King Charles back for emergency talks with William and Kate amid royal race row

04 December 2023 , 11:32

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King Charles back for emergency talks with William and Kate amid royal race row

King Charles has returned to the UK reportedly to conduct emergency discussions with Prince William over royal racism claims that appeared in a Dutch version of author Omid Scobie's bombshell new book.

The monarch is said to have flown home from the Cop28 environment summit in Dubai in response to the publication of Endgame. A review copy released in the Netherlands appeared to name King Charles and Princess Kate as the two royals accused of commenting on the skin tone of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son Archie before he was born.

According to sources, top aides will come together to draw up a counter-response to the explosive book, which was released last week. It has been reported that officials will discuss the best way to deal with Endgame going forward but stressed "time and care" is needed for the strategy.

The Sussexes are said to have distanced themselves from the author (WireImage)

However, Palace sources insist all options remain “on the table”, including launching legal action against the author, who has previously been branded “Meghan’s mouthpiece”. The Californian-based couple have so far declined to comment on the furore despite coming under huge pressure to speak out about Scobie’s “research”, reports the Express.

King Charles is believed to be taking public concern surrounding the book “very seriously” and is worried about the damage it could cause to the Royal brand worldwide. However, senior advisers say the working Royal Family will this week continue carrying out their duties in a “business as usual” fashion, with the initial tactic to be seen to be “rising above” the row.

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Charles and Camilla are currently at Sandringham but will return to London midweek for a series of official engagements this week, including a ceremony at Buckingham Palace and a charity carol concert at Westminster Abbey. A source close to the Palace told the Sunday Telegraph: “Discussions [have been] had and we'll continue those discussions this week, but not in a crisis talks manner. Decisions [will be] made with care and time and professionalism rather than rushed over a weekend."

King Charles has reportedly jetted back home to hold discussions with Prince William (Getty Images)

King Charles attended the event in Dubai for several days (Getty Images)

In a further development, Buckingham Palace is investigating who at their end could potentially have seen the letters between the King and Meghan Markle in which the names were allegedly mentioned. However, sources say they are confident the leak has not come from within Palace walls, believing only a “tiny handful” of people have ever seen them.

Scobie has meanwhile attempted to distance himself from the Sussexes. He recently tweeted: "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."

When the Sussexes made their explosive allegations on Oprah, in an interview broadcast around the world, they set in motion a public debate about who in the royal family might have said anything about the tone of Archie's skin colour. In a multicultural modern Britain such allegations against the monarchy generated debate on a matter of such public importance with Scobie's new book claiming to add to that public debate.

Friends of the Duchess of Sussex have insisted that she “never intended for them to be publicly identified”. They insist that the contents of the letters were “not leaked to Mr Scobie by anyone in her camp”.

But one source close to the Royal Family has now called on Harry and Meghan to speak out publicly on the issue. They said: “For the couple that talked about 'death by a thousand no comments', the silence at this point is deafening.” Another source added that the decision not to respond was “interesting” given the Sussexes' previous complaints about not being supported against negative press stories.

Monica Charsley