Meghan and Kate ‘never had a chance to get that close’ and ‘haven’t had a proper conversation in years’, Omid Scobie claims as fallout from his controversial book Endgame continue
Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton 'haven't had a good conversation in several years,' claims Omid Scobie.
The Sussexes' favorite journalist has once again lashed out at the Princess of Wales for being distant from the mental health ambassador as the Duchess of Sussex struggled with suicidal thoughts during her pregnancy with Archie.
The under-fire Endgame author blamed Prince Harry's rocky relationship with his brother William, as detailed in the Duke of Sussex's memoir Spare, for Meghan and Kate not having the chance to get so close.
The latest comments come as fallout from his controversial 400-page book continues after King Charles and Kate were named in the Dutch version as the senior royals who reportedly discussed Archie's skin color before he was born.
Buckingham Palace officials will meet with Prince William's aides this week for critical talks on how to deal with the fallout from allegations of racism, with legal action on the table.
Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle haven't had a good conversation in years, claims Omid Scobie
In a sit-down interview with the Associated Press, Scobie, 42, said there remains a distance between Kate and Meghan to this day.
“The friendship or the relationship between Meghan and Kate, or lack thereof, is largely to do with even in those early days, and we didn't know it at the time, but we've since learned thanks to Harry's memoir, because William and his brother just were not. close, Meghan and Kate almost never had the chance to get this close,” he said.
'The Palace has certainly never been shy about telling all journalists in the press, including myself, that 'these are two very different women. They may not have much in common, but at least there is respect.'
“But I think, as we've seen over the years, it's questionable whether that respect even exists.”
Meghan tearfully opened up in a bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021 about having “suicidal thoughts” when she was five months pregnant due to the stress of royal life.
Mr Scobie has already taken a swipe at Kate in his book, calling her “cold” and “a Stepford woman”, and appeared to attack her again for what she was like during Meghan's darkest days.
“There would be times when Meghan, whether she was liked or not, was at her lowest point because during her time as a working royal she spoke about the suicidal thoughts she had during her pregnancy,” he said.
Meghan tearfully revealed to Oprah Winfrey during bombshell interview in 2021 about having 'suicidal thoughts' when she was five months pregnant due to the stress of royal life
King Charles III is said to be taking the furor over Omid Scobie's book Endgame 'very seriously' after His Majesty and Kate Middleton were named as the senior royals who reportedly commented on Archie's skin color before he was born
Omid Scobie claims Meghan and Kate never had the chance to become close because of Prince Harry's relationship with his brother William
A copy of Omid Scobie's book Endgame was on display in a bookshop in London last Friday. The book has already disappeared from Amazon's top 100 bestsellers list
Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, along with her mother Doria Ragland, show their new son Archie to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip at Windsor Castle in 2019
'For Kate, a mental health ambassador who has championed the early years sector, including its focus on pregnancy up to the age of five, you'd think that might have struck a chord with her.
“But there seems to be just this distance that has persisted between the two and still exists to this day. I mean, as far as I know, they haven't had a good conversation in quite a few years.”
Mr Scobie has been widely described as Meghan's mouthpiece, but neither she nor Harry have yet spoken out in defense of the royal family over particularly damaging allegations of racism.
The Dutch translation of Endgame is named after the names Charles and Kate, because the royal family is said to have asked what color Prince Archie's skin could be before he was born.
Mr Scobie has refused to apologize to Charles and Kate for the embarrassing accident shrugged off the criticism, claiming that the names “had been known for a long time,” while laying the blame on the Dutch publishing house, stating, “I never submitted a book that had those names in it.”
Yet the Dutch translator Saskia Peeters continued to insist that Charles and Kate's names were in the book.
On Thursday she told MailOnline from her home in Arnhem: 'As a translator I translate what is in front of me.
Dutch translators Saskia Peeters (pictured on her doorstep on November 30) and Nellie Keukelaar-van Rijsbergern, who worked on Omid Scobie's controversial book, have insisted that the names of two members of the royal family who were central to the racism scandal were in the manuscript they received.
William, Harry, Meghan and Charles speak together at Westminster Abbey in March 2019
'The names of the royals were there in black and white. I didn't add them. I just did what I was paid to do and that was translate the book from English to Dutch.'
Mr Scobie initially blamed a 'translation error'. Anke Roelen, director of publisher Xander, said a rectified edition of the book would be back on shelves on December 8 and simply blamed “an error” for its withdrawal.
As an additional blow to Scobie, Endgame has already disappeared from Amazon's top 100 bestsellers list despite much media publicity.
Mr Scobie has provided his new book with extensive TV interviews for the BBC and ITV in Britain and ABC in the US.
The author has also given interviews to publications including The Times, Evening Standard, Independent, Tatler, People, Elle.com and Paris March.
The title currently ranks 139th in the UK bestseller book list based on sales on Amazon, which are updated hourly to reflect recent and historical sales of each item.
Endgame has fallen more than 100 places in three days, after being in 14th place last Friday. On release day last Tuesday, it ranked 77th.
The book is now listed in the table behind children's titles such as the Beano Yearbook, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Stick Man; biographies of Britney Spears, Matthew Perry and Chris Kamara; and cookbooks by Mary Berry, Rick Stein and Tom Kerridge.
In the same US Amazon chart today, Endgame ranked 235th – below The Very Hungry Caterpillar; the danger! 2024 calendar; and a Paw Patrol sounds book.