Author Omid Scobie has insisted he never submitted a book with the names of two members of the royal family alleged to have raised “concerns” about the skin colour of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s son.
Dutch copies of his latest book, Endgame, have been pulled after they were reportedly named in the translation.
But speaking on ITV’s This Morning, Mr Scobie insisted: “I have never submitted a book that had their names in it.”
Mr Scobie said he was “frustrated” by the error, which is still being investigated.
He also said he has never used the word “racist” to describe the royals who allegedly questioned Archie’s skin colour, describing the incident as “unconscious bias” in the book.
His comments came after TV presenter Piers Morgan named the two senior royals on his TalkTV show and social media account.
Meghan claimed in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that an unidentified member of the monarchy – but not Queen Elizabeth II or the Duke of Edinburgh – raised “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born”.
Mr Scobie says he is not Harry and Meghan’s friend
In his book, Mr Scobie says two royals made the comment about Archie.
It was withdrawn in the Netherlands on the day it was published after reviewers saw it named one of them, while the name of the second was spotted in the Dutch edition called Final Battle, according to social media.
The book’s publisher said “an error occurred in the Dutch translation” and Mr Scobie has said the English version does not name the two royals because of UK laws.
The royal correspondent, who has been called a “mouthpiece” for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, said: “I’m not their friend.
“I have never sat down with Meghan privately for interviews, I have never exchanged information with Meghan, I’m not in their private world.”
Read more:
Who is Omid Scobie and what are his links to the royals?
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Mr Scobie, who previously co-authored the biography Finding Freedom about the Sussexes and their split from the Royal Family, said they are “irrelevant” to the future of the institution and that he has “very little interest” in their life in California.
The King is in Dubai for the COP28 summit
He said he knew his book would be “controversial” but complained of personal attacks, his father being harassed by tabloid journalists and death threats.
Mr Scobie, who describes Kate as a “Stepford wife-like”, said he tried to handle the royals in a “very respectful and mature way”.
“I would say that this book is written to sit at the heart of the conversation about the purpose, relevance and future of the Royal Family and whether some of the subjects in the book make people uncomfortable or not, they are still conversations we should be having,” he added.
Buckingham Palace has not officially commented on the controversy.
Meanwhile, the King said he has been “recovering” from having a “rather ancient birthday” as he began a series of engagements during a two-day trip to Dubai ahead of COP28.
Charles, who celebrated his 75th birthday on 14 November, met the president of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Thursday morning in the first of a number of bilateral discussions with world leaders.
The two men shook hands at a Dubai hotel and President Tinubu asked the King: “How are you?”
Charles, wearing a tan-coloured suit, replied: “I’m all right very much… just about.
“Having had a rather ancient birthday recently, recovering from the shock of that.”
