On 26 November 2023, the world of royal watchers and fans was shaken to its very core by the release of Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame. The book, which is described as a ‘penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy’ on Google Books, appeared to reveal, in its Dutch edition, the names of the two royals who allegedly raised concerns about Prince Archie’s skin tone before his birth.
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Even before that, the book was making waves as extracts were being quoted here and there in the British media. The whole drama and confusion about how those names could have appeared in a Dutch edition rekindled the ‘racial row’ in the Royal Family. This was started when the Duke and Duchess of Sussex claimed in their Oprah Winfrey interview that the skin tone of their unborn son had been questioned by one or several people in the Royal Family.
Now, as the Sussexes remain silent about the revelations made by the Dutch edition of Endgame, an MP is about to ask for their titles to be removed. Who is Bob Seely?
Who is Bob Seely?
Bob Seely is a Conservative MP for the Isle of Wight. He was first elected in 2017 before being reelected in 2019. According to his official website, he was elected with ‘the highest number of votes ever secured on the Isle of Wight by any candidate’. Quite the achievement!
Still, according to his website, Seely follows a long list of family members who got involved in public service. He is the ‘sixth member of his paternal family to become a Member of Parliament’. His bio also talks about his life before politics which involved journalism and the Army.
When it comes to his personal life, Bob Seely likes to keep things private. In our research we were unable to find his partner, if he even has one. Only one article mentioned a possible romance with a comic. However, on his website, he gives extensive information about his family background. His father ‘trained as a pianist’ before becoming a ‘government lawyer’. His mother was German and grew up in ‘Nazi Germany’. During World War II her family ended up in a refugee camp. Later, his mother moved to the United Kingdom.
How does Seely want to strip the Sussexes of their title?
On 2 December 2023, Bob Seely wrote a piece for the Mail on Sunday. The first line of the article states:
In the next couple of weeks, I shall present a Bill in Parliament to strip the Duke and Duchess of Sussex of their Royal titles.
A strong opener! He continued and didn’t waste time in laying out his plan for how this could happen. He wrote that he believes Parliament and the Privy Council ‘should consider a nuclear option’. But what is the ‘nuclear option’ he mentions? Well, it is the ‘Titles Deprivation 1917 Act Amendment Bill’.
Seely believes that using this Bill ‘would allow a vote’ which could eventually strip the Sussexes of their royal titles. It should be noted that, according to legislation.gov.uk, the original aim of the Deprivation 1917 Act was to ‘deprive Enemy Peers and Princes of British Dignities and Titles’.
With this Amendment of the 1917 Act, Seely’s aim is simple. He writes:
if someone doesn't want to be Royal, that is a decision we respect – but they should not keep the titles and privileges if they trash an institution that plays an important part in our nation's life.
In his piece, Seely alludes to the fact that he doesn’t believe the Sussexes had nothing to do with Omid Scobie’s claims. Seely ends his piece with very strong words:
It is time for us all to move on. I believe it is time they dropped their titles – or were made to – and lived by their own talents, if they have any to speak of.
(...) The sooner the Duke and Duchess become just Mr and Mrs Sussex, the better for us all.
So far, this Bill hasn’t been put forward but when it is, it will be interesting to see what comes of it.
Read more:
⋙ Prince Harry stripped of his Royal Highness title: What does it actually mean for the Duke?
⋙ Omid Scobie: Here's how the royal expert knows Prince Harry and Meghan
Sources:
DailyMail: BOB SEELY MP: Who really believes Harry and Meghan aren't behind Scobie's race claims? We need to strip the Sussexes of their Royal titles
The Telegraph: Duke and Duchess of Sussex could be stripped of royal titles under MP’s Bill
