Omid Scobie is considered by some to be Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s royal biographer. In 2020 he co-authored Finding Freedom, a book which, in its own words, ‘is an honest, up-close, and disarming portrait of a confident, influential, and forward-thinking couple’.
Discover our latest podcast
Now, in 2023, Scobie is coming out with a new book, Endgame. Just like with the previous book, Scobie has reportedly spoken to ‘sources’ close to the Sussexes. Even though the book is set to come out at the end of November 2023, it is already making waves as excerpts have been given to the press.
One of those revelations is about the so-called unsalvageable relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry.
Prince Harry ‘brainwashed’ by therapists
In the book, Omid Scobie tackles one point that fascinates the press: the relationship between Prince William and Prince Harry. It is reported that Scobie writes that their relationship is almost at the point of no return with Prince William not wanting to know his brother.
Moreover, the book supposedly goes into the fact that Prince William believes that Prince Harry has been ‘brainwashed’ by therapists. The book’s claims are as follows:
[William] believes Harry and Meghan blindsided the family, even the Queen, with their public complaints and their 'oh so California' self-importance (an opinion he has repeatedly voiced in various ways to friends and aides during the past two years).
Convinced Harry's been brainwashed by an 'army of therapists', William says he no longer even recognises his own brother, a source said.
At the end of their time as senior members of the Royal Family, and since leaving their roles, Prince Harry and Meghan have spoken about their mental health and the little support they received from the Firm.
Prince Harry was a threat to the Crown
In Endgame, Omid Scobie also alleges that Prince William saw his little brother as a quitter. Scobie writes:
I was talking to a source quite early on in the process, and they called Harry a 'defector' and said that was William's view. These were two men who once upon a time were firmly aligned in their outlook. One of them had to move on to also protect the crown.
Moreover, Scobie puts forward the idea that there is no solution in sight for the ‘feud’ between the two brothers. The writer states that ‘absolutely nothing has changed’ and that both stand firm in their belief. Prince Harry awaits an apology from his brother and the family as a whole and Prince William is hurt by the claims Harry made in Spare.
Scobie doesn’t just stop there. Endgame which describes itself as a ‘penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy’ also mentions the fact that Prince Harry was perceived as a threat to the institution.
According to the biographer, the Palace perceived Prince Harry’s need and desire to be able to ‘think freely’ as a threat.
These are probably sad realisations that will be had far too late in the journey. In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy,
This line of thinking links even more closely Prince Harry to his late mother, Princess Diana, who herself admitted that the Firm didn’t like that she had a mind of her own. In 1995 she said:
I do things differently, because I don't go by a rule book, because I lead from the heart, not the head, and albeit that's got me into trouble in my work, I understand that.
Adding,
I am a free spirit - unfortunately for some
Prince Harry himself has often pointed out how similar he is to his mother. But one could argue that Prince William also has lots of Diana in him.
For a biographer that is accused of being used by the Sussexes, there might be danger in offering such a biased portrait which paints Prince William as 'a power-hungry heir to the throne' and Prince Harry as a 'prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family'.
Read more:
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan villainized once again by former royal staff in bombshell claim
⋙ Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as world leaders: Is it so hard to imagine?
Sources:
PBS archive - Princess Diana 1995 BBC interview
Daily Record: Six huge Royal bombshells from new Omid Scobie book that will 'shock nation'
Talk TV: "Omid Scobie's Still Useful To Them” Kinsey Schofield On Bombshell Book By Harry and Meghan’s Friend
