyone else pet her corgis. Prince Phillip created his own machine to stop ice from clinking in the glass. Princess Anne prefers to eat expired bananas. Now, thanks to Omid Scobie's "Endgame," we have another weird royal habit to add to the list: Apparently, King Charles III likes his shoelaces to be ironed. In fact, he demands a "fresh, ironed pair" of laces each day (via the Evening Standard). After all, what king would put up with wrinkled shoelaces?
But that's not the only thing Charles likes just so. He likes his eggs cooked for "four minutes — no more, no less, or they'll be sent back to the kitchen in infantile fury," wrote Scobie (via Page Six). He also requires "perfectly steamed" sheets with a 1,000 thread count along with pressed pajamas. When it comes time to brush his teeth, Charles allegedly "likes to have someone squeeze exactly one inch of toothpaste onto his toothbrush for him ahead of his bedtime routine."
Queen Camilla is not a fan of the gluten-free trend
Camilla, Queen Consort, apparently isn't a fan of the latest batch of food trends — namely, she doesn't approve of the gluten-free craze. Although Camilla doesn't ban family members from getting gluten-free options, seeing gluten-free menus can "irk" her. She is also apparently frustrated by other dietary restrictions like veganism (via the Evening Standard).
"Even gluten-free or dairy-free options on a restaurant menu irk her," Scobie wrote (via the Daily Beast). Maybe Camilla doesn't realize that she doesn't have to order those items — and some people have very real food intolerances! However, it's clear that Camilla loves her carbs just the way they are — and that's one thing we can kind of get behind.
However, Scobie's book also claims that Camilla's distrust of modern trends includes rolling her eyes at discussions of gender identity — perhaps that's one area where the queen could afford to be more open-minded and forward-thinking.
Princess Anne wanted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle evicted from Frogmore Cottage
It seems that quite a few members of the royal family weren't exactly pleased by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's decision to leave the fold — including Princess Anne. According to Omid Scobie's book, Anne suggested to King Charles III that he effectively evict Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage after their announcement, as the cottage was technically a royal property.
Anne allegedly "persuaded Charles to withdraw the use" of the cottage, Scobie wrote (via InStyle). Apparently, she was "at the forefront of the supporters of the firm approach" to evict them from their residence — even though it had been a gift from Queen Elizabeth II.
Eventually, the eviction took place, with news dropping in March 2023 that the couple had been "requested to vacate" (via the BBC). By June of that year, the couple had left and moved to America permanently. Although the couple had renovated the property, they were paid for their expense. "Safe to say that, as has previously been stated, the duke and duchess have paid for the expenditure incurred by the Sovereign Grant in relation to the renovation of Frogmore Cottage, thus leaving the Crown with a greatly enhanced asset," Sir Michael Stevens, keeper of the Privy Purse said at the time (via Sky News).