Prince William ‘doesn’t think King Charles is a competent leader’ and was dismayed that the King ‘lay awake every night worrying about Prince Andrew’, claims Omid Scobie in his smash book End Game.
The book, which hits shelves in Britain tomorrow, delves into the royal family’s handling of Prince Andrew’s involvement with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
Before Prince Andrew was stripped of his military ties and patronages in January 2022, the author says King Charles and Prince William struggled with the best course of action.
A source close to King Charles said: “It’s hard to believe, but (Charles) lay awake many nights worrying about (Andrew).”
According to the author, Prince William was ‘bewildered’ as to why his father was concerned about the decision – and wanted him to take decisive action.
Before Prince Andrew was asked to step down from his royal duties, author says King Charles and Prince William (pictured in September 2022) struggled with the best course of action
A source said: ‘William (not) honestly thinks his father is capable enough.
“Although they share the same passions and interests, their leadership styles are completely different.”
Scobie claims Prince William felt the Queen would be ‘soft’ on Prince Andrew unless he expressed his concerns directly to her.
The author says that a family friend told him that Andrew was the one “who would make (the Queen) laugh, keep her company, and because he was always a little lost, she would pamper him.”
The author claims that Prince William put the plan to depose Prince Andrew into action with his private secretary because the late Queen and then-Prince Charles were “not ready” to start the process themselves.
With Prince Philip no longer there to ‘take charge’, Prince William consulted his team on ‘the Andrew problem’ and then arranged a meeting with his grandmother and her private secretary in her Windsor residential area.
After reportedly speaking with Prince William for more than an hour, the Queen then called Charles in Scotland to tell him that they should strip Andrew of his titles and duties.
The author claims it was a ‘really sad’ moment for the Queen and a ‘gut punch’ for the family following Prince Philip’s death.
King Charles III visits St Mary Magdalene Church in Sandringham, Norfolk yesterday
Scobie claims Prince William felt the Queen would be ‘soft’ on Prince Andrew unless he expressed his concerns directly to her
Prince Andrew resigned from his public duties in May 2020 before being stripped of his military titles and patronages by the Queen in 2022.
Elsewhere in the book, Scobie claims that William admired the Queen’s political neutrality and wants to reflect her reign more than Charles’s.
In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America broadcast today, Mr Scobie was asked if he knew who made the comments about Archie’s skin colour.
He said: ‘I know who made the comments about Archie’s skin colour. The names were mentioned in letters between Meghan and Charles that were exchanged some time after the Oprah interview.
“We know from sources that Charles was shocked that Meghan felt this way. Those conversations were, and he wanted to be, a kind of representative of the family, having that conversation with her.
“And that’s why I personally think they can move forward with some kind of line of communication after that. Even though they may not agree.”
Scobie’s claims threaten to reignite the “royal racist” row that emerged after Harry and Meghan’s interview.
Meghan had claimed in the TV special that an unnamed member of the royal family talked about “how dark his (Archie’s) skin might be when he’s born.”
But it is now claimed that a second member of the extended royal family – who may not be a member of the royal family themselves – made similar comments.
The two people are not mentioned in Endgame, which is subtitled ‘Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival’.
The book makes a series of claims about the royal family and looks at its future following the death of Queen Elizabeth II last September.
These include William being involved in ‘things that went out about his own brother’ and the older brother ignoring texts from Harry as the family headed to Balmoral before the late queen died last year.
Other claims in the book include that there is a rift between the King and William, that Queen Camilla has ‘quietly thanked’ Piers Morgan for ‘defending the firm’ and that a timid Princess of Wales should be encouraged to act . obligations.
Mr Scobie added to ABC: ‘I think before people assume I’m calling this the end of the royal family, I’ll simply state that we’ve reached some sort of pinnacle where the royal family as we know it is in the balance. ‘
He also claims that Prince William is leaking stories about Harry.
Mr Scobie said: ‘He shared private information about his brother which not long later ended up on the front page of a newspaper. These are matters that have caused irreparable damage to mutual relations.’
He described William as a “journeyman” and said: “We have seen the emergence of a man who is much tougher, who seems to have embraced and embodied the royal institution.”
The ABC report also said that Harry is ready to end the rift between William, had tried to reach out to his brother and that the relationship with his father Charles “may be on the mend.”