"End Game" by Omid Scobie - 2023

[miss whirley]

There’s a bit of the prologue that I saw where he talked about how much of the public will never forgive Charles for “the role he played in Diana’s death” which also felt deeply ignorant. Charles played no role in Diana’s death, and the majority of the public are well aware of that.

That's disgusting, that Omid is trying to blame Charles for Diana's death. That reminds me when The Crown tried to falsely blame Philp for his sister's death.

One has to question the character of those that involve themselves with Scobie (and Netflix for that matter).

 

[TLLK]

I work in a bookshop so I have had chance to take a peek at the book before it is officially on sale. From a random quick flip, what most struck me was near the end when he was briefly discussing early nineteenth-century monarchs. Omid Scobie said how Prinny came to the throne (and this is a direct quote) "after King George III went mad and was forced to abdicate in 1820". This shows the level of his knowledge and understanding of royal history.

Oh my the ignorance is strong in this one.

 

[Hallo girl]

Oh my the ignorance is strong in this one.

Like when he didn’t realise Scotland was part of the UK.

 

[TLLK]

Like when he didn’t realise Scotland was part of the UK.

Stop! He didn't know that Scotland was part of the UK????

I can't believe that the Sussexes chose to assist this "author " and "royal expert " with Finding Freedom.

 

[Nico]

That's disgusting, that Omid is trying to blame Charles for Diana's death. That reminds me when The Crown tried to falsely blame Philp for his sister's death.

One has to question the character of those that involve themselves with Scobie (and Netflix for that matter).

I'm not suprised. Scobie's product (i can't honestly call it a book) is calibrated for the US andience. Facts don't matter, really.

He's just adding another nickel in the jukebox and laughing all the way to the bank.

 

[Hallo girl]

Stop! He didn't know that Scotland was part of the UK????

I can't believe that the Sussexes chose to assist this "author " and "royal expert " with Finding Freedom.

He was being interviewed when the Queen died and he said that her body was being brought from Scotland to the UK.

 

[GondorHasNoPants]

In this piece in The Times, Scobie says he is not on the Sussex payroll, but has mutual friends with Meghan, which 'definitely helps with getting information and breaking details'.

So, he's not talking to her, but talking to her friends, who talk to her.

Right.

 

[Hallo girl]

In this piece in The Times, Scobie says he is not on the Sussex payroll, but has mutual friends with Meghan, which 'definitely helps with getting information and breaking details'.

So, he's not talking to her, but talking to her friends, who talk to her.

Right.

They are not talking behind her back , they are doing it with their permission.

 

[Asteria12]

I wonder how WME will handle this? This book will not burnish their client's reputations in any way.

 

[Hallo girl]

In this piece in The Times, Scobie says he is not on the Sussex payroll, but has mutual friends with Meghan, which 'definitely helps with getting information and breaking details'.

So, he's not talking to her, but talking to her friends, who talk to her.

Right.

I do not think there were many people thought he was on the payroll, but a great deal of people believe he is being spoon fed stories with their approval. I find it interesting that he is even giving this much out he always denied any connection just that he had good sources. The Sussexs have came out and distanced themselves from the book so maybe he is now covering his back.

 

[TLLK]

He was being interviewed when the Queen died and he said that her body was being brought from Scotland to the UK.

I have no words.

 

[kalnel]

I wonder how WME will handle this? This book will not burnish their client's reputations in any way.

It's free publicity. They're probably happy about it, especially if it paints Meghan as a victim.

 

[tommy100]

This is like when H&M felt able to say in Court they hadn't collaborated with Scobie because technically THEY hadn't, they'd jus authorised their press guy at the time to do so. I honestly imagine them moaning and leaking their side of things to "friends" who they know are talking to Scobie, probably their press team as well. In their mind they are being truthful saying they didn't collaborate even if the end result is the same.

The Times interview with Scobie is...interesting. He has moved to California as well (not that far from H&M) and gladly posed for the sort of professional photoshoot pics celebs usually do for the article. He denies any cosmetic surgery and that he is a friend or mouthpiece of the couple. He is also talks about his own racist incident in an early job and how much impact that had on him.

I find it interesting how all his interviews so far seem to have been done some weeks ago, before the leaking of phone calls to Charles circulated - so he can't be asked about that.

The book also reveals the content of a letter from Meghan to the King about her concerns over racist language used (seemingly she isn't that bothered about this letter being leaked) and that Meghan personally called Omid after he received abuse online.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...wo-members-royal-household-child-skin-colour/

Times article -https://archive.ph/vBkzP

 

[HRHHermione]

This is like when H&M felt able to say in Court they hadn't collaborated with Scobie because technically THEY hadn't, they'd jus authorised their press guy at the time to do so. I honestly imagine them moaning and leaking their side of things to "friends" who they know are talking to Scobie, probably their press team as well. In their mind they are being truthful saying they didn't collaborate even if the end result is the same.

The Times interview with Scobie is...interesting. He has moved to California as well (not that far from H&M) and gladly posed for the sort of professional photoshoot pics celebs usually do for the article. He denies any cosmetic surgery and that he is a friend or mouthpiece of the couple. He is also talks about his own racist incident in an early job and how much impact that had on him.

I find it interesting how all his interviews so far seem to have been done some weeks ago, before the leaking of phone calls to Charles circulated - so he can't be asked about that.

The book also reveals the content of a letter from Meghan to the King about her concerns over racist language used (seemingly she isn't that bothered about this letter being leaked) and that Meghan personally called Omid after he received abuse online.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-f...wo-members-royal-household-child-skin-colour/

Times article -https://archive.ph/vBkzP

I am genuinely curious to see if the book offers any criticism whatsoever about the Sussexes and will be looking for that. I’m also curious to look for factual errors.

 

[kalnel]

But this is what confuses me - in the Scobie book, there are two distinct Charles to Harry calls:

First call >
“You should answer it,” Meghan told him. He tapped accept just before it stopped.…… He told Harry to make his way to Scotland immediately. William, whom Charles had just spoken to, was supposedly working on arranging travel.”

Second call >
“ Another call came through from Charles, who instructed his younger son to come alone.”

There’s a great divide between ‘come to Scotland immediately’ and ‘other grandchildren weren’t being beckoned.’

The descriptions of Meghan telling Harry to answer the phone struck me as funny. Is he so dense that he doesn't understand what to do when that electronic slab in his hand rings?

I took the back and forth with Charles as Charles saying, "The senior royals are traveling up together (without you)," and the follow up call meaning, "I don't have time to deal with you right now, so make your own arrangements."

Poor Charles was losing his mother and becoming King. Harry's travel plans must have been very, very low on his priority list about then.

 

[Asteria12]

It's free publicity. They're probably happy about it, especially if it paints Meghan as a victim.

Not quite, that might have worked when they first left England and had more sympathy from the public, but not anymore. There's been too much bitter water under the bridge (flowing from the Sussex's).


WME will be fully aware that this couple mostly have a negative image (they still have their fans, obviously, but they don't number as highly), and that they and Scobie also have a really bad credibility issue. I think this book will make a lot of extra work for WME in their bid to balance out and improve the Sussex's reputation and bankability. Just my opinion, of course!

 

[yukari]

^^^
Just like Harry went totally mental in 2019, when QE, Charles , William and George posed for a photo together. That was apparently a big motivator behind Sussexit. That Harry wasn't invited to the Monarch photo.(...)

(...)

Harry seems to have assumed HE is a senior royal (his security case, and Frogmore whining seems to confirm his misconception, as well as his confusion at not being in the monarch photo).

CMIIW, but the 2019 monarch photo is the 3rd time it's taken, right? The 1st one Harry was even there, the 2nd one Royal Post used it for stamps. And suddenly, the 3rd time it happened Harry took it as a slight (and thrown tantrum over it)? Can someone please make it make sense? It's not like he's only being part of the family in 2019.

I work in a bookshop so I have had chance to take a peek at the book before it is officially on sale. From a random quick flip, what most struck me was near the end when he was briefly discussing early nineteenth-century monarchs. Omid Scobie said how Prinny came to the throne (and this is a direct quote) "after King George III went mad and was forced to abdicate in 1820". This shows the level of his knowledge and understanding of royal history.

But ... but ... in Bridgerton, King George III went mad and Queen Charlotte reigned. Don't say it's not true?!

I once thought Scobie would become Andrew Morton 2.0, but it look like he's becoming Paul Burrell 2.0. From now on, any documentary about the Sussexes would feature him.

 

[duchessrachel]

Considering that long ago he was nicknamed the reluctant royal as observers commented that he was not doing enough royal duties. The late Queen had given the couple time in the early years of the marriage plus when the children came to enjoy their lives. It is well recorded that the Queen not just for obvious reasons regretted coming to the throne so young but that she missed out on her children growing up.

Does anybody on here really think that William is just waiting for his father to die.

I have always gotten the impression that William and Catherine would like to be able to raise their children to adulthood before assuming the throne. At that point, I have always believed that they would be happy with King Charles reigning as long as possible. As long as William is not King, he and Catherine have more freedom to pursue their own projects, but Kingship takes up a lot of that time.

 

[duchessrachel]

I'm not suprised. Scobie's product (i can't honestly call it a book) is calibrated for the US andience. Facts don't matter, really.

He's just adding another nickel in the jukebox and laughing all the way to the bank.

I am an American and I have to hold my tongue at work sometimes over the ignorance of my co-workers about the Royal Family. It is truly astonishing.

 

[miss whirley]

I have always gotten the impression that William and Catherine would like to be able to raise their children to adulthood before assuming the throne. At that point, I have always believed that they would be happy with King Charles reigning as long as possible. As long as William is not King, he and Catherine have more freedom to pursue their own projects, but Kingship takes up a lot of that time.

Yes, there's no evidence that William's trying to shove Charles off the throne. Quite the opposite...

I think Scobie is trying to make H&M look better. It was a bad look for Harry to admit in Spare that he has fantasies about murdering his father. Now Scobie is trying to rationalize that abnormal behavior by proclaiming that William is eagerly awaiting Charles' death too! And that Charles had a hand in Diana's death!

See everyone wants everyone dead! Therefore Harry is not twisted at all...

 

[Hallo girl]

I have always gotten the impression that William and Catherine would like to be able to raise their children to adulthood before assuming the throne. At that point, I have always believed that they would be happy with King Charles reigning as long as possible. As long as William is not King, he and Catherine have more freedom to pursue their own projects, but Kingship takes up a lot of that time.

You also have more wriggle room as the heir to follow certain projects, as King you have to take a step back.

As direct heir William will become more involved with Kingship duties. i.e. family decisions , next steps. he will be along with Camilla close confidante of his father. Decisions his father makes now will eventually impact on William. He has to be prepared because when the time comes it is immediate, this is the apprenticeship now.

It would appear that Omid is not as versed in royal matters as he would like to imply, he appears to confuse duties of the heir with desperation to take the throne.

As for saying Catherine only does photo ops, well pot kettle comes to mind.

 

[Queen Claude]

I have always gotten the impression that William and Catherine would like to be able to raise their children to adulthood before assuming the throne. At that point, I have always believed that they would be happy with King Charles reigning as long as possible. As long as William is not King, he and Catherine have more freedom to pursue their own projects, but Kingship takes up a lot of that time.

Furthermore the longer William is the Duke of Cornwall, he gets that income which will allow him to amass considerable personal wealth.

While the monarch gets income from the Duchy of Lancaster, going by QEII, the Duchy of Lancaster income has been used to fund / subsidize, among other things, expenses of non-working royals and BRF costs not covered by the Sovereign Grant. Of course all this is at the discretion on the monarch and Charles and William are not obligated to fund things HLM funded, but I suspect that William would rather have KC3 take the next several years sorting that out and making the hard choices, which means when William becomes the Duke of Lancaster, he will probably get a higher proportion of those funds unfettered.

So yeah between child rearing, the opportunity to pursue his own interests and getting a generous 8 figure income, I strongly doubt that William is impatient to occupy the top job.

 

[changemysoul]

The descriptions of Meghan telling Harry to answer the phone struck me as funny. Is he so dense that he doesn't understand what to do when that electronic slab in his hand rings?

I took the back and forth with Charles as Charles saying, "The senior royals are traveling up together (without you)," and the follow up call meaning, "I don't have time to deal with you right now, so make your own arrangements."

Poor Charles was losing his mother and becoming King. Harry's travel plans must have been very, very low on his priority list about then.

Doesn’t read like Harry didn’t understand the phone was ringing. It reads as if he was debating on whether he wanted to ask the question or not. I know that version of leaves you unable to call him stupid but it he wasn’t wondering what a phone was, as if he didn’t know, he was wondering would there even be a point in picking up. So not dense, just wasn’t sure if he wanted to have whatever conversation was on the other end of the line.

 

[HRHHermione]

More from Scobie’s press tour today, this time attacking the work ethic and abilities of the Princess of Wales.

Personally, I think she’s done brilliantly from the moment she married into the family, and that she has particularly shined in the last year as they became Prince and Princess of Wales. She seems to be raising great kids in a healthy environment, doing her Royal duties with a good will, investing in long term projects and interests and getting a few of her own events on the Royal calendar, like her now yearly carol service.

Scobie appears to be attacking the family members Meghan and Harry most resent while presenting them as victims who are constantly in the right and who have been treated unjustly. Very hard to believe they didn’t cooperate with this directly as they did with his other book and as they have done with statements to him over the years.

It’s really a bad look.

 

[HRHHermione]

Oh, looks like The New York Times review of this book is out today. I grabbed a gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/26/...ytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

 

[Kataryn]

Oh, looks like The New York Times review of this book is out today. I grabbed a gift link:

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/26/...ytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Hö, I'm not sure I grabbed "all" about the book, but I understand it's nothing new. And no new scandal about Camilla? I'm very glad because I like her very much, but I think "Obie" could have been a little more inventive for I love fantasy dramas.

 

[Queen Claude]

I am genuinely curious to see if the book offers any criticism whatsoever about the Sussexes and will be looking for that. I’m also curious to look for factual errors.

I have not read the book, but from the little I gleaned, he is softly critical of the Sussexes here and there, but then finds a way to turn it back on other royals.

[...]
Harry seems to have assumed HE is a senior royal (his security case, and Frogmore whining seems to confirm his misconception, as well as his confusion at not being in the monarch photo). So he angrily was wondering why he was having to make his own travel arrangements unlike the other senior royals.
[...]

CMIIW, but the 2019 monarch photo is the 3rd time it's taken, right? The 1st one Harry was even there, the 2nd one Royal Post used it for stamps. And suddenly, the 3rd time it happened Harry took it as a slight (and thrown tantrum over it)? Can someone please make it make sense? It's not like he's only being part of the family in 2019.
[...]

I don't think that Harry expected to be in the photo, rather my recollection was that Harry had a problem with a 4 generations photo being taken at all, presumably because it represented a higher tier of blood royals that he did not belong to. I don't recall if the following was reported or that it's my own conclusion, but Harry took offense at the photo because he thought that it was a passive-aggressive move to put him and Meghan in their place.

More from Scobie’s press tour today, this time attacking the work ethic and abilities of the Princess of Wales.
[...]

Source or link please.

 

[Mbruno]

More from Scobie’s press tour today, this time attacking the work ethic and abilities of the Princess of Wales.

Personally, I think she’s done brilliantly from the moment she married into the family, and that she has particularly shined in the last year as they became Prince and Princess of Wales. She seems to be raising great kids in a healthy environment, doing her Royal duties with a good will, investing in long term projects and interests and getting a few of her own events on the Royal calendar, like her now yearly carol service.

Scobie appears to be attacking the family members Meghan and Harry most resent while presenting them as victims who are constantly in the right and who have been treated unjustly. Very hard to believe they didn’t cooperate with this directly as they did with his other book and as they have done with statements to him over the years.

It’s really a bad look.

And the worst part is that there is no objective reason for Meghan to resent Catherine other than being jealous of Catherine's position as Princess of Wales and probable future Queen.

I don't think those rehashed attacks have any resonance anymore in the UK. Even in the US, they are increasingly appealing only to a minority of Meghan fans.

I don't think that Harry expected to be in the photo, rather my recollection was that Harry had a problem with a 4 generations photo being taken at all, presumably because it represented a higher tier of blood royals that he did not belong to. I don't recall if the following was reported or that it's my own conclusion, but Harry took offense at the photo because he thought that it was a passive-aggressive move to put him and Meghan in their place.

Harry is implicitly admitting that he is paranoid/delusional if he really thought that. His inability to understand or accept the line of succession is mind-boggling for someone who grew up in a European royal family.

 

[HRHHermione]

Source or link please.

Here:

Kate 'too terrified' to do anything but 'grinning photo ops', Scobie book claims

Omid Scobie's new book portrays Princess Kate as 'too terrified' to do anything but grinning photo opportunities.

www.express.co.uk

 

[SirGyamfi1]

And the worst part is that there is no objective reason for Meghan to resent Catherine other than being jealous of Catherine's position as Princess of Wales and probable future Queen.

I don't think those rehashed attacks have any resonance anymore in the UK. Even in the US, they are increasingly appealing only to a minority of Meghan fans.



Harry is implicitly admitting that he is paranoid/delusional if he really thought that. His inability to understand or accept the line of succession is mind-boggling for someone who grew up in a European royal family.

Not really, he’s never taken anything serious about being royal nor is he interested in his family history, he just enjoys the privileges of being royal (free money, staff to attend to you, among other things). He’s just been overly indulged by his late mother and coddled by his family into thinking he was equal to his brother.