The unpopular king who thought his son was stupid, the cold and Machiavellian duke obsessed with becoming king, the firmly opposed consorts willing to smile at each other in public, a prince betrayed by his brother and a long-lived queen obsessed with preserving her own image. No, they are not the characters in a series of palace intrigues, but members of the British royal family whose personalities are portrayed in the new book by Omid Scobie.
The long-awaited Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the monarchy's fight for survival, published this Tuesday, offers a new portrait of the Windsors amid accusations against the author. for being too favorable to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. Scobie insisted this Tuesday that neither Enrique nor Meghan have spoken with him to prepare this book, but he assures that "the people around them" did tell him "the ins and outs" of the family disputes.
According to the book, the death of Elizabeth II "widened the cracks that already existed in the foundations of the House of Windsor." Among the situations that Scobie describes in the book are: Prince William ignored (left it read in the chat they had) Prince Henry in the hours before the death of his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. King Charles III and Meghan Markle exchanged letters after questions from two members of the British royal family about the skin color of Archie, the Sussexes' first child. Charles III called Enrique "that fool" for his participation in the interview with Oprah Winfrey. Kate Middleton jokingly cringes when someone mentions Meghan's name. Guillermo leaked unfavorable news about Enrique to the press.
Scobie also portrays Prince William as "a cold, ruthless figure who is dying to ascend to the throne" and who only cares about safeguarding the institution he will lead when the time comes. The author also claims that the relationship between the Princess of Wales and the Duchess of Sussex is almost non-existent. What's more, he points out that for almost four years he has limited himself to polite exchanges such as birthday greetings and various festivities. He also criticizes Kate for "championing mental health causes while she ignored Meghan's cries for help."
Omid Scobie is criticized by different British and American newspapers for being too partisan regarding the disagreements between the Sussexes and the rest of the Windsors, and Scobie has even been branded by Daily Mail as "Meghan and Enrique's palmer". The New York Times critic criticizes the fact that she paints Meghan and Enrique "in an implacable and holy light." And he adds that readers who expect to find a lot of gossip about the Windsors will be "disappointed" and even assures that one of his chapters, dedicated to Enrique and Meghan, "looks like a press release prepared by ChatGPT."
The book also offers many details about Queen Elizabeth II's final days at Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands. According to her account, the former British monarch's retirement at Balmoral was fairly uneventful, but despite her failing health she remained committed to her duty until her final days.
Several aides reportedly insisted Elizabeth II allow then-Prince Charles to accept Boris Johnson's official resignation and hold Liz Truss's inauguration reception, but the queen insisted, saying, "It's my job." Scobie describes the monarch at the time as suffering from “crippling pain.”
Scobie also cites people close to the palace to detail that the queen's final weeks were filled with "walks, picnics and barbecues," and that the monarch enjoyed sitting in the sun much of the time while making sure her cash red full of government documents was up to date.
