An author whose book triggered a row over allegations of racism within the Royal Family has said the naming of two people in one edition was not a deliberate publicity stunt.
Omid Scobie told BBC Newsnight he did not know how a Dutch translation of Endgame came to include the names. Two royals are reported to have asked about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's unborn baby. Scobie said he swore “on my life” the naming was not an orchestrated stunt.
He said a “full investigation” was under way to discover how the names were included, adding the English version of the book “I wrote, the book I edited, didn't have names in it”. The passage relates to allegations made by Prince Harry and Meghan during their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
In the English version of the book, Scobie claimed there had been two people involved and that he knew their identities, but he said for legal reasons the names could not be disclosed. However, the Dutch language edition of his book, entitled Eindstrijd, appeared to identify the two royals alleged to have been involved in the conversation.
Broadcaster Piers Morgan identified the two royals alleged to have made the comments on his television show on Wednesday, and some other media outlets have since followed suit. When asked about reports that Buckingham Palace was considering legal action over Morgan naming the two royals, a Palace spokesperson said “we're exploring all options”.
Scobie told the BBC he “found out on social media” about controversy surrounding the Dutch translation, and said he is “looking forward to finding out more”. Asked whether the names had been deliberately included in the Dutch version to generate interest in the book, Scobie said he was “hurt” by “conspiracy theories that this is a publicity stunt”.
He continued: “All of this is frustrating because it feeds into something that couldn't be further from the truth. And also, quite frankly, I've always felt the names weren't needed to have this discussion”. Scobie said the row has “overshadowed” the release of the book, and that he has received several death threats in the aftermath.
Asked if he would apologise for the naming, he said: “It's not for me to apologise because I still want to know what has happened.” On Thursday morning, Scobie told ITV's this morning he had “never submitted a book that had their names in it”.
The Dutch version has been withdrawn from sale. Publishing house Xander Uitgevers said the book would be re-released on Friday in a “rectified” version.
“An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified,” said its managing director, Anke Roelen, on Tuesday night.
Representatives of Prince Harry and Meghan have not commented on the book.
— CutC by bbc.com
