Here are five prominent claims and quotes from Omid Scobie’s book about the royal family called Endgame:
– The King likes to have his shoelaces ironed
Scobie claims about Charles’s footwear: “When laces get even the smallest bit threadbare, a staff member must quickly switch them out with a fresh, ironed pair.”
– Two people – not one – raised questions about the skin colour of Meghan and Harry’s son Archie before he was born
In their interview with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex alleged an unidentified member of the monarchy – but not Queen Elizabeth II or her husband the Duke of Edinburgh – had, as Meghan said, raised “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born”.
Scobie claims in Endgame that two people, named in private letters between Charles and Meghan, raised questions about Archie’s skin colour.
He wrote: “But in the pages of these private letters, two identities were revealed. Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were.”
– Former prime minister Boris Johnson “irritated” the King over late Queen’s Speech
Last May, Charles deputised for his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, during the state opening of Parliament where he read the Queen’s Speech, the outline of Government business for the next session.
But the book claims: “Boris Johnson didn’t send over the speech until the very last minute, so an irritated Charles wasn’t given ample time to practice reading it. (‘Johnson has done everything he can to become the most unpopular prime minister the Windsors have ever known,’ an aide said with a laugh.)”
– Buckingham Palace’s vision of a scaled-back coronation to reflect the cost-of-living crisis lost out to Downing Street’s “full-fat” celebration
The King’s coronation on May 6 saw national celebrations staged and a concert held in the grounds of Windsor Castle.
But according to Endgame, the event may have looked different: “Prime Minister Sunak and the government approached the coronation from the opposite position. While Charles wanted to downsize, Sunak and Whitehall (the government) envisioned a full-fat celebratory weekend — the full monty of carriages, a big concert, and national celebration.”
Scobie goes on to write: “Downing Street prevailed, and Charles ceded his vision for a leaner affair.”
– What next for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex?
Meghan has spent time keeping “her head down” to focus on building her “own business”, according to Endgame.
Scobie wrote: “…a source said Meghan is building ‘something more accessible…something rooted in her love of details, curating, hosting, life’s simple pleasures, and family’.”
Harry appears to have come to terms with his fractious relationship with his brother and father, according to Scobie: “As Harry later explained to a friend, ‘I’m ready to move on past it. Whether we get an apology or accountability, who knows? Who really cares at this point?'”
