Endgame: Why Has This Controversial Royal Book Been Pulled Off Dutch Shelves?

A new book called Endgame about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and the remaining members of the royal family has been pulled off the shelves in the Netherlands.

The translated text reportedly names those at the centre of the racism row about the Sussexes’ then-unborn child which rocked the Palace more than two years ago.

Here’s what you need to know.

What is Endgame?

Endgame was written by journalist Omid Scobie, a vocal supporter of the Sussexes and the royal editor-at-large for Harper’s BAZAAR US.

This new text promises to illuminate the “fight for survival” within the Royal Household.

Released on Tuesday, it is said to heavily criticise the Royal Family amid the ongoing feud between the Sussexes and Buckingham Palace.

Why was Endgame pulled off Dutch shelves?

The Dutch version of the text – Eindstrijd – was removed from shelves on Tuesday night after the translation allegedly named those behind the racism row in the Palace.

It a statement, the publishers did not acknowledge the nature of “error”, but said: “Xander Uitgevers is temporarily withdrawing the book Eindstrijd by Omid Scobie from sale. An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified.”

Scobie claims in all translations of the book that Meghan sent a letter to then-Prince Charles about unconscious bias in the royal family. 

This letter allegedly followed her bombshell Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021, where she claimed a senior royal had asked her what colour her unborn baby’s skin would be.

The UK version of the book claims Meghan had mentioned two people who had made comments about Prince Archie’s skin – but Scobie does not name either of them due to “laws in the UK”.

But the Dutch translation reportedly had a detail not included in any other edition.

The BBC reported that the translation included the name of one alleged royal involved with the controversy, while The Mirror suggested the Dutch Endgame printed two names which were “revealed and confirmed” in those private letters between Meghan and the now-King.

Those involved reportedly meant “no ill will or bias”, according to Scobie in the Dutch translation, and quotes a royal source who said they wanted to make that clear.

HuffPost UK has not seen the Dutch edition of the text.

Scobie has spoken up about the confusion, telling the Dutch TV show RTL Boulevard: “The book is in several languages and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch. But if there are translation errors, I’m sure the publishers will have it under control.

“I wrote and edited the English version. There’s never been a version that I’ve produced that has names in it.”

It is unclear how the additional line of text in the Dutch translation came to be added.

According to the BBC, Buckingham Palace has declined to respond to the book’s claims or the issues with the Dutch edition. The Sussexes’ representatives did not reply to the broadcaster, either.

This is not the first time Scobie has distanced himself from reproductions of his new book.

Scobie wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that not all the reported extracts of his book were accurate.

He said: “Whether you like my work or loathe it, all I ask is that if you are reading coverage about what’s supposedly inside Endgame, please also read the book itself.”

What was the racism row about?

In 2021, Meghan told Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed royal had questioned what the colour of her unborn child’s skin would be in “several conversations”.

She said there were “concerns and conversations about how dark his [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born”.

She said naming who had allegedly made such a comment would be “very damaging” to the person in question.

This claim sent shockwaves through the international media.

Buckingham Palace then issued a statement from the late Queen, including the line “recollections may vary”, while Prince William told the press in a fleeting remark: “We are very much not a racist family.”

While promoting his own memoir Spare in January, Prince Harry told ITV that he never claimed anyone was racist but a case of “unconscious bias”.

He said the “British press” are the ones who said they were accusing the royal family of racism.

What else has Scobie written?

His 2020 book, Finding Freedom – co-written with Carolyn Durand – was an explosive take on life behind the Palace walls and shot to No.1 on the Sunday Times’ bestseller list. 

It hard so much detail about the couples’ time as working royals – and their messy exit – that there was speculation over whether Harry and Meghan had personally contributed to it.

Both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex denied contributing to the tome, claiming it was “based on the authors’ own experiences as members of the royal press corps and their own independent reporting”.

Scobie has claimed that the Sussexes “have nothing to do with” Endgame either, and that he is not Meghan’s friend – nor were the Duke and Duchess direct sources.