SARAH VINE: Where DO Harry and Meghan stand in
relation to this puppet of theirs? If the Duke and Duchess of Sussex don't
denounce the poison in Omid Scobie's new book, we can only assume they endorse
it
By SARAH
VINE FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED:
01:18 GMT, 29 November 2023 | UPDATED: 07:36 GMT, 29 November 2023
Despite all
the provocation, Buckingham Palace has so far maintained a dignified silence on
the latest 'revelations' in Omid Scobie's new oeuvre, Endgame, which finally
hit bookshops yesterday following weeks of carefully orchestrated 'leaks'.
That is
undoubtedly the wisest course of action for the King. To engage with this
absurd Sussex sycophant would only lend credence to his claims, dragging the
Royal Family even deeper into the never-ending Harry and Meghan psychodrama.
Whether
that will change now that the Dutch edition appears to have 'accidentally'
revealed the identity of the alleged 'royal racist', who is supposed to have
commented on the colour of baby Archie's skin — remains to be seen.
But when it
comes to the Duke and Duchess themselves, they do need to let it be known where
they stand in relation to this puppet of theirs.
Because the
more coy they are about the truth of their relationship with Scobie, the more
they lend credence to the notion that the poison in his book leads back,
ultimately, to them.
To engage with this absurd Sussex sycophant would only
lend credence to his claims, dragging the Royal Family even deeper into the
never-ending Harry and Meghan psychodrama
Harry and Meghan's silence is effectively an
endorsement of his status as their 'unofficial mouthpiece' — and, by extension,
an endorsement of all the petty, vicious and malicious accusations he makes.
In no
particular order: the Princess of Wales was liked by the late Queen on account
of her allegedly biddable nature, which led to her being described as 'Katie
Keen'. That is not a nickname I've ever heard applied to Kate — although she
was described, rather cruelly, as 'Waity Katie' before her marriage to Prince
William, giving the lie to the notion she had a much easier ride than Meghan.
Who is Omid Scobie? Meet Meghan Markle and Prince
Harry's biographer who founded a now defunct K-Pop site and hit nightclubs with
Katie Price's rival Jodie Marsh
There's
more. The Princess of Wales is apparently just a 'part-time royal' on account
of the fact that she likes to spend time with her three young children in the
school holidays.
She's also,
apparently, terrified of doing anything other than 'grinning photo ops', which
is a bit rich seeing that all the Duchess of Sussex seems to do these days
is... grinning photo ops.
And at
least the Princess of Wales does hers for charity, whereas the Duchess of
Sussex seems to spend most of her time posing alongside celebrity friends. But
let's not split hairs.
My point is
that this nonsense has to stop. Either the Duke and Duchess denounce this
effluent and its source, Scobie, or the general public on both sides of the
Atlantic will have no choice but to conclude that, in the parlance of U.S.
political campaigns (and make no mistake, this is political), they fully
endorse Scobie's message.
Why they
would associate themselves — even tacitly — with such a person is anyone's
guess. Perhaps because, having attacked the Royal Family in a full- frontal
assault via their interview with Oprah Winfrey, their Netflix documentary and
Harry's memoir, Spare, the world still appears somewhat sceptical of their
one-sided account.
Maybe
Scobie's book is one last throw of the Sussex dice, a desperate — and
increasingly hysterical — attempt to reclaim the narrative in the War of the
Windsors, which in recent months has made them seem increasingly surplus to
requirements.
Because the
truth is that the Royal Family is doing just fine without them.
In an ideal
world, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would have remained working royals, and
no doubt they would have made a positive contribution. But since they left,
making sure to trash the place on their way out, the institution they so
despise and deride has not crumbled to dust as they might have hoped. Indeed,
if anything, it seems to have gone from strength to strength, despite arguably
one of the greatest setbacks to have befallen it in decades — the death of
Queen Elizabeth II.
While
Meghan and Harry have been moaning from their Montecito mansion, the remaining
royals have quietly got on with the job, apparently drawing closer together in
adversity.
The King
and his elder son — who, it's been said, have not always seen eye to eye —
appear to me much more aligned. I dare say that has something to do with the
fact that they have both been on the receiving end of Prince Harry's ire, as
have their spouses.
21 bombshells claims made in Omid
Scobie's new Royal book Endgame: From taking aim at 'cold' Kate to Harry and
William's 'irreparable' rift
In
particular, the way Prince Harry has attacked both Queen Camilla and the
Princess of Wales — casting them almost as the ugly sisters to Meghan's
Cinderella — has infuriated both men, and understandably so.
It may also
have played a part in bringing Camilla and Kate closer. There's a new warmth
and ease between them, a camaraderie even, that was very much in evidence at
this year's Remembrance Sunday service at the Cenotaph.
As two
women whose support is vital to the success and wellbeing of their husbands,
they not only have a shared experience, they also (unlike Meghan) understand
exactly what is required of them — and undertake the assignment with grace,
dignity and admirable consistency.
And it's
this, perhaps, that is at the core of this endless sniping — either straight
from the horse's mouth or via agents such as Scobie — that continues to emanate
from Camp Sussex, despite the passage of time.
Remarkable
when you think about it, but it's been almost four years since they left,
demanding that their privacy be respected while at the same time invading that
of almost everyone else in their family, including the late Queen. By now, the
Sussexes could surely have moved on — after all, they've got the freedom and
independence they wanted. But it seems they just can't.
Why? The
answer, I believe, is glaringly obvious. Having stormed out, in their arrogance
and complete lack of self-awareness, they believed that the Royal Family would
never survive.
They
surmised that without their stardust, it would become a tarnished, dull, old
institution that interested no one.
The awful
reality for them is that precisely the opposite has happened. The British
monarchy is thriving: re-invigorated, even. The King has stepped into his
mother's shoes with solemnity, and he and his Queen have confounded the
naysayers by showing themselves to be hard-working and diligent.
King Charles was 'stubbornly hard to pin down' on
whether Meghan and Harry would be invited to the Coronation and told his son in
a phone call two months before the ceremony 'I haven't decided', Omid Scobie
claims in new book
The Prince
and Princess of Wales have not put a foot wrong — and less prominent royals
such as Sophie — the Duchess of Edinburgh — have also stepped up to the plate.
Everyone is
doing just fine without the Duke and Duchess of Poor Little Me, thank you very
much. They must be spitting tacks. After all, it wasn't meant to be like this.
They were supposed to ride off into the sunset and the whole thing was supposed
to collapse without them.
But it
hasn't turned out that way. Hence, perhaps, these latest, desperate, laughable
character assassinations from their 'mouthpiece', Scobie. Are the Sussexes
trying to stay relevant? If they are, no one's interested. The world has moved
on, and we've all got better things to do.
The only
people this book damages are the Sussexes themselves. Not just because it makes
them seem like a pair of embittered has-beens, jealous of those who have
succeeded through hard work and persistence where they failed.
But also —
and this is the sad part — because the longer they continue silently to endorse
these attacks, the deeper the rift between Prince Harry and his family becomes.
And the less likely the chance of there ever being a reconciliation.
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