Scobie: Prince William ‘quietly cooperates’ with the media to ‘undermine’ Harry

It’s almost time for a Scobie Christmas! Omid Scobie’s Endgame will be released on November 28, and for his second book, Scobie eschewed the British media (for now) for the early promotion. He has given some exclusive excerpts to People Magazine for their second cover story this week, and he also gave an interview to People. He talks about what happened between Prince William and Harry and how there’s basically no going back for the brothers.

Nothing has changed between the brothers since ‘Spare’ was published: Nearly a year after Spare’s publication, “absolutely nothing has changed,” author Omid Scobie, whose new book Endgame is out Nov. 28, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. In fact, the hurt and anger between the two brothers — one, the Prince of Wales and future King and the other, the Duke of Sussex and Californian — has now hardened into something colder and more immovable, says Scobie: indifference.

Why Harry wrote Spare: “I saw Harry’s release of Spare as his last attempt at telling his family how he’s felt for years,” says Scobie, who chronicles both the breakdown of the royal family and the weakening of the modern monarchy in Endgame. “Because clearly there’s never been an open enough forum to have these conversations or share these feelings.”

The Windsors are ostriches: The royal family, of course, is not known for its focus on feelings. But in Endgame Scobie writes that perhaps more than at any other point in history, the family is ignoring its internal fractures at its own peril, because “part of the buy-in from the [British] public is that the royal family is the nation’s family.” And yet, Scobie says, heir-to-the-throne William has prioritized his loyalty to the monarchy, even quietly cooperating with the U.K. press to undermine Harry. (Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by PEOPLE about the allegations.)

William sees Harry as a defector: In writing Endgame, “I was talking to a source quite early on in the process, and they called Harry a ‘defector’ and said that was William’s view,” says Scobie. “These were two men who once upon a time were firmly aligned in their outlook. One of them had to move on to also protect the crown.”

Can the monarchy endure? “There’s a real chance here to learn and adapt to modern society and also make up for mistakes of the past,” says Scobie. “It’s their move.” Even if the monarchy endures, the question remains of whether sacrificing brotherly bonds was worth it. “These are probably sad realizations that will be had far too late in the journey,” says Scobie. “In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy.” Which is why for the brothers, he says, “there’s no going back.”

[From People]

It’s funny to think that William sees Harry as a “defector” – which I think is true – while William is also trying to copy and stalk Harry. It’s the same thing as Kate copying Meghan – it’s clear that Kate has nothing but hatred for Meghan, but Kate also wants to BE Meghan. I also think Scobie perfectly summarizes why the institution still sees Harry as such a threat – “In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy.” Harry can’t be controlled, he can’t be ordered around, he can’t be bullied, he can’t be punished, he can’t be brought to heel. His freedom has made him “dangerous” to the Windsor cult. And yes, “William has prioritized his loyalty to the monarchy, even quietly cooperating with the U.K. press to undermine Harry.” You don’t say.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of People.

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63 Responses to “Scobie: Prince William ‘quietly cooperates’ with the media to ‘undermine’ Harry”

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  1. Pinkosaurus says:

    I wonder how much of this will be breaking news to those who don’t really pay attention to the royals?

    • SURE says:

      Yeah, this excerpt suggests he’s unashamedly piggybacking off Spare.

      • Anna says:

        @Sure or he’s verifying the claim. Not that Harry needs the verification, but I’m assuming Scobie has spoken to multiple people about when the press got permission from William to throw Harry(and Meghan) under the bus.

      • Amy Bee says:

        @Anna: This was written about in the Sunday Times in April 2019. William gave the press the go ahead to attack Harry and Meghan in exchange for positive press.

      • Becks1 says:

        It’s okay to use Spare though. I would say that it would be negligent to write a book about the royals and not use as a source a memoir written by one of those royals.

        If the whole book is a rehashing of Spare, then that’s something different. but I dont think it will be bc he was working on this before Spare came out.

      • May says:

        Even if Scobie’s book just ends up citing different sources to confirm things that Harry said in Spare, it will be a revelation to many people. The Royals and British tabloids have done a pretty good job of convincing a lot of people that Harry is a liar or doesn’t know what he’s talking about. At the very least, this book will confirm what Harry said and what was really going on with the Royals and the relationship with Harry and the Press. I think that’s a good thing.

      • Her again says:

        At the very least, it will add to the historical record and considering how much is out there that claims Harry is full of ish, it won’t hurt to have things that confirm the claims in Spare

    • Anonymous says:

      I wonder if the rose affair allegations will come up in the book?

  2. ThatsNotOkay says:

    A fractured family relationship is one of the most relatable things about the Royal Family. The problem is, though, this makes them human and not above us and just ordinary and not special and unable to control others. And that’s the worst thing for a monarchy. They cannot fix one without fixing the other.

    • Sam says:

      “William has prioritized his loyalty to the monarchy.” What is that?!?!
      Peg is portrayed here as being dutiful and Harry being to blame.

      Why is it not clearly stated: Peg, to distract from his affairs and dark secrets and because he is incredibly jealous, threw Harry to the wolves.
      Harry escaped from a household that abused him.

      I still can’t wait for his book and hope he writes the truth about Peg!!

      • ales says:

        If William was loyal to the royal family he would not have married K. Her trashy history , a stalker a, predator, her nicknames, mattress, yacht girl, middlebum, wisteria sister. Her family of extreme social climbers, grifters, druggie uncle and her abject laziness. Flashing her naked butt during royal events, her very questionable work history. Drunken photos. Do nothing, done nothing, mumbles with her bizarre created accent, believing her fake accent sounds as though she was born with it. Likes multiple holidays every year and having her photo taken. Constantly rewriting this vile creatrures history doesnt change anything, she still has no class. . The pair attack Harry and Meghan constantly out of extreme jealousy, definitely not because of any loyalty to the monarchy. They are both too narcissistic to realize that their relentless attacks on H & M are destroying the royal family.

  3. Southern Fried says:

    It’s great Scobie’s book is getting advance press. Can’t wait for the book!

    • Jais says:

      Yeah, I’m excited for it. The more it can be repeated that William was undermining Harry and Meghan in the press the better. The BM love to talk about Harry how attacked and betrayed his family without ever mentioning the fact that William first committed the ultimate betrayal by planting false stories about his brother. That can never not be repeated enough.

  4. Debbie says:

    “William Quietly cooperates with the media to undermine Harry.” I detect no lies here.

    • Couch Potato says:

      No lies, indeed, but it won’t take long before the firm will use anything they can to pressure Scobie to silence. They don’t want this kind of things out in the open. I think that’s the reason he chose to talk to People. In the docu-series about the brothers the firm made the producers take out a part where Scobie said something they didn’t like.

  5. Amy Bee says:

    We’ve known that William chose to undermine Harry in the press since the Sunday Times article came out in April 2019. And just like the rest of the royal rota, Omid is still wedded to the belief that Harry and William were close. Harry said in his book and in subsequent interviews that they were never close and William was always jealous of him. Hopefully there will be actually new revelations in the other excerpts that come out.

    • Mairzy Doats says:

      While I can believe that the brothers have experienced some very genuine MOMENTS of closeness over the years, those have been few and far between and certainly not in recent years. The state of “being close” is one of continual understanding and appreciation for the other, never the case with the brothers.

    • Sunday says:

      Eh, in this excerpt Omid doesn’t say that Will and Harry were ever close, he’s saying they were aligned in their general attitudes about the press, their father, how it all operates, etc. The latter can be true without the former.

      • Becks1 says:

        And that lines up with what Harry says in Spare – one of the reasons he was so hurt by William’s actions in the press was bc they had promised never to treat each other that way and to play those games.

      • Amy Bee says:

        @Sunday: “Even if the monarchy endures, the question remains of whether sacrificing brotherly bonds was worth it.”

        So is this People Magazine talking or Scobie?

      • Saucy&Sassy says:

        Amy Bee, that actually made sense to me in relation to my family. Yes, you can not be close to a sibling, but you still have that sisterly or brother bond.

  6. TIFFANY says:

    It makes more and more sense why they wanted Meghan gone. She was too emotionally intelligent and that is what they picked up on quick. They never expected that from Black people. Never.

    • Persephone says:

      🎯

    • Campbell says:

      I think they realized Meghan was too smart and had too many resources of her own. Plus I do think race and nationality were factors. They preferred a bland, invisible Brit that was less attractive, someone like Gladys. I also think they would have preferred Harry single. Kathy clearly loved posing for pictures between the brothers. She never looked happier than when she was the only one.

      • Jais says:

        Agree that they would have preferred he stay single. There’s that part in spare when Harry talks about his desire to be married and for the four of them to work together. William says that might never happen and Harry has to be okay with that. I honestly can’t tell if William was saying Harry needs to be okay with the four of them never working close together or if he actually meant Harry needed to be okay with the fact that he might never have someone and he needed to be okay with that.

      • Becks1 says:

        Meghan being Black and American was always going to be a problem for the BRF.

        Meghan being Black, American, beautiful, charismatic, intelligent, hardworking and actually committed to causes was just something they could not have; so they tried to get rid of her, however they could.

        As has been said many times, they didn’t expect Harry to leave too.

      • Jackie says:

        Agreed 100%

  7. Peg doesn’t do anything quietly. We know exactly that he is trying to undermine Harry. Of course he fails at doing that on an epic scale. Quietly my a**.

  8. Slush says:

    First, there’s nothing quiet about Williams cooperation. It’s very loud.

    Second, I’ve said it multiple times and I’ll say it again, Harry did the one unforgivable thing in a cult: leaving. Thats why he is the enemy and Andrew is not.

  9. Ameerah M says:

    But that’s truly where the hatred comes from – jealousy. William hates Harry for everything Harry IS – and has (including a wife who is accomplished, beautiful, successful and that he adores). And he hates that Harry had the courage and the ABILITY to walk away. And that he did it for a BLACK woman (who Williams also fancies!) Kate hates Meghan for everything SHE is – and has (a beautiful, accomplished woman who is well liked and adored by her husband). But she also hates the fact that Meghan has all these things…and is BLACK. The hatred stems from jealousy and racism.

  10. swirlmamad says:

    Harry is truly his mother’s son — “In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy.”

    Isn’t that almost word-for-word what they said about Diana after the divorce? He’s well and truly carrying on her legacy. Through him we are getting to see what life for Diana likely would have been had she lived.

    I already preordered the Kindle version. Very interested to see how Omid validates everything Harry told us in Spare, etc.

  11. Honey says:

    The next story coming out of the Dailymail will be “Kate IS focusing the family on feelings”.

  12. Inge says:

    I think it’s less Kate wanting to BE Meghan it’s more Kate wanting a loving husband like Harry and by imitating Meghan thinks William would be more interested

  13. Angie says:

    First Prince Archie and Princess Lili birthday video trumping Kate’s Arly years. Now Omid’s book. Kate can’t be happy.🤣🤣🤣🤣

  14. @BelizeEmpower says:

    They should have accepted the “half-in, half-out” plan to keep H&M under the tent, but chose to kick them to the curb now Willy thinks Harry is a “defector”? Willy wanted him gone so Harry left…now he’s the enemy and a threat to the crown. Lawd! That family is batsh*t crazy.

    • Mary S says:

      Yes. That’s the way abusers operate. They tell you to leave. When you do, they say you’ve abandoned them.

  15. s808 says:

    He hasn’t said anything those of us who have been following along haven’t already known but I’m happy he’s saying it for those who don’t know.

    It’s been obvious that W is extremely jealous and resentful of H’s, well everything, but especially his ability to walk away. He wants the freedom and the lifestyle H now has but he also wants to the royal trappings. It’s made him extremely jealous and resentful.

    K is also extremely jealous of M. M is beautiful, well educated, articulate, curious, hard working, personable and friendly. She was perfect for what a royal is SUPPOSED to be. And Harry loves her so much and loves her OUT LOUD. In word and action.

    It is obvious to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention that W&K (along with C&C) teamed up to force M out and stuff H back into the box he’d been in: flirting partner and work mule. Afterwards, W&K have made obvious moves to morph into H&M but at the end of the day, they’re still them and everything they are is why they’ll never been anywhere near H&M.

  16. Eurydice says:

    I’m kind of torn here. I think that H&M leaving the RF might have saved the monarchy. If they had stayed they would have been ignored and destroyed and W&K would never have tried to modernize. But by becoming successful on their own, H&M are an example to W&K. Granted, W&K are not highly capable, but the bar doesn’t have to be too high for them – they just need to look modern and have good PR.

    • Lady D says:

      Looking modern would solve half their problems. If they could look like they were part of the 21st century it would go a long way towards improving their image. Such a simple fix, yet so far over their (never, ever change) heads.

  17. Sunny O says:

    I think the Sussexes are ‘whistle blowers’ as well.

    • sevenblue says:

      Harry can write his own book and make even more money. He doesn’t need to whistle blow anything. I also remember Meghan didn’t even want to cooperate for Omid’s first book, but the palace (their palace press secretary, forgot the snake’s name) assured her this is the way of doing things. I don’t think H&M need anyone now or get ordered around to cooperate for a tell-all book.

  18. QuiteContrary says:

    I can say from experience that when a rift between siblings turns into indifference, that’s truly the end of any hope that things will ever change.

    I’m glad for Harry’s sake that it’s reached this stage. William is too self-centered for Harry to be able to count on him.

    • Kingston says:

      Its obvious that neither H nor Bully are indifferent to each other. Indifference is the absence of thought: of love; of hate; of even mere like.

      True indifference, literally and ultimately means living one’s life with absolutely no thought of the other…….no animosity/no love/no acknowledgement whatsoever. Not because of conscious thought (because that would mean active;y thinking of the person) but as if the person not being thought of had never existed.

      H still has hope that he and his brother and father will one day see and behave with each other as normal human families do………with love, affection, connection, attachment.

      And Bully sees H as his competition; as someone who needs to be eliminated. Bully actively resents, some would say he actually hates H. For as long as H and his little family exists outside the gilded cage, he will be seen by bully and bully’s Machiavellian handlers as a threat; an enemy of the monarchy that needs to be destroyed.

      So…….not indifference on either part.

      • booboocita says:

        I honestly think that Harry and Meghan are slowly moving to indifference. Harry’s already said that he and his family are moving on, and indeed, their activities since Chucky Boy’s fancy hat party would seem to indicate that both H&M are doing their own thing without regard for the leftovers. I don’t think Harry’s fully indifferent yet, but that may yet happen once the litigation against the tabloids is wrapped up. Meghan is almost there. Willy will never be indifferent. Not while Harry continues to command the news cycle.

      • BQM says:

        I think Harry’s indifferent to William. I don’t think the opposite is anywhere near true. And the former situation just exacerbates the latter one.

  19. Haylie says:

    This book will be straight up basura. Omid’s last book was full of Rota lies because that’s who his sources were. This time, his sources are Spare, infused with more Rota sources.

  20. windyriver says:

    Another thing Charles et al will realize too late is, unlike most if not all of the other people in the royal fold who’ve had cause for complaint over the years (including Diana), Harry isn’t actively trying to damage the monarchy, or it’s members. (The institution of the media, that’s another story.). He’s been way kinder than any of them deserve, and that’s a massive gift. There’s so much damage he could do. He just wants to be left alone to live his life with his family, which includes not being constantly used and abused to suit the needs of others.

    Taking this view though, doesn’t mesh with the aims of Camilla, Will, the courtiers, and probably Charles, who himself likely knows no other way to behave after so many decades of dumping things on Harry. So expect things to continue as per “normal “, at least for now.

  21. Mary Pester says:

    Willy is loyal to the crown, NOT his father, just the crown as that is his life’s ambition, to sit on that bloody throne, and I do mean bloody. The battles that have been fought for that pointless chair over the years is ridiculous,it’s nothing special because the people who sit on it are just figure heads with no actual power. Have a look at the history of the Windsor family, it’s pretty sick and William is a prime example of a Windsor male. Vain egotistical, a narcissist and an incandescent rage monster. Maybe he should have been locked out in an institution instead of the sisters! Harry is his mother’s son, and is better than any of them, more to the point, he is happier and safer away from them.

    • Eurydice says:

      Exactly this. And the same is true of Charles, and even of Elizabeth. They have to be this way because if their first loyalties aren’t to the crown, if they aren’t fighting for that bloody chair, then why would the people give two figs themselves for the monarchy? That’s why a sex trafficker like Andrew is accepted (up to a point) – because he’s loyal and still fighting to stay close to the throne.

  22. Eliora says:

    Honestly they are all making this so unnecessarily complicated. Harry has been very clear in his wishes. The toxic symbiotic relationship between the Royal family and the press doesn’t work for him, especially since he is made to play the role of villian (a role that does not reflect who he truly is).

    The sad reality is, the RF and press have decided that in order to build the future king (William) up, they have to tear Harry down. Why are they acting like they don’t understand Harry’s position? Nobody would want to be the “Harry” in that institution.

    Harry’s freedom is only seen as a “threat” because he is now able to tell his truth with no filters.

  23. L4Frimaire says:

    Williams priority isn’t to the Crown and the monarchy, but to his crown specifically. He’s a total mess of a person and both he and his wife are obsessed with the Sussexes and still think their nasty leaks to the press can exert control over them. They do treat them as defectors or dissidents. However, I think the mistake here and by others is the assumption that it’s Harry who wants some type of rapprochement with William, while William rejects it. I think Harry wants nothing to do with him.

    • Saucy&Sassy says:

      L4Frimaire, “I think the mistake here and by others is the assumption that it’s Harry who wants some type of rapprochement with William, while William rejects it. I think Harry wants nothing to do with him.”

      I think this is possible. Lot’s of water under the bridge, and Wont briefing against him was a HUGE betrayal. I also think there was something as big during the funeral. KFC saying whatever he did that Harry made it clear that he was never to talk about his wife like that and whatever went before that walkabout is another one. Let’s not forget Cant’s menacing steps toward Meghan. I think the totality of the betrayals could mean that Harry is not wanting anything to do with Wont or Cant.

    • bisynaptic says:

      Agreed; the nuance gets lost. Similarly, Charles is loyal to his own monarchy, above all.

  24. Robin Samuels says:

    Quietly? Dan Wootton repeatedly reported that about stories about Harry and Meghan, the calls were coming from inside Kensington Palace. Interpretation: William and Kate made statements through Christian Jones and Jason Knauf.
    Anyone who reads Spare with an open mind recognizes that the brothers had a genetic familial bond. Still, they were clearly on separate paths from early on, partly with the assistance of the adults responsible for their care. While in the military, Harry frequently went to Botswana to escape the archaic, restricted environment of Charles, William, and Camilla.
    The difference between Harry and his great-uncle, the Duke of Windsor, always wanted to be connected to royalty. Harry is seen as a threat because he needs to be more interested in royalty, but he’s not. He is setting an example for the children of the younger royals. Life on the other side of those gates and possibly in another country can be far more exciting and offer more opportunities.
    I need to see Omid in a sit-down interview with a reputable journalist, particularly not from the UK. Until then, there isn’t more to learn than what was shared in the Harry and Meghan documentary, Spare, and the book tour interviews. I can change my mind, but I’m sitting on the fence.

  25. Nlopez says:

    William betrayed Harry. Harry told the truth and saved the lives of himself and his wife and kids.

  26. Ciotog says:

    William has been selling Harry out to the media for years. Harry responded in kind, with key differences: he told the truth and he spoke his truth directly.

  27. Rynee says:

    America’s reaction to William will be the straw that breaks the camels back. With the revelation that William is trying to hurt his brother and his children will result in the monarchy’s demise in the next five years. He will have nothing.