Omid Scobie’s Endgame isn’t just raising eyebrows in the U.S. and the U.K., the Netherlands version of the book was allegedly misprinted with details about the royal family’s involvement in the Prince Archie skin color incident.
The Dutch translation of the new royal tell-all reportedly names the royals who made comments about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s firstborn child, now 4, before his birth. (Meghan, 42, claimed during the couple’s March 2021 CBS tell-all that there were “concerns” about “how dark” her first baby would be among some of the royals.)
Endgame was released on Tuesday, November 28, and details the current state of the British monarchy, the rift between Harry, 39, and his family and more. As a result of the alleged name mistakes, the Dutch edition has been pulled from the shelves until it gets reprinted. The English version, meanwhile, doesn’t mention any family member by name.
“Having only written and edited the English version of Endgame, I can only comment on that manuscript — which does not name the two individuals who took part in the conversation,” Scobie, who penned both Endgame and Finding Freedom about the royals, said in a statement to People on Wednesday, November 29. “I’m happy to hear that the error in the translation of the Dutch edition is being fixed.”
The Dutch publishers also commented on the incorrect version in a statement on its official website. “The rectified edition of Eindstrijd by Omid Scobie will be in bookstores on Friday, December 8,” the statement read. “Xander Uitgevers temporarily removed the book from sale, due to an error that occurred in the Dutch edition.”
Harry and Meghan’s March 2021 bombshell about the royals alleged comments about Archie made waves within the family. At the time, Harry said it was a conversation he was “never going to share,” confessing that it was “awkward” and left him a “bit shocked.”
While the pair has never publicly revealed who was behind the uncomfortable remarks, they reportedly said off camera that the late Queen Elizabeth II and her late husband, Prince Philip, were not the ones involved.
“The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement at the time, calling Harry and Meghan’s allegations of racism “concerning” to the family. “While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately.”
While speaking to reporters at a London school visit, Prince William shut down the narrative, affirming, “We’re very much not a racist family.”
Earlier this year, Harry once again addressed his family having “concerns” over Archie’s skin color and admitted he didn’t consider the comments to be “racist.”
He explained during an ITV sit-down in January that “the difference between what my understanding is because of my own experience, the difference between racism and unconscious bias, the two things are different.”
The prince continued: “But once it’s been acknowledged, or pointed out to you as an individual, or as an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you therefore have an opportunity to learn and grow from that in order so that you are part of the solution rather than part of the problem.”
Harry noted that he had no plans to out the person responsible for the negative comments. “I will never talk,” he concluded.
Us Weekly has reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.
