Copies of Omid Scobie’s newest royal book Endgame published in the Netherlands appeared to have named the second person accused of making racist comments about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s then-unborn son.
The book, published yesterday, revealed that two senior royals made remarks about Prince Archie’s skin colour while Meghan was still pregnant, and a paragraph in the Dutch preview edition seemed to name both people concerned.
Omid Scobie has said he is aware of the identity of the two individuals but has been prohibited by law from publishing the information in the UK.
During their interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sensationally revealed that conversations had been had in royal circles about what colour Archie’s skin would be when he was born.
One paragraph in the Dutch version seems to name both royals, but the entire passage has been omitted from the English copy, with sales of the book in the Netherlands “temporarily” on hold.
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Meghan and King Charles are known to have communicated via letter about the incident, with Endgame publishing details of these conversations.
But in the Dutch version an extra part is added, which reads: “it was revealed that XXX and XXX took part in such conversations about Archie.”
When referring to the letters it also states: “But in those private letters an identity was revealed and confirmed.”
A Dutch journalist spotted the passage and posted on social media that it must be removed, writing: “NL (Netherlands) version ‘Endgame’ must be withdrawn from sale, says Dutch publisher at request of the US agent.
“A number of passages have sparked debate, may not have been accurately presented. This seems to concern also the accusation against XXX (name redacted), about Archie’s skin color (sic).”
Dutch publishers Xander, who published Endgame in the Netherlands, said in a statement: “[We are] temporarily withdrawing the book by Omid Scobie from sale. An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified.”
Mr Scobie has stated he is not responsible for the mistake, telling Dutch chat show RTL Boulevard: “The book is in several languages, and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch.