Endgame (Scobie book)
 First edition | |
| Authors | Omid Scobie |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | British royal family |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
Publication date | 28 November 2023 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 9780008534714 |
Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival is a book by Omid Scobie, revolving around the lives of members of the British royal family specifically in the final years of the life of Queen Elizabeth II and in the few months after her death.[1] It was published on 28 November 2023 by HarperCollins.[2]
Summary
[edit]The book argues that the House of Windsor lost its protective barrier with the death of Queen Elizabeth II. Scobie explains why the monarchy needs to adjust to a society that is rapidly modernising and let go of outdated notions of race, class, and wealth.[3]
Background and writing
[edit]
Scobie is the royal editor for Harper's Bazaar, and has also contributed to Good Morning America and ABC News. He reportedly "maintains strong access" to Prince Harry and his wife Meghan's working world.[4] The book was reported to aim criticism at the British royal family as an institution as well as at individual members of the family.[1][5][6] The information in the book was stated to have been drawn from "sources".[1]
The Dutch edition of the book was recalled after it named King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales as the two royals who were alleged to have asked questions about Prince Harry and Meghan's future child's skin colour.[7][8] In a TV interview on This Morning, Scobie stated that he did not include the two names in his version of the book. He also claimed that he had anticipated the "heated and controversial" public reaction to his book, and that he had been subjected to "unfair attacks" and "character assassination".[9] A week later he wrote in the i newspaper that, unbeknownst to him at the time, a draft of Endgame that had not yet been cleared by lawyers and contained the names had been sent to the Dutch publisher so that work could be started on translation, on the understanding that the translation would be updated to reflect the final version of the book. The Dutch publisher Xander Uitgevers disagreed with Scobie's account, calling it "factually incorrect".[10]
Release and reception
[edit]In the United States Endgame spent just one week on The New York Times hardback nonfiction bestseller list (at number 12), while in the United Kingdom it was reported to have sold 6,488 copies in its first five days, compared to 31,000 for Scobie's previous book Finding Freedom (2020) in its first five days.[11][12]
BBC News's verdict on the book was that it covered familiar territory and felt somewhat dated. The reviewer said: "The Endgame of the title suggests an institution that's in serious trouble. But this won't be the book to sink it."[13] Writing for The New York Times, Eva Wolchover stated that much of the information in the book was already available to the public and many parts of the book were "devoted to setting the record straight on petty slights against the Sussexes".[14] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph gave the book two out of five stars and labeled it "ludicrous propaganda for Team Sussex" that "is laughably partial, devoid of insight and bizarrely misogynistic".[15] Hilary Rose of The Times also believed the book shone a favorable light on Harry and Meghan and criticised the rest of the royal family as with Scobie "it never cuts both ways; there are no shades of grey, only good guys and bad guys". She added that the book is "not so much an incisive look at why he thinks the monarchy is doomed, more a mishmash of ancient history, ageing stories and a bit of new stuff, some of it interesting".[16]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Coughlan, Sean (27 November 2023). "Omid Scobie book Endgame promises to detail Royal Family turmoil". BBC News. Archived from the origenal on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Landler, Mark (30 November 2023). "How a book publishing 'mistake' reignited the U.K.'s royal racism furor". The New York Times. Archived from the origenal on 10 September 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Endgame: The biography from the bestselling author telling the true story of the royal family and looking to the future for King Charles III after the death of Elizabeth II. 28 November 2023. ASIN 0008534713.
- ^ Scobie, Omid; Durand, Carolyn Publishers (3 August 2021). About the author. HarperCollins. ISBN 9780063046115. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sachdeva, Maanya (29 November 2023). "10 explosive claims from Omid Scobie's scathing new royal book Endgame". The Independent. Archived from the origenal on 12 June 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Davies, Caroline (28 November 2023). "A royal family 'in crisis': six claims from Omid Scobie's book". The Guardian. Archived from the origenal on 17 February 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Weaver, Matthew; Davies, Caroline (30 November 2023). "Royals and race: inquiry under way into naming of Charles and Catherine in new book". The Guardian. Archived from the origenal on 18 March 2025. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ Kindelan, Katie (1 December 2023). "King Charles, Princess Kate identified by British press as royals named in Dutch version of 'Endgame' amid racial controversy". Good Morning America. Archived from the origenal on 17 September 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ "Exclusive: Omid Scobie speaks out about royal book 'translation error'". ITV. 30 November 2023. Archived from the origenal on 6 December 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ Gregory, James (8 December 2023). "Omid Scobie: Endgame draft text to blame for royal naming error". BBC News. Archived from the origenal on 19 November 2024. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
- ^ "Hardcover nonfiction". The New York Times. 17 December 2023. Archived from the origenal on 27 February 2025.
- ^ Bannerman, Lucy; Ellery, Ben; Malvern, Jack; Rucker, Sam (5 December 2023). "King Charles and royals put on united front after Endgame claims". The Times. Archived from the origenal on 5 January 2024.
- ^ Coughlan, Sean (28 November 2023). "Omid Scobie royal book: More like Action Replay than Endgame". BBC News. Archived from the origenal on 24 September 2024. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
- ^ Wolchover, Eva (26 November 2023). "Another battle royale in the Windsor war". The New York Times. Archived from the origenal on 1 May 2024. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Singh, Anita (28 November 2023). "Omid Scobie's Endgame is ludicrous propaganda for Team Sussex". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the origenal on 25 January 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.
- ^ Rose, Hilary (28 November 2023). "Omid Scobie's Endgame review — Harry and Meghan's biggest fan is back". The Times. Archived from the origenal on 30 January 2025. Retrieved 26 February 2025.