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Omid Scobie has just changed his story about the royals who made the skin colour comment.

Two years ago, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shocked the world after telling Oprah Winfrey that two members of the royal family had voiced their “concerns” about the skin colour of their son, Archie.

Now, UK talk show host Piers Morgan has named the two senior royals on Piers Morgan Uncensored after it was accidentally mentioned in Dutch copies of Omid Scobie's new biography, Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival.

According to Morgan, it was reportedly King Charles III and Princess Kate who made the remarks. 

The book claims that Markle, who was concerned about the conversation, wrote a letter to Charles, mentioning the two members who commented on her and Harry’s then-unborn son’s skin tone. 

Watch the conversation between Meghan Markle and Oprah. Post continues below.


Video via Oprah. 

In the final copy of the book the names had been removed due to libel laws with the paragraph reading: "Even after Meghan and Charles by letter discussed about probable unconscious bias within the family after it was revealed that [redacted] took part in such conversations about Archie, [redacted] has avoided discussing the subject with [redacted]."

However, things slipped through the cracks when the book was translated to Dutch, because the copy that was released in Holland had the names clearly mentioned.

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Scobie initially said he "never submitted a book that had their names in", but Dutch translator Saskia Peeters claims otherwise, saying that the manuscript she received had Kate and Charles's name printed in "black and white".

Scobie has now admitted otherwise. 

Dutch translator Peeters told MailOnline, that she "did not add them".

Another translator, Nellie Keukelaar-van Rijsbergen, carried the same sentiments as Peeters, telling The Sun it was "unfair" that people were placing the blame on them. 

Speaking to the British tabloid, Rijsbergen said that Omid's statement left her confused.

"We are professionals and we’ve done this for years, both of us. It’s unfair."

Morgan, who has shown unwavering support to the royal family throughout his career, said that while he doesn’t "believe any racist comments were ever made by any of the royal family", he did feel that British citizens deserved to know.

"Frankly, if Dutch people wandering into a bookshop can pick it up and see these names, then you — the British people here, who actually pay for the British royal family — you’re entitled to know, too."

On Tuesday, Xander Publishers said that after receiving a request from the United States, sales of the book will be immediately halted.

"I can't talk about the details," said a spokesperson for the company. "We have, however, received a request to put the title on hold, and that is what we have done. We are awaiting further instructions. I do not know how long this will be."

Following on from the confusion, Scobie has confirmed that the inclusion wasn't a "translation" error but rather the result of an early, unapproved manuscript being sent to publishers before the names were removed for the final version, based on "watertight" legal advice.

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"Unbeknownst to me at the time, early and uncleared text was provided to the Dutch publisher in order for them to start work on the translation, with the understanding that their translation would be updated to reflect the final version of the book I officially submitted," Scobie wrote for iNews.

"Other foreign-language publishers, including in France and Italy, were also doing the same thing, though their versions perfectly replicated the completed work. What I can be sure of is that I edited carefully, took independent legal advice, and the finished book that I submitted was not the version published in the Netherlands."

The allegations first came to light in 2021, after Markle told Winfrey that there were "several" conversations about Archie's skin.

"About how dark your baby is going to be?" Winfrey asked. 

To which Markle responded: "Potentially, and what that would mean or look like."

Both Markle and Harry refused to reveal any names or further information.

"That conversation I am never going to share, but at the time, it was awkward," he said. "I was a bit shocked."

Kensington Palace, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are yet to respond.

Feature Image: Getty.

This article was originally published on December 1, 2023, and has since been updated with new information.

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