01 December 2023 , 15:54
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Questions around Omid Scobie and Meghan Markle's relationship have been swirling for years, with the royal biographer insisting they are not 'pals', but admitting to some candid moments together.
In his new scandal-ridden book, , the 42-year-old journalist makes shocking allegations about the state of the monarchy, including details of Prince William and Harry's fractured relationship, fresh claims about the royal race row, King Charles' odd bedtime routine and royal staff members' reaction to Meghan's cruel nickname.
His inside knowledge has led many to question just how he gained such intimate access to the Royal Family. Scobie paints himself as an outsider in the royal press pack and claims not to be on personal terms with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, but some outlets and royal experts have called him a spokesperson for the couple.
Here, we take a look at just how well Scobie knows the Sussexes, from their initial meeting and heartfelt phone call, to testifying for them in court and shutting down his label of Meghan's 'mouthpiece'.
Farewell hugs and phone call
Scobie reportedly first met Meghan in 2015 at Toronto Fashion Week and was on such friendly terms that he reportedly gave the former Suits star a "big farewell hug" in Buckingham Palace following the Sussexes' final engagement as working royals.
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In his new book Endgame, the journalist gives insight into a heartfelt phone call he received from the Duchess back in 2018, before he co-authored the Sussexes biography, Finding Freedom. The pair bonded over the shared 'online harassment and threats' they were receiving, with Scobie saying he became a target due to his coverage of the Sussexes. Meghan, he said, decided to 'check in' to ask about his wellbeing.
Recounting the call, he writes in the book: "I received a call that I thought was from the couple's head of communications at the time, Sara Latham. We had been texting back and forth about an upcoming royal engagement. 'Hi, Omid!' a female voice chirped. It was different to Latham's northwestern American accent. 'It's Meghan.' I put my iced coffee down, not quite sure if the call was a prank. 'We saw your name keep coming up on our phone... and I just wanted to say hi, see how you're doing.' Sara had mentioned to her that I was dealing with my own harassment and threats."
Denying friendship
With the release of his latest offering, Scobie has tried to distance himself from Harry and Meghan. While he was once referred to as the Duchess' 'mouthpiece', he spoke out about claims he is friends with Meghan. Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, before the book dropped, he wrote: "And let's get this nonsense out the way - #ENDGAME is about the current state of the British Royal Family. It's not 'Harry and Meghan's book', I'm not 'Meg's pal', the Sussexes have nothing to do with it, their story is a small part of a much bigger one you can read in 12 days." Though he hasn't denied that his sources included briefings from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's team.
Scobie denied interviewing the Sussexes for his new book Endgame and shut down claims he was 'Meg's pal' (Good Morning America)When asked if Meghan and Harry were the ones to tell him the personal detail, Scobie insisted they weren't. The author told The Standard: "There's enough people around them and in their orbit who know the ins and outs of things", adding: "If there's ever been a private encounter with Meghan, I've spoken about it".
Scobie has since admitted to forming 'long-term friendships' with some of his sources in a new interview. Speaking to James O'Brien on the Full Disclosure podcast, the author explained why Kim Kardashian was one of his preferred celebrities to work with in his early journalist days. "I like to cultivate a long-term friendship, or relationship I should say. For me I'm always thinking what story do I want in six months time, in twelve months time, how do I get there? So it lands you in positions where you end up that Kim Kardashian is your source and you're emailing her directly and she's helping out stories for US Weekly," he explained.
"In fact she was a great example of someone who really gets it, because she would send over an email and it would say 'Kim says' - which was her quote - 'a source says' underneath [...] I've always really admired anyone who gets the process because of course there are people who don't want to be written about."
Later in the episode, he compared his dealings with Kensington Palace to being "just like Kim". Scobie claimed: "I remember those emails where there was an aide that would send us responses to all the questions and in red it was what you could use for sourced quotes and then in another colour it was just guidance."
Secret briefings
Scobie cites close friends of both Meghan and Harry in Endgame, but it's not the first time his relationship with the Sussex bubble has come under fire. Buried in an author's note at the back of the pages in his first book Finding Freedom, an admission reportedly states: "We have spoken to close friends of Harry and Meghan, royal aides and palace staff (past and present), the charities and organisations they have built long-lasting relationships with and, when appropriate, the couple themselves."
During Meghan's 2020 privacy lawsuit against The Mail on Sunday - after it published a letter that she had written to her estranged father - Scobie provided a supportive witness statement, affirming that, despite his claims, the couple hadn't been interviewed for Finding Freedom. Though Meghan later had to apologise to the court as it emerged her former chief of communications had been directed by the couple to brief the authors.
The writer then appeared in court earlier this year, where he testified during Prince Harry's hearing against a British group of newspapers in the High Court in London. Scobie insisted to the court that he does not have a personal relationship with either Harry or Meghan.
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He claimed he had never socialised with the prince after being probed on whether he had a "vested interest" in representing the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a good light in a bid to get ahead with his career. He insisted: "I don't have a close relationship [with the Duke and Duchess] personally."
The journalist, who added that he did not have Harry's number, said: "It's got to the point that when I get press releases from Harry and Meghan's people, I wait for other people to post it first so I don't have to deal with the Daily Mail articles saying that it came from me."
Elsewhere, his reporting in the aftermath of the Queen's death was questioned, as he said on television that her coffin would make the journey from "Scotland to the UK" via the royal train - however many viewers pointed out that Scotland is indeed part of the UK, while the coffin was flown to RAF Northolt in west London. He later owned up to the mishap, saying it was a "slip of the tongue and [I'm] happy to own it".