Sophie Wessex left 'upset' over 'bigot' insults in Endgame, claims expert
Sophie Wessex is said to have been left "upset" after her comments about Oprah Winfrey were labelled as "casually bigoted" by Omid Scobie, an expert has claimed.
The Duchess of Edinburgh will have been left reeling by the insult which was included in controversial new book Endgame, a royal expert insists. Author Scobie has accused Sophie and Prince Edward of writing "yet another page to add to the history of recent screw ups" referencing remarks made by them following Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's explosive Oprah interview.
Days after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's televised conversation with the chat show queen in 2021, Edward and Sophie shared a laugh about the bombshell interview with The Daily Telegraph, jokingly replying, "Oprah who?" and "what interview?" when asked whether or not they'd tuned in.
Scobie claims that Sophie also appeared to ignore Meghan at the Queen's funeral (Ken McKay/ITV/REX/Shutterstock)
Sophie Wessex attends The Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance at Royal Albert Hall on November 11, 2023 (Getty Images)Sophie, 58, then went on to state: "You know, if you're not into chat shows, there's no reason why you should know who she is. Certainly not this this country, anyway." Mr Scobie responded by saying the comments made Sophie appear "tin-eared" about Ms Winfrey in his book Endgame, which was released on Tuesday.
Speaking about the Duchess, Mr Scobie wrote: "Whether it was a 'joke' (as a source close to the couple later claimed it was) or not, the comments about the world's most successful Black woman and one of the biggest faces in entertainment made them seem stuffy or tin-eared at best, and casually bigoted at worst."
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A royal commentator has claimed that she will have reacted negatively to being called "casually bigoted". Talking to GB News expert Gareth Russell said he believed that the book was a deliberate attempt to put distance between the Sussexes and the other royals as things become even more strained.
He accused the royal pair of writing 'yet another page to add to the history of recent screw ups' (Getty Images)He explained: "I think the book is an exercise in bridge-burning. Intentionally or, as looks tentatively likely, unintentionally, the Sussexes look like they've set fire to nearly every relationship within the royal family. Sweeping judgements, like describing the Duchess of Edinburgh as 'casually bigoted,' is a new tactic and I would imagine quite upsetting for Sophie. But while it’s early days yet, the book does not seem to have been created by a tidal wave of credulity.”
Mr Scobie argued that Sophie and Edward's remarks could also be used as evidence to support the notion that the British monarchy is an "intolerant organisation steeped in bigotry and privilege". He went on to claim that Sophie also 'noticeably' appeared to ignore Meghan outside Westminster Abbey at the late Queen Elizabeth II's state funeral, as did Kate Middleton and Queen Camilla.
According to Mr Scobie, Meghan had to endure 'snubs and brush-offs' during her and Prince Harry's stay, as well as 'the same old power trips'. He further claimed that Sophie and Edward very rarely get any press, with their 2023 trip only featuring in the Cayman Compass and Cayman News Service.
During a conversation with a 'top Fleet Street Editor' about Sophie and Edward, Mr Scobie says he was told: "I'd have more luck putting my mum on the front page." Other claims revolved around Sophie and Edward's March 2022 trip to Antigua, during which they apparently 'smiled' and 'waved' to audiences who were 'demanding apologies and reparatory justice' for Britain's colonial past in the Caribbean.
Reports of the rift between the Sussexes and the rest of the royal family have only deepened this week. It comes as the Dutch translation of Mr Scobie's latest book – Endgame – was removed from shelves just after it was published in the Netherlands - and hit the headlines after an apparent error that named King Charles and the Princess of Wales as the two royals who voiced "concerns" over the skin tone of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie.
Charles and Kate were named in the Dutch version of Mr Scobie's book - and while confirming an investigation had begun at the publishers responsible for the translation, he denied including the identities of the two senior royals in his manuscript. A statement said: "Xander Uitgevers is temporarily withdrawing the book Eindstrijd by Mr Scobie from sale. An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified."
When the Sussexes made their explosive allegations on Oprah in 2021, in an interview broadcast around the world, they set in train a public debate about who in the royal family might harbour such racially charged views. In a multicultural modern Britain such allegations against the monarchy generated debate on a matter of such public importance with Mr Scobie's new book claiming to add to that public debate.
Speaking of his frustration with the scandal that has sent shockwaves through the monarchy, Mr Scobie laid the blame squarely on the publisher in the Netherlands, saying: "I never submitted a book that had those names in it." But in a twist, the Dutch translator who worked on the book insisted the titles of the King and Princess of Wales were in the manuscript she was sent. Saskia Peeters claimed she did not add the names to the Dutch version of the book.
The Royal Family has not commented on the allegations publicly but we reported that The Firm was set to take legal advice. Palace aides were said to be still scrambling for information as to how excerpts in the Dutch version could have appeared as an "error" from the translated text.
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