Prince Harry and Meghan set for major blow as Endgame shatters hopes of a Christmas return | Royal | News | Express.co.uk
EXCLUSIVE: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s association with Omid Scobie and his new book Endgame will not help the Sussexes’ chances of an invite to spend Christmas with the Royal Family, an expert claims.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle probably weren’t invited to spend Christmas with the Windsors (Image: Getty)
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle aren’t likely to receive an invite to spend Christmas with the Royal Family, an expert has claimed.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have reportedly been angling for an invitation to join the Windsors on their traditional festive gathering at Sandringham this year. But allegations of “royal racism” published in Omid Scobie’s new book Endgame and the Sussexes’ association with the writer are likely to have scuppered their chances of healing the rift between Harry, Meghan and the rest of the Royal Family.
Pauline Maclaran, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Research at Royal Holloway, University of London, told Express.co.uk the fallout from Scobie’s book would hamper the Sussexes’ chances of a yuletide reunion. She said: “I doubt if there was any invitation to spend Christmas with the Royal Family. I would be very surprised. [The furore over Endgame] isn’t going to help.”
This Christmas comes after Harry and Meghan rocked the Royal Family with a series of bombshell allegations, first in their Netflix documentary series which first aired in December 2022, and then in the Duke’s memoir, Spare.
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Endgame has revived Meghan’s previous allegation that an unnamed royal had raised “concerns and conversations” about how dark the skin of her then unborn son, Prince Archie, would be. Since the Duchess made the claim in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Prince Harry has sought to row back on it, saying he did not think the Royal Family is racist, but that it can be thought to have exhibited unconscious bias.
Scobie’s book claims there were actually two royals who questioned Archie’s skin colour, with a Dutch translation naming them, sparking a furore in the UK. The author denies the names were in the original, translated work, although the translator reportedly told MailOnline the names did appear in the version of Scobie’s work she received.
The Express is not naming the two royals, who are unable to defend themselves. Piers Morgan first repeated their names in connection with the allegation on his TalkTV show, with other media outlets following suit.
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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s brand is likely to be tarnished by Endgame, Professor Maclaran says (Image: Getty)
The Waleses and Sussexes attend church on Christmas Day (Image: Getty)
It comes after Harry and Meghan were savaged in the press after it was suggested someone close to the couple said they would accept an invitation to spend Christmas at Sandringham.
Daily Mail diary editor Richard Eden dismissed the whole thing as “pathetic”, questioning the alleged method used to express the wish: “So the story in The Sunday Times was that their friends are putting out that they really would quite like to be welcome or be invited to Sandringham at Christmas. I mean come on. This is no way to operate, is it?”
His remarks followed a source close to the Sussexes telling The Sunday Times: “I can’t imagine [they] would decline an invitation to spend time with His Majesty.”
Speculation had been swirling as to whether such an invitation could be extended to Meghan and Harry after it was reported the couple spoke to King Charles on his 75th birthday. Some saw this as a potential olive branch which could lead to reconciliation.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have reportedly sought to distance themselves from Scobie’s book (Image: Getty)
Omid Scobie has been dubbed ‘Meghan’s mouthpiece’ though he denies the claim he is a friend (Image: Getty)
Professor Maclaran said before Endgame came out the Sussexes had been trying to distance themselves from it, with reports their contacts were telling the media the couple had not contributed to the work.
She added: “The Sussexes may be worried the book will spoil a chance of restoring relations with the Royal Family.”
It is understood Harry and Meghan last spent Christmas at Sandringham with the Royal Family in 2018. Their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, have yet to join the Windsors for the festive occasion.
The Sussexes’ first Christmas with the royals was in 2017 when Queen Elizabeth II allowed the breaking of a royal rule which had meant only married couples could attend. They were in Sandringham for Christmas the following year, but joined Meghan’s mother Doria Ragland after the birth of Prince Archie in 2019.
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