King Charles III recently celebrated his the one-year anniversary of his accession to the throne. Less than three months later, his reign went through its first crisis. The reason for this is a book that was published a few hundred kilometers east of the canal. It concerns the Dutch edition of “Endgame”, the latest investigative work by royal expert Omid Scobie.
This was apparently released in a faulty version and was taken off the market just a few hours after it went on sale. “We are working on a correction in the translation,” the publisher announced on its website on Thursday. But the dangerous passages were already in the world.
In order to understand what is so critical about the version that has already been scrapped, you have to go back a bit. In spring 2021, a TV interview by Meghan and Harry, both of whom were confidants of Omid Scobie, made waves. In an interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Meghan dropped a little bombshell: During her pregnancy, there were “concerns and conversations” at the palace about how dark her future son’s skin would be.
The Sussexes remained silent about which member of the royal family it was. But that only fueled the rumor mill. Harry later made it clear that it was neither the Queen nor her husband Prince Philip – but the racism scandal was out of the world.
In “Endgame,” Meghan’s confidante Scobie refers to an exchange of letters between the Duchess and the current king, then Prince Charles. The English edition of “Endgame” says: “But in the pages of these private letters, two identities were revealed.” According to Scobie, there were not one, but two people who expressed concerns about Archie’s skin color. The author does not mention names in this version.
However, it can be read in the Dutch edition: In that version of the book it says with reference to the correspondence: “But in these private letters the identity was revealed and confirmed: Charles. The king wanted to answer Meghan and make it clear that he had no ill will “There was no intention or accidental prejudice when the two discussed his future grandson, sources claim.” Dutch nobility expert Rick Evers showed a photo with the corresponding page from the book on X, formerly Twitter. In another tweet he names Princess Kate as the second person.
How this could happen is unclear. Scobie said on the British television station ITV that he had never submitted a book containing the name. Rick Evers, on the other hand, is convinced that the name was included in Scobie’s manuscript – but was deleted from the final English version for legal reasons. However, a “translation error,” as the Dutch publisher writes, is unlikely.
What exactly Charles is said to have said remains unclear. Did he make a rude joke – in the tradition of his father Prince Philip? Did someone misunderstand one of the king’s sentences? Or has someone even started a rumor?
This can no longer be clarified. Harry and Meghan remain silent. The rumor is out there – and King Charles III. can’t even defend myself.
Sources: Daily Mail, Rick Evers on X
