Meghan Markle's incendiary allegation that a royal made racially charged comments about her unborn child resurfaced when the Dutch-language version of a new book named them—seemingly in error.
Endgame by Omid Scobie described how letters sent between King Charles III and Meghan in the aftermath of her Oprah Winfrey interviewed named two royals allegedly involved in the conversation.
However, Dutch journalists then circulated images on social media showing the version of the book on sale in Holland had named the pair, triggering a major storm with the risk of lawsuits and a new royal rift between the Sussexes and the royals.
How the Names Leaked via Endgame
They are the names that royal watchers have been desperate to know for more than two-and-a-half years and initially Scobie gave a tantalizing account of how he knew them but was legally barred from revealing them.
That all appeared to change when the Dutch version of the book contained the two names, in two entirely separate sections. Copies had to be pulled from shelves as a result.
This was initially said to be the result of a translation error but the English and Dutch-language versions appear to differ significantly, raising questions about how a translator could have inserted new passages into a manuscript.
Dutch publisher Xander Uitgevers, using the Dutch name for the book, simply referred to the inclusion of the names as an error in a statement released to Newsweek: "The rectified edition of Eindstrijd by Omid Scobie will be in bookstores on Friday 8 December.
"Xander Uitgevers temporarily removed the book from sale, due to an error that occurred in the Dutch edition."
Harper Collins, the U.S. publisher, suggested queries should be addressed to Xander Uitgevers when asked by Newsweek whether the English-language manuscript sent to the Dutch publisher had contained the names.
What Omid Scobie Said About His Manuscript
Commentators theorized it may have been a case of the wrong manuscript being sent to the Dutch publisher for translation but Scobie himself said he has never produced a version which had the names in. He has not clarified whether they are accurate or not.
"I wrote and edited the English version of the book with one publisher," he told ITV's This Morning on Thursday. "That then gets licensed to other publishers. I obviously can't speak Italian, German, French, Dutch or any of the other languages.
"So, the only time you hear about the book is once its come out in the public domain. I'm as frustrated as everyone else."
On Tuesday, he told Dutch TV: "There's never been no version that I've produced that has names in it."
The question therefore remains how the Dutch publisher's version came to contain names that were, according to Scobie, never in the English version.
Passages that were in the published English version did not appear in the Dutch version and, more than just the names themselves, passages in the Dutch version did not appear in the English version.
Saga Sparks Social Media Theories
Theories abounded on social media and among commentators with some suggesting a PR stunt to publicize the book, though there is nothing to independently confirm that narrative. Newsweek approached both Harper Collins and Xander Uitgevers for comment.
The Dutch publisher told Newsweek simply: "Xander Uitgevers temporarily removed the book from sale, due to an error that occurred in the Dutch edition."
Eric Schiffer, chair of Reputation Management Consultants, told Newsweek one possibility is that it could have been "a desperate PR move by the publisher knowing that they had limited new content."
Piers Morgan Names the Royal Two
The names circulated merrily on Twitter while the mainstream media maintained a vow of silence fueled by strict privacy laws—until Piers Morgan became the first major U.K. figure to broadcast them.
On live TV, he said: "I'm going to cut through all this c***. I'm going to tell you the names of the two senior royals who are named in the Dutch version of that book because, frankly, if Dutch people wandering into a bookshop can pick it up and see these names then you, British people, here, who actually pay for the British royal family—you're entitled to know too and then we can have a more open debate about this whole farrago.
"Because I don't believe any racist comments were ever made by any of the royal family, and until there is actual evidence of those comments being made, I will never believe it but now we can start the process of finding out if they ever got uttered, what the context was and whether there was any racial intent at all.
"Like I say, I don't believe there was. The royals who are named in this book are—"
He then revealed the two names included in the Dutch version, though Scobie still has not confirmed whether they are accurate.
The Risk of Legal Action
Morgan's comments may have defended the royals but also represent a challenge to the palace who must now decide whether or not to sue him, Scobie or the Dutch publisher.
If they choose not to, they run the risk it becomes open season on naming the individuals in the Dutch edition.
EU privacy laws, incorporated into British law via the Human Rights Act in 1997, make the contents of private letters protected, meaning there is a legal basis to sue.
And it is now known British judges take such protections extremely seriously after Meghan won a privacy case against The Mail on Sunday over the publication of extracts from a private letter to her father.
However, if the palace decide to sue, it will look defensive and create the impression they care more about sweeping the allegation under the carpet than demonstrating to the public that the monarchy does not have a race problem.
The Impact on Royal Relations
Another factor is whether the whole saga risks inflaming the rift between the Sussexes and the U.K. royals, with speculation rampant about where Scobie's information came from.
He told ITV: "I'm not their [Harry and Meghan's] friend. I've never sat down with Meghan privately for interviews, I've never exchanged information with Meghan, I'm not in their private world whatsoever."
However, some denials were extended by the Sussex camp after Scobie's first book Finding Freedom, only for it to be revealed at the High Court in London that Harry and Meghan had in fact authorized their then-Kensington Palace spokesperson to supply information for the book in December 2018.
Whether Scobie's denials are true or not, many in the media and commentariate have not been persuaded.
Schiffer said: "[The book] seems intended to create a strategic rift between the king and William, which raises questions about who may be feeding that and who benefits from it.
"This is a guy who has a relationship with Harry and Meghan, who may want to create a break between the two."
Scobie, clearly, would deny that characterization.
The Reputation of the Monarchy
A final issue is the reputation of the monarchy itself, with Meghan's original allegations initially appearing to indicate racism at the heart of a public institution—though Harry later clarified that they do not believe the remarks were racist.
The leak of the two names brings the issue back to the forefront of people's minds at a time when there are signs in polling of declining support in Britain for the monarchy.
A survey by Savanta on behalf of anti-monarchy campaign group Republic showed 34 percent of U.K. adults wanted to abolish the crown compared with 52 percent who want to continue with the king.
Newsweek asked Graham Smith, chief executive of Republic, whether the latest storm could tip those numbers even further: "Yes it could, partly because people will believe the accusations. Not everybody but some will. But also people get tired of the soap opera."
Schiffer disagreed: "That will not punch through unless they're willing to put it in the U.S. version and the other versions. If they are, then yes, now there's something that they can hold on to."
Jack Royston is chief royal correspondent for Newsweek, based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jack Royston is Newsweek's Chief Royal Correspondent based in London, U.K. He reports on the British royal family—including King Charles ... Read more
