Meghan Markle WILL return to the UK next year, friend Omid Scobie reveals
Meghan Markle’s friend Omid Scobie makes fresh royal racism claims that family had ‘not one but SEVERAL conversations about Archie’s skin colour’ – as he reveals Duchess WILL return to the UK next year for Queen’s Platinum Jubilee
Meghan Markle’s close friend Omid Scobie today alleged that the Royal Family had ‘several’ conversations about Archie’s skin colour before his birth and were ‘unsympathetic’ to the couple’s complaints.
Mr Scobie also revealed that the Duchess of Sussex wants to fly back to the UK with her husband to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee next summer – but had no intention of visiting this month because of the birth of their daughter Lilibet.
The Sussexes’ preferred royal reporter, who co-wrote their biography Finding Freedom, was speaking at an event at the Foreign Press Association in London where he made more incendiary comments about the Queen and Prince William and racism in the family.
Harry and Meghan have been accused of causing a rift with the Windsors after dropping a series of damaging transatlantic ‘truth bombs’ about royal life, including claims to Oprah Winfrey that one senior royal asked how dark Archie’s skin would be, before he was born.
But according to people at today’s FPA event, including award-winning Australian journalist Jacquelin Magnay, Mr Scobie claims that Harry’s family had known about this comment but were ‘unsympathetic’ to the couple’s complaints.
Other conversations followed the first one and it became ‘a much bigger issue’ because Harry and Meghan suspected it was ‘not just this one person’ who was worried about how dark Archie’s skin would be, he said.
Omid Scobie, who wrote the Sussexes’ biography Finding Freedom, was speaking at an event at the Foreign Press Association in London where he made more incendiary comments about the Queen and Prince William in relation to claims the royals are racist after comments about their son Archie
‘There was one conversation that took place that affected them massively, when it came to someone within the royal family sharing concerns over the colour of Archie’s skin, ‘ Mr Scobie said.
Mr Scobie said that the Queen’s statement was designed to make people question the Sussexes’ account and did not go far enough to condemn racism
‘To Harry I can see how it is one conversation, to Meghan who would have been involved in the follow up conversations I can see – because there were other people aware of this conversation within the family and within the institution, that did also speak about it, some not so sympathetically.
‘So you then are in a position where you start to feel well its not just this one person, it’s others as well and it becomes a much bigger issue.’
Mr Scobie said ‘pass’ when queried if he knew who made the initial remark about skin colour, saying he only had one source and would not write about it because he had not verified with multiple contacts. He said it was a story for the couple to share should they ever want.
But cryptically he said: ‘And at the time, the biggest conversation was ‘did this come from a senior member of the royal family, a future head of state?’. If that individual is a head of state, then we as a public have a right to know because of course that is someone that is our head of state, head of the Commonwealth. And if they have an issue with race, we should know.’
Speaking to Oprah the Duchess of Sussex also accused the institution of not helping her when she was suicidal and pregnant with Archie.
The Queen responded by saying the issues were taken ‘very seriously’ but that ‘some recollections may vary’ and the matter would addressed by the family privately.
Mr Scobie hit out today and said the Queen’s statement ‘cleverly using the phrase recollections may vary’ to ‘cast doubts on Harry and Meghan’s version of events but didn’t denounce racism in any way whatsoever’.
Prince William also spoke out to deny the Royal Family is racist, and was said to be privately furious about the claims.
Mr Scobie said today: ‘Even when Prince William said they were not a racist family, again, they did not condemn racism in any form whatsoever’.
He added that unconscious bias in the establishment or the royal family, and how much the Royal institution owns it’s history was never addressed.
William, who was visiting School2 in east London in March after the Oprah interview, William denied the family is racist. Omid Scobie said: ‘Even when Prince William said they were not a racist family, again, they did not condemn racism in any form whatsoever’
Meghan will not join Prince Harry when he returns to the UK later this month for the unveiling of Princess Diana’s statue, it was announced yesterday.
Sources in the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s office have confirmed for the first time that she plans to stay at home in California following the birth of their daughter, Lilibet.
They were responding to reports in the US that the duchess was considering flying over for a whirlwind visit to support her husband at what will be a deeply emotional time for him.
An entertainment website cited sources saying Harry had found it difficult to return alone for the funeral of his late grandfather, the Duke of Edinburgh, and his relationship with his family had only worsened since. ‘[Meghan] doesn’t want that to happen again,’ a source was quoted as saying.
Yesterday palace insiders expressed surprise as they had heard no word that Meghan would be present. A Kensington Palace spokesman said it was a matter for the Sussexes.
Later in the day, Sussex sources spoke to the media to say the story was not true and pointed out the duchess ‘had just had a baby’. Lilibet Diana was born on June 4.
There was no mention, however, of the couple’s son Archie, two.
Many in royal circles are predicting that Harry, 36, will bring his son with him to see his British family for the first time since he was taken to Canada with his parents in January last year.
Harry will stay at Frogmore Cottage, his Windsor home, giving him privacy and the opportunity to visit the Queen at Windsor Castle.
The moving tribute to Diana was jointly commissioned by William and Harry in 2017 to mark the 20th anniversary of their mother’s death and to ‘recognise her positive impact’.
Both brothers felt that an official statue of the princess was long overdue after the disaster of the official memorial fountain that was constructed to much public derision after her untimely death in 1997.
But its unveiling has been delayed by the fall-out between the brothers and the Covid pandemic.
It was made by sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley and will be installed in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, Diana’s home, on July 1.
It is the same spot where a tribute garden was planted to mark the 20th anniversary of her death and where Harry and Meghan announced their engagement in 2017.
In a joint statement, the brothers said: ‘It has been 20 years since our mother’s death and the time is right to recognise her positive impact in the UK and around the world with a permanent statue. Our mother touched so many lives. We hope the statue will help all those who visit Kensington Palace to reflect on her life and legacy.’
Mr Rank-Broadley was seen as a very safe pair of hands for the commission.
His sculpture of the Queen was the model for the image of her that has been printed on British coins since 1998.
But while the Diana statue has in some ways brought Harry and William together, all eyes will be on the two warring brothers, whose once close relationship has disintegrated in recent years as a result of the Sussexes’ acrimonious split from the Royal Family.
Earlier this year the Sussexes conducted an explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in which they made highly damaging claims about the Royal Family, including allegations of racism and a perceived lack of support over Meghan’s mental health issues.
Harry has also taken a number of vitriolic pot shots from across the Atlantic at his father, brother and the institution of the monarchy.
Although he was brought up at Kensington Palace and moved back there as an adult, it will no doubt be a challenging return for Harry.
Kensington Palace is very much his brother and sister-in-law’s ‘territory’ now. But the presence of his nephews and niece – George, Louis and Charlotte – whom he hasn’t seen for a year and a half at least could help soothe troubled waters.
