Dutch edition - Is King Charles a racist? This is what the retracted royal book says
King Charles III recently celebrated the first anniversary of his accession to the throne. Less than three months later, his reign is experiencing its first crisis. The reason for this is a book that has been published a few hundred kilometers east of the Channel. It concerns the Dutch edition of "Endgame", the latest revelatory work by royal expert Omid Scobie.
This was apparently published in a faulty version and was withdrawn from sale just a few hours after it went on sale. "We are working on a correction in the translation," the publisher announced on its website on Thursday. But the dangerous passages were already out in the world.
A TV interview with Harry and Meghan set it all off
To understand what is so critical about the version that has already been scrapped, you have to go back a bit. In spring 2021, a TV interview with Meghan and Harry, both confidants of Omid Scobie, made waves. In an interview with US talk show host Oprah Winfrey, Meghan dropped a little bombshell: During her pregnancy, there had been "concerns and conversations" at the palace about how dark her future son's skin would be.
The Sussexes remained silent about which member of the royal family was involved. But this only fueled the rumor mill. Harry later clarified that it was neither the Queen nor her husband Prince Philip - but the racism scandal was born.
In "Endgame", Meghan's confidante Scobie refers to an exchange of letters between the Duchess and the current King, then still Prince Charles. The English edition of "Endgame" states: "But in the pages of these private letters, two identities were revealed." According to Scobie, there were not one but two people who expressed concerns about Archie's skin color. The author does not name names in this version.
Omid Scobie: The Dutch edition differs
However, this can be read in the Dutch edition: In that version of the book, it says with reference to the correspondence: 'But in these private letters, the identity was revealed and confirmed: Charles. The King wanted to reply to Meghan and make it clear that he harbored no ill intentions or accidental prejudices when the two spoke about his future grandson, sources claim." Dutch aristocracy expert Rick Evers shared a photo with the relevant page from the book on X, formerly Twitter. In another tweet, he names Princess Kate as the second person.
This is - as far as I know - only regarding the Dutch version, not the English one. It seems as if only the Dutch version has published the person's name who spoke about the skin color of the unborn child. Charles.
Translation attached. pic.twitter.com/lXMJJVjlO3
— Rick Evers (@RickEversRoyal) November 28, 2023
How this could happen is unclear. He had never submitted a book containing the name, said Scobie on British television station ITV. Rick Evers, on the other hand, is convinced that the name was included in Scobie's manuscript - but was removed from the final English version for legal reasons. A "translation error", as the Dutch publisher writes, is unlikely.
It also remains unclear what exactly Charles is supposed to have said. Did he make a crude joke - in the tradition of his father Prince Philip? Did someone misunderstand something the King said? Or did someone start a rumor?
None of this can be clarified. Harry and Meghan remain silent. The rumor is out in the world - and King Charles III can't even defend himself.
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Source: www.stern.de
