Revealed: How Meghan’s friend Omid Scobie is masterminding a VERY unflattering Royal TV drama where a feisty feminist triumphs over fuddy-duddy courtiers… and now TV insiders are all saying the same thing: CAROLINE GRAHAM

When the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to release their ‘Happy Holidays’ card last week, they didn’t do it through their phalanx of PR lackeys, or even through the website of their charity, the Archewell Foundation.

Instead, the first image of the painfully woke card — which features photos of the couple’s philanthropic work alongside a blurry photo of them with their children — was released by their longtime friend and hagiographer Omid Scobie on his X social media account.

For many, it was proof that Scobie, the author of two compelling books about Harry and Meghan, is still very popular with the couple.

Today, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Scobie (dubbed ‘Scobie-Doo’ by his detractors for his Sussex sycophancy) has moved permanently to Los Angeles, meaning he’s just a two-hour drive from the 16-bathroom mansion of the Sussex. in Montecito.

Insiders say the 43-year-old is working on a book and TV project whose inspiration bears more than a passing resemblance to Meghan’s turbulent history with the royal family before she and her husband changed course and left Britain for California. to go.

The combined projects, both called Royal Spin, revolve around a glamorous and feisty American publicist who leaves her high-powered job in Washington DC to work in the communications department at Buckingham Palace.

According to a source at media giant Universal, which secured the rights to the show for a seven-figure sum, the ‘Emily in Paris’ series has been crossed with The Crown.

The source said: ‘Let’s just say the plot isn’t a million miles away from Meghan’s story about what happened to her when she joined the royal family, and just replace ‘publicist’ with ‘actress’.

“You have a brave woman who enters the palace and encounters the ‘men in gray suits’ who are stuck in Victorian times.

‘The heroine is a thoroughly modern woman, a feminist, just as Meghan sees herself, yet she is stymied at every opportunity by stuffy royal aides. She gets stuck in the middle of cultural conflicts and feels like a fish out of water.’

But of course, in Scobie’s fictionalized version of events, the feisty American import wins the hearts and minds of everyone she encounters and ultimately triumphs over the ‘bad guys’ of the establishment.

Scobie traveled to LA earlier this year to ‘seek his fortune’, intending to explore opportunities in the entertainment industry. At the time, he lived in a luxury flat in London’s Canary Wharf, but according to an employee, he was looking for the ‘Hollywood dream’.

They said: ‘Omid already had a gig as a regular conversation partner [TV show] Good Morning America, but he is ambitious and has always dreamed of a career in Hollywood. He went to LA to attend meetings. He attended a lot of meetings.”

According to his Instagram account, the former Heat magazine reporter initially rented a house in the Hollywood Hills but, MoS can reveal, decided to make the move permanent after sealing his Universal deal.

He has told friends that he plans to live in LA for at least three to five years.

Today, he’s living “the dream” in a luxury condo just steps from Sunset Boulevard in the heart of West Hollywood.

Flats in the trendy block rent for between £4,500 and £8,000 per month, many enjoying stunning views over LA’s dramatic skyline. He regularly posts photos on his social media accounts of the breathtaking sunset views from his balcony.

He’s so committed to his new life that he flew his beloved French bulldog Yoshi to California and the pair are now a fixture in West Hollywood.

The author enjoys dining at Sunset Tower – Jennifer Aniston’s favorite restaurant – and at the Polo Lounge of the five-star Beverly Hills Hotel, known locally as ‘the Pink Palace’, and posts photos of his expensive meals at both chic hotspots on social media. media.

Scobie also likes the ultra-trendy Verve coffee shop on Melrose Avenue and Great White, a hipster eatery always packed with Hollywood celebrities. Paris Jackson (Michael’s daughter) and new mother Margot Robbie were both spotted there in recent weeks.

Scobie often faced negative backlash in Britain for his passionate support of the Sussexes, with his first book Finding Freedom portraying the royal romance in excruciating detail, including the yoga pose Meghan struck after her first night on holiday with Harry in Africa. So it’s no wonder he’s reportedly enjoying life in laid-back, celebrity-obsessed LA.

His second book, Endgame, controversially – and according to him “accidentally” – mentioned the two royals Meghan complained about, and showed racism towards her by speculating what skin color her son Archie would have while she was pregnant.

A source who knows Scobie said: ‘He responded very blandly when he said it was the King and Princess of Wales who made those comments. I think even he was surprised by the reaction. But in LA, nothing matters except how successful you are, and with the seven-figure Universal deal, Omid is considered very successful.

‘It’s much easier to live somewhere where the sun always shines and there are people like you, rather than having people laughing at you all the time, like in Britain.’

Prince Harry’s friend James Haskell, the former England rugby player who attended the Sussexes’ wedding in 2018, described Omid in his recent book The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, which he co-wrote with Princess Anne’s son-in-law Mike Tindall. , as ‘a very strange fellow’.

Haskell wrote, “We all know American royal fans are fucking crazy, especially Scobieites.”

According to his social media, Scobie trains almost every day at a private members gym, the aptly named Royal Personal Training.

In a recent post on Instagram, he showed that he was working out with the words: ‘Just protect my peace.’

He treated himself to a £70,000 black Land Rover Defender and took a road trip along the California coast earlier this year.

Whether he stopped by to see the Sussexes in Montecito remains unknown, although the MoS has been told he spent some time in the wealthy beachside enclave.

Meghan has vehemently denied participating in Finding Freedom, but was forced to admit in the High Court that she had secretly provided personal information for the book through a third party.

However, the Sussexes are just part of a network of powerful friends that Scobie has built in his new home.

“Women love him and he has people within Oprah Winfrey’s inner circle on speed dial,” a source claimed.

‘People in LA are in awe of the fact that he has published two books and is known worldwide. The fact that he is unpopular in some circles doesn’t matter in Hollywood. He is invited to lunch and dinner by some very important and influential people, especially older women who really enjoy his company.

“Americans still idolize Princess Diana and the fact that Omid has close ties to Diana’s son gives him credibility.”

Scobie’s youthful appearance is encouraged in his adopted city, where plastic surgery centers and Botox clinics are everywhere.

An old friend who knew Scobie when he worked on Heat said: ‘He was quiet then and looked completely different than he does now. He never talks about whether he has had a job, but there is no denying that he looks very different from the ‘old’ Omid.’

The friend adds that Scobie is a fan of K-Pop, a music genre from South Korea, where cosmetic surgery is not uncommon even among young stars.

‘He is constantly improving himself. He always has the latest men’s bags, wears expensive designer clothes and goes to the trendiest places. He is particular about his appearance,” the friend said.

“LA is the perfect place for him. No one accuses him of looking plastic, because everyone there is plastic.”

Scobie shows off a curious new tattoo on his forearm that appears to provide geographical coordinates for a location north of Oxford, close to where he was raised by an Iranian social worker mother and a British marketing director father.

But no matter how much he loves his adopted homeland, it seems that Britain will always pull him back.

Last week he proudly posted photos of flashy designer stores in London, including Chanel. He already owns a pair of skis from the label.

It is believed he has returned to Britain to spend the holidays with his family.

While his TV show is expected to begin filming sometime next year, Scobie hopes to parlay Royal Spin into a lucrative long-term Hollywood career. “Omid wants to get more involved in TV production and dreams of working in the film industry,” the Universal source added.

‘He is a talented writer and for him the sky is the limit. If Royal Spin becomes a hit, the offers will pour in. He could eclipse the Sussexes in terms of Hollywood success.”

While Scobie’s star is rising, those of his ‘mentors’ are waning.

Prince Harry’s latest show Polo – the Sussexes’ fourth project as part of their £80million five-show Netflix deal – has fallen in the ratings. Meghan’s upcoming cooking series will air in the first quarter of next year and will be ‘make or break’ for the couple.

“Netflix is ​​not expected to renew Harry and Meghan’s deal in September,” a source familiar with the negotiations told the MoS.

‘Of course that could change if Meghan’s cooking and lifestyle program becomes a success. But they burned a lot of bridges. Wouldn’t it be ironic if Omid’s show becomes a hit and he ends up doing better in Hollywood than she does?’

That would be a Hollywood ending with a twist.