The Duchess of Sussex and the Princess of Wales were encouraged to dress like their late mother-in-law so that some of her brilliance would “bleed through to them”, her Sussex biographer has claimed.
Omid Scobie, 42, claims in his new book that a “huge amount of effort” went into channeling Diana, Princess of Wales, and that both William and Harry were consulted on such decisions.
“Over the last thirteen years, Diana cosplay has become a royal staple,” she writes.
The extraordinary claim is made in Scobie’s latest game, Endgame, which was released on Tuesday.
The initial review, published in The New York Times, said Endgame was “dedicated to setting the record straight on petty Sussex insults,” including the now-famous fight between Meghan and Catherine over who made who cry at the bridesmaids’ dress rehearsal.
“The tabloids have been rightly accused of pitting one royal bride against another, and so it is shocking that Scobie, whose tone has been morally charged throughout, has used a similar tactic,” the paper says.
The overall theme, according to Scobie, is that the monarchy is at a crossroads and its future is in crisis.
Branding the institution “deaf, racist and financially reckless”, according to the review, he rubs salt in the wounds by adding that things have gotten worse since Charles became King.
“With Queen Elizabeth II at the helm, she managed to keep most of this at bay,” he writes.
By comparison, the Duke and Duchess are in a “good place” and unconcerned by the negative headlines. While Harry is said to be working on something “in the military field,” according to a source, Meghan is “building something more accessible… something rooted in her love of detail, curation, hosting, life’s simple pleasures and family.” ”
As for efforts to emulate Diana, Scobie quotes a royal source who works with both William, 41, and Harry, 39, who claims such “decisions” are always discussed with them.
“Were there slight pushes from others? Sometimes yes. It was known that someone would go back and take pictures of Diana at a particular place or time,” the source says, according to a quote seen by the New York Post.
Scobie adds: “It might be a sweet gesture at the right moment, but there’s also a slightly sickening feeling when you realize it’s being run within the same system that often contributed to her misery, and by an institution that still wants Diana’s shine.” to mess with them.”
Both the Princess, 41, and the Duchess, 42, have often compared their sartorial choices to those of their late mother-in-law, but there has been no public confirmation that this was intentional.
In 1987, Diana wore an off-the-shoulder, baby pink Catherine Walker dress to a ballet in Berlin, similar to the Carolina Herrera dress Meghan wore to Trooping the Color in 2018.
By comparison, the Princess wore several outfits reminiscent of Diana’s, including the strapless black velvet gown with a ruffled bodice she chose for the 2011 Sun’s Military Awards, which was similar to the dress Diana wore to Goldsmiths’ Hall in London. The red skirt suit with a black belt and black jumper in 1981 and 2001 was almost identical to the orange outfit Diana wore in Liverpool in 1995.
Scobie, who told The Sunday Times that he was aware he was “very unpopular in Britain” and was now renting a house in Hollywood, is understood to have planned his own marketing strategy to promote the book, largely letting down his UK-based publishers. darkness.
It appears that The New York Times was the only newspaper to submit advance copies for review; the newspaper predicted: “We’ve heard most of this before.”
The review, published on Sunday, adds: “Whether Scobie actively collaborates with Meghan and Harry on this book or not, he does them no favors. His chapters read like a press release produced by ChatGPT and do little to shed light on them as people.” .
Scobie insisted that neither Harry nor Meghan contributed directly to the 400-page book.
While the Sussexes distanced themselves from the book, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment.
Queen Camilla is not a fan of vigilantism. Scobie claims the Queen rolls her eyes when topics such as gender identity or veganism come up.
“Even gluten-free or dairy-free options on a restaurant menu bother him,” a former aide is quoted as saying.
The book also claims that after Piers Morgan called Meghan the “Pinocchio Princess” on Twitter in 2021, Camilla “quietly thanked him for defending the Firm” when she mentioned feeling suicidal.
Scobie claims Buckingham Palace is lying when it says Camilla could never become Queen.
However, he states that it is now “finally tolerated by the public.”
He also seems unable to resist a reference to “tampongate”, a private phone conversation between Camilla and Charles in 1989 that was recorded without their knowledge.
Scobie portrays the Princess as “a woman afraid to do anything more than grinning photoshoots” and claims she had to be persuaded to appear in Blue Peter in 2019.
He told The Sunday Times: “In the Kate coverage we massively infantilize her so the bar is always lower.
“The small achievements we see from the Princess of Wales would probably go unnoticed if they came from another member of the royal family; but for Kate it was ‘wow!’ Something like that.”
Scobie claims the Princess copied Meghan’s dress sense and suggests the Hold Still quarantine photo project is “reminiscent” of Meghan’s 2018 Grenfell cookbook Together.
But he claims the 41-year-old mother of three playfully shivers whenever Meghan’s name is mentioned. Charles is a “flawed father.”
The book also takes aim at the King, who was “often jealous” of his sons’ popularity and was said to have used Harry’s teenage drug problems to improve his own image.
Charles thought Prince Harry was a “stupid” for making a Netflix docuseries but has been accused of “incompetence” in his handling of the entire Harry and Meghan saga.
In the book, he is portrayed as a generous and spoiled man who insists on having his shoelaces ironed and travels with 1,000-thread-count linens that need to be steamed to perfection.
Scobie, II. He claims that before Elizabeth died, royal aides did not think she was ready for the top job, lacking both “moxie” and “vision for the family’s next era”.
He adds: “There’s been a sort of awareness of what the role is compared to being the Prince of Wales, where there’s a bit more freedom and… personality.”
William in ‘heir mode’ and on collision course with the King
The Prince of Wales, 41, has been described as a hot-headed “company man” who is increasingly willing to allow the palace to use “dirty tricks”.
Scobie claims Prince William is a power-hungry figure, in “heir mode” and heading into conflict with his father, the King.
“It would have been nice to see them come together to form a united front, perhaps coming together on certain projects in the early years, but they are all working separately,” he told the Sunday Times.
Both the Prince and Princess are said to have found it “hilarious” that Harry and Meghan were being lampooned in South Park.
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