Publishers Xander said that there had been an “error in the Dutch translation” of the book, originally written in English by the author Omid Scobie.
By James Robinson, Sky News reporter @thejournojames
The sale of a new book about the Royal Family has been halted in the Netherlands.
Xander, the publishers of the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s Endgame, have put sales of the book on hold “temporarily” over what it calls an “error”.
They said in a statement: “[We are] temporarily withdrawing the book by Omid Scobie from sale. An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified.”
It comes amid reports that the translation appears to name a member of the Royal Family who allegedly questioned what colour Harry and Meghan’s son Archie’s skin would be when he was born.
The Duchess of Sussex claimed in her March 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey that a member of the Royal Family raised “concerns” about Archie’s skin colour.
The couple refused to reveal who had made such comments, but Winfrey has since said that Harry told her it was not Prince Philip or the late Queen.
The claim sparked a rare response from the royals, with Prince William saying: “We are very much not a racist family,” in response to questions about the allegations.
In a statement following the interview, the Royal Family said that “whilst some recollections may vary”, the issues brought up in the interview were “concerning” and would “be addressed”.
Mr Scobie told Dutch media that he did not mention a name in his new book – which was published in the UK on Tuesday.
“The book is in several languages, and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch. But if there are translation errors, the publisher will correct them,” he told chat show, RTL Boulevard.
“I wrote the English version. There was no version from me in which names were mentioned.”
Read more:
Five revelations from Omid Scobie’s controversial new book on Royal Family
Author says he did not interview Duchess of Sussex for Endgame
Mr Scobie’s book claims that, in the aftermath of the Oprah interview, Meghan wrote a letter to King Charles expressing concern about unconscious bias in the Royal Family.
In the UK version of Endgame, Mr Scobie wrote that in her letter to the King, Meghan had revealed “two identities” of those “involved in the exchange”.
“Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were,” he added in the book.
Mr Scobie previously wrote Finding Freedom, a biography of the Sussexes’ split from the royal family.
The 42-year-old author said his new book aimed to explore the monarchy’s “fight for survival”.
He denied interviewing the Duchess of Sussex for the book, after Meghan’s legal team admitted in her legal battle with Associated Newspapers – publishers of the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday – that she had permitted a close friend to communicate with him and his co-author for Finding Freedom.
Mr Scobie said in an article with The Times newspaper about Endgame that he was “not friends” with the duchess, despite them having mutual acquaintances.
“I have mutual friends with (Meghan), and that definitely helps with getting information and breaking details,” he said.
Sky News has approached Archewell, the organisation founded by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, for a response.
Buckingham Palace has also been contacted, but they have declined to comment.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
