Prince Harry was kept in the dark about the Queen’s health in the hours before her death, the royal’s biographer has claimed.
Omid Scobie, a close friend of the Duke of Sussex, said Harry, 39, and his wife Meghan Markle, 42, had “no idea” that the royal family was preparing for his grandmother’s death last year.
The allegations come amid a deepening rift between Prince Harry and his relatives, including Prince William and King Charles, after they were made explosive attacks in his memoir Spare.
In his new book Endgame, Mr Scobie suggests William and Harry’s relationship is beyond repair because the Prince of Wales sees his brother as a “turncoat”.
In an excerpt shared with People, he claims “there is no turning back” for the brothers and “absolutely nothing has changed” since the Duke of Sussex released Spare earlier this year.
Buckingham Palace has not yet commented on the statement.
In the excerpt from Endgame published today, Mr Scobie claims:
- William ignored Harry when he asked how he planned to get to Scotland;
- He eventually booked a £30,000 charter flight from Luton to Aberdeenshire.
- Charles told him to come without Meghan, with a source claiming she was “not wanted”;
- Harry had “no idea” what was going on at Balmoral when his plane took off;
- Palace “sources” informed certain newspapers that Charles had personally broken the news of the Queen’s illness to his son;
- William and Harry’s relationship is beyond repair because the Prince of Wales sees his brother as a “turncoat.”
Prince Harry and Prince William during the unveiling of a statue of their mother at Kensington Palace on July 1, 2021
The Prince and Princess of Wales accompany the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a walkabout in Windsor to meet mourners following the Queen’s death in September 2022
An emotional Harry travels to Balmoral in an official car after the Queen’s death was announced to the nation
In “Endgame,” Mr. Scobie recounts how the Sussexes had visited the United Kingdom for a series of engagements in September 2022 when the palace announced that Queen Elizabeth had been ordered by her doctors to rest.
He writes: “The next morning, the Sussexes had no idea that Buckingham Palace was already planning the Queen’s final hours and the first days of the monarchy’s new era – until the Duke’s phone started ringing.” An unknown number. He usually ignored them.”
Meghan told her husband to pick up the phone, and he answered the call “just before it ended,” the author wrote.
He continues: “Harry hadn’t spoken to his father much that year, but this was not the time for tension between father and son.” Charles told him that he and Camilla were leaving Dumfries House for Balmoral, where Princess Anne was already was at the queen’s side. He told Harry to set off for Scotland immediately.’
Harry texted his brother William asking how he and Kate were planning their trip to Scotland and whether they could travel together, but received no response, Mr Scobie claims.
He was later told that Harry had managed to secure a flight with his uncles Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.
“It was disturbing to witness,” a source close to the Sussexes claimed, Mr Scobie said. ‘[Harry] was completely on his own.’
Mr Scobie claimed that palace “sources” had informed certain newspapers that Charles had personally broken the news of the Queen’s illness to his son. He quoted a friend of the Duke’s as saying that Harry was “devastated” by this.
Journalists make new claims about William and Harry’s damaged relationship.
Mr Scobie even claims that William “doesn’t want to know” his younger brother, who he says has been “brainwashed by an army of therapists”.
He writes: “I spoke to a source fairly early in the trial and they called Harry a ‘turncoat’ and said that was William’s view.”
“These were two men who were once firmly on the same page in their attitudes. One of them had to move on to protect the crown too.’
Prince Harry, pictured with Meghan and the late queen in 2018, was reportedly kept in the dark about his health in the hours before his death
Prince Harry boards a plane at Aberdeen Airport after leaving Balmoral following the Queen’s death
Last year, Prince Harry accompanied Meghan and the Princess of Wales as the Queen lay in state
Harry was close to his grandmother and told her about her death in Spare.
In the memoir, he described whispering to her that he “hoped she was happy” and that she would be reunited with Prince Philip, who had died a year earlier. He also told her that he admired her for fulfilling her duties until the end.
The prince traveled to Scotland on September 8 last year to see the queen – Britain’s longest-reigning monarch – after Buckingham Palace announced she was seriously ill. However, he was unable to reach the property before she died at the age of 96.
In a moving passage, the Duke describes how he learned of the Queen’s death after checking the BBC news website. Arriving at Balmoral, he was greeted by Anne, the Princess Royal, who then led him upstairs to a room where the late sovereign lay.
He writes: “I walked forward with uncertainty and saw her.” I remained silent and watched her carefully for a while.
“I whispered that I hoped she was happy and that she was with Grandpa now.” I said that I admired her for fulfilling her duties until the end. The [Platinum] Anniversary, welcoming the new Prime Minister”.
Mr. Scobie covered the Sussexes in his 2020 bestseller “Finding Freedom” and is now considered the couple’s unofficial mouthpiece.
Promotional material for Endgame suggests it will be as hostile to the remaining members of the royal family as his previous work.
A breathless description on Amazon calls it “an in-depth examination of the current state of the British monarchy – an unpopular king, a power-hungry heir to the throne, a queen willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image, and a coerced prince.” to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.
A source told The Mail on Sunday: “I’ve been told this is bad, very bad. “Royal advisers are unlikely to comment on this, but if there are allegations of racism they will of course be vigorously denied.”
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex famously told US television host Oprah Winfrey that when Meghan announced her pregnancy, an unnamed member of the royal family asked what skin color their son Archie would have.
Omid Scobie, the Sussexes’ unofficial mouthpiece, will use his new book to launch a volley of attacks on the royal family
The Sussexes repeatedly denied working with Scobie and his co-author Carolyn Durand on Finding Freedom, but Meghan was later forced to admit in the Supreme Court that she had authorized an adviser to secretly inform the couple.
Endgame, released on November 28th, is likely to cause further unrest at Buckingham Palace. It is unknown whether the Sussexes contributed this time, although the author brags that he interviewed family members.
The book, subtitled “Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival,” is touted as an “explosive” look at the events surrounding the queen’s death.
The Amazon sales pitch states: “The death of Queen Elizabeth II has brought down the already fractured foundations of the House of Windsor – and dismantled the protective shield around it.”
Scobie claims to have interviewed “current and former palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves.”
The Mail on Sunday has learned that the book will be published in a major US magazine, but not in the UK.
It was scheduled to be released in August, but was postponed to include events surrounding the coronation.
A publication source in America said: “They say there will be one bomb after another.” Some even speculate that the name of the person who asked what color Archie would be might be mentioned.
“Everyone knows that Omid is the unofficial mouthpiece of the Sussexes, so it’s fair to say there will be great interest in this book on both sides of the Atlantic.”
Chapter titles include: “Shaky Ground: The Queen is Dead, the Monarchy Faces Trouble,” “The Fall of Prince Andrew: Scandal, Shame and Silencing Jane Doe,” “Race and the Royals: Institutional Bigotry and Denial,” “Gloves on.” : Prince William, heir to the throne” and “Gloves off: Prince Harry, man on a mission”.
In the promotional material, Mr Scobie said King Charles was “unpopular” and Queen Camilla was “willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image”.
Publisher HarperCollins has previously said the book will “get the world talking” and Scobie has warned it will reveal moments the royals should be “ashamed of”.
Earlier this month, Scobie wrote extensively about the first night Meghan and Harry spent together, recounting seemingly literal conversations between the Sussexes and senior royals.
He continues to be a popular mouthpiece for the Sussexes and is often the first to post information about their charity efforts and awards on social media.
This week he again reprimanded the king and queen for walking on a red carpet that had been laid out over bare ground for them during their state visit to Kenya last week.
On “to avoid, pretty ridiculous.” and out of touch.
“An enlightened palace official could have easily requested its removal.”
But Scobie was criticized for his comment, including by Kenyan journalist Joseph Wakhungu, who wrote: “I can tell you that all heads of state and government who visit Kenya are treated the same way when they land in Kenya.”
When asked by a fan on social media who wrote about Endgame, “I hope it goes further and deeper than Finding Freedom,” Scobie replied, “It’s worlds apart.”