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1 year ago
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The reunion of the 'fab four' royals during a walkabout in Windsor the day after Queen Elizabeth passed away was preceded by a silent car journey, a bombshell royal book claims.
Endgame, by royal biographer Omid Scobie, reveals how the appearance of Kate Middleton, Prince William, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on September 9, 2022 at the Windsor Estate, was orchestrated by the Waleses' press secretary Lee Thompson to 'keep up appearances'.
In an interview with Paris Match Magazine, which also appears to have serialised part of the book, the royal author shares what he claims happened behind the scenes that day.
An extract from Endgame, which is published on Tuesday, November 28, claims that the 'silence was palpable' during the 150 second car journey from their residences to the Long Walk, which he says 'must have taken an eternity'.
In particular, he drew attention to 'the lack of communication between Meghan and Kate', as well as the tension between Prince Harry and Prince William.
The Princess of Wales 'shudders and giggles' when she hears Meghan Markle's name, a new royal book has reportedly claimed. Both pictured in 2018
It follows Prince Harry's own accounts in Spare, which recounted that Meghan had a strained relationship with his sister-in-law.
The rift between them was laid bare when the Duke of Sussex released his sensational tell-all memoir last year, writing in extraordinary detail about how the women were both left in tears during the infamous bridesmaid dress row.
He also detailed a disagreement over a shared lip gloss – and how Kate was left hurt by Meghan's comments about her 'baby brain' while pregnant.
Elsewhere, Harry revealed how the Waleses were left annoyed when the Sussexes didn't buy their family Easter gifts.
Endgame is also set to deal with allegations of race and bigotry within the Royal Family.
Scobie, who wrote a biography of the couple Finding Freedom in 2020, unveiled the cover of his latest project this month, calling it 'a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy'.
One chapter will be called 'Race and the Royals: Institutional Bigotry and Denial' and is likely to tackle claims of racism within the Firm.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously told US TV host Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed member of the Royal Family had questioned what skin colour their son Archie, at the time not yet born, was likely to have.
Palace aides have said they are unlikely to comment on the book, but told The Mail on Sunday any charges of racism will be 'robustly rebutted'.
The Sussexes repeatedly denied co-operating with Scobie and his co-author Carolyn Durand on Finding Freedom, but Meghan was later forced to admit in the High Court that she authorised an aide to brief the pair secretly.
Scobie, 42, who was the royal executive editor of Yahoo! News until July of this year, has also shared a sneak peek of what readers can expect from the book in a picture of his work posted to X/Twitter.
The front cover shows three royal couples; King Charles and Queen Camilla, the Prince and Princess of Wales, and Prince Harry and Meghan. The promotional material for the new book has already branded Prince William ' power-hungry' and Charles 'unpopular'.
A source told The Mail on Sunday earlier this month: 'I've been told this is bad, very bad. It is unlikely that Royal aides will comment, but if there are charges of racism, they will, of course, be robustly rebutted.'
Endgame is likely to cause further disquiet at Buckingham Palace. Although the author boasts that he interviewed family members, sources close to the Sussexes have previously distanced them from the book, indicating to MailOnline they had nothing to do with it.
The book, subtitled 'Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival', is billed as an 'explosive' look at events surrounding the Queen's death.
The Amazon sales pitch states: 'Queen Elizabeth II's death ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor – and dismantled the protective shield around it.'
Scobie claims to have interviewed 'current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the Royals and even the family members themselves'.
It was due to be published in August, but the date was pushed back to include events surrounding the Coronation.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously told US TV host Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed member of the Royal Family had questioned what skin colour their son Archie, at the time not yet born, was likely to have
In Spare, Harry detailed a disagreement over a shared lip gloss – and how Kate was left hurt by Meghan's comments about her 'baby brain' while pregnant. Kate pictured earlier this month
Palace aides have said they are unlikely to comment on the book, but told The Mail on Sunday any charges of racism will be 'robustly rebutted'. Meghan pictured earlier this month
A publishing source in America told The Mail on Sunday: 'The word is this is going to have bombshell after bombshell. Some are even speculating it may name the person who questioned what colour Archie's skin would be.
'Everyone knows Omid is the Sussexes' unofficial mouthpiece, so it's fair to say there will be a huge deal of interest in this book on both sides of the Atlantic.'
Chapter headings include: 'Shaky Ground: The Queen is Dead, the Monarchy Faces Trouble'; 'The Fall of Prince Andrew: Scandal, Shame and Silencing Jane Doe'; 'Race and the Royals: Institutional Bigotry and Denial'; 'Gloves On: Prince William, Heir to the Throne'; and 'Gloves Off: Prince Harry, Man on a Mission'.
Publisher HarperCollins has previously said that the book will 'have the world talking', and Scobie has warned it will reveal moments the Royals should be 'ashamed of'.
In Finding Freedom, Scobie wrote in detail about the first night Meghan and Harry spent together and recounted seemingly verbatim conversations between the Sussexes and senior royals.
He has continued to be a favoured journalist for the Sussexes and is often the first to post information about their charitable endeavours and awards on social media.
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