King Charles, Princess Kate identified by British press as royals named in Dutch version of 'Endgame' amid racial controversy
A controversy that began over two years ago in an interview between Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and Oprah Winfrey has now engulfed two of the biggest names in Britain's royal family.
King Charles III and his daughter-in-law Kate, the Princess of Wales, have been identified by the British press as the two royals named in the initial Dutch publication of the book "Endgame" as allegedly being involved in conversations about the skin tone of Harry and Meghan's son Archie prior to his birth in 2019.
In their 2021 interview with Winfrey, the Sussexes claimed that ahead of Archie's birth, there were conversations with Harry about what color his skin might be. Archie, who is now 4, was the first American British biracial royal born in the U.K., and is also widely considered to be the first mixed race child born into the royal family.
Both Harry and Meghan declined to identify in their interview with Winfrey who within the royal family had discussed the subject with Harry.
In "Endgame," a book on the royal family published this week, author Omid Scobie alleges there were two people who raised questions about Archie's skin tone. Scobie, also an ABC News royal contributor, has said in interviews that he knows the names of the two people allegedly involved in the conversations, but that the names were not included in his book, in part because U.K. libel laws prevent him from publicly revealing the names.
When "Endgame" hit bookshelves in the Netherlands this week, however, two passages in the original Dutch translation of the book included two names of royals who were allegedly involved.
As a result, the book's Dutch publisher temporarily pulled the book from shelves.
The two names cited in the book have since been publicly revealed in British press reports as Charles and Kate.
The publishing company, Xander Uitgevers, told ABC News in a statement this week, "An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified."
Scobie told ABC News in a statement Friday that an investigation into the error is underway.
"It is of course extremely frustrating and disappointing that the Dutch edition of Endgame contained references to names not included in any other edition of the book, nor the manuscript written, edited and signed off on by myself," Scobie said. "There is now an investigation going on into how this transpired and I look forward to learning more."
He continued, "Any suggestion that this is a result of a publicity stunt is incorrect, defamatory and offensive."
Other versions of "Endgame" that do not name the two royals remain on sale in other countries outside of the Netherlands, including the United States. The book was published in the U.S. and the U.K. by Harper Collins.
A spokesperson for the Sussexes, who stepped down from their senior royal roles in 2020, has not responded to ABC News' request for comment about "Endgame."
Members of the royal family have also not publicly commented on Scobie's book.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson told ABC News Thursday they are "considering all options" in the wake of Charles and Kate being named in reports by the British press.
When Harry and Meghan initially made the allegation in 2021 about conversations surrounding Archie's skin tone, Prince William, Harry's older brother and Kate's husband, was the first and only member of the royal family to speak out publicly in response.
"We are very much not a racist family," William stated while visiting a London school shortly after the interview aired, after being asked by a Sky News reporter, "Is the royal family a racist family?"
Scobie writes in "Endgame" that Charles and Meghan corresponded privately about the explosive claim.
"The names were mentioned in letters between Meghan and Charles that were exchanged sometime after the Oprah [Winfrey] interview," Scobie told ABC News in an interview that aired Monday on "Good Morning America." "We know from sources that Charles was horrified that that's how Meghan felt those conversations were, and that he wanted to, sort of as a representative of his family, have that conversation with her."
Scobie continued, "And it's why I personally think that they have been able to move forward with some kind of line of communication afterwards, though they may not see eye-to-eye on it."
Victoria Murphy, a royal reporter and ABC News royal contributor, noted there has been no confirmation that the names reportedly printed in the Dutch translation of "Endgame" are factually correct.
"I think it's very important to point out that even though these two names have been named in error in this book, there is still no further context at all about the nature of these conversations and what was said," Murphy, who was not involved with the book, told ABC News Friday. "And importantly, there is still no confirmation from anyone involved, either Harry and Megan or the royals, that these names are even correct."
Murphy said she expects the members of the royal family to "keep calm and carry on" in the wake of the controversy.
"I think the fact that they've indicated to media that they're exploring all options does suggest that they're not taking this lightly and, clearly, some very serious conversations are being had behind closed doors," Murphy said. "But I would be very surprised if they actually did choose to elevate this because, of course, things like legal action can result in much more information going into the public domain."
