Kate Middleton, Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla in Edinburgh, Scotland, on July 5, 2023.Photo:Lesley Martin - Pool/Getty
Lesley Martin - Pool/Getty
A U.K. politician is speaking out in support of the two senior royal family members at the center of aroyal book controversy.
Tom Tugendhat, a minister in the U.K. government, praised the “dignity” and “grace” ofKing CharlesandKate Middletonafter the Dutch version of Omid Scobie’s bookEndgamereportedly identified them as the two royals who allegedly made remarks about how dark the skin color ofMeghan MarkleandPrince Harry’s son Prince Archie would be before he was born.
According to theTimesin the U.K., the Dutch version of the book reportedly included a claim that Charles was one of the participants in a conversation. A second, unclear, reference suggested that Kate was also involved in conversations.
“Some individual has written some rumor and scuttlebutt that has made various claims about His Majesty the King that are, frankly, completely unproven," he said. “The King’s done a brilliant job for us, not just in the last year since he’s been King, but he’s been absolutely fantastic for many, many years in arguing in the interests of the British people as Prince of Wales. So frankly I see this as just rumor, hearsay and an attempt to disparage somebody who’s served our country with enormous dignity and enormous grace for many many years.”
InEndgame, Scobie writes about the private written correspondence between Charles and Meghan addressing the Duchess of Sussex’s concerns about unconscious racial bias in the royal family after Meghan and Harry’s Oprah Winfrey interview in 2021. During their sitdown with Oprah, they alleged that there were “concerns and conversations about how dark [Archie’s] skin might be when he’s born.” When Oprah asked who made that comment, Meghan declined to answer, saying the revelation would be too damaging. While the English version ofEndgamedoesn’t go so far as to name the individuals allegedly involved in those conversations, the Dutch version reportedly does.
Kate Middleton, Prince William, King Charles and Queen Camilla at the Festival of Remembrance ceremony at Royal Albert Hall in London on Nov. 11, 2023.CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty
CHRIS JACKSON/POOL/AFP via Getty
Buckingham Palace said on Thursday that aides are “considering all options” over the assertions (hinting that there could be legal action), but has not made any further comment. Kensington Palace, where Princess Kate has her office, declined to comment.
A source close to the Sussexes told PEOPLE that suggestions Meghan or her team provided the letter to Scobie are entirely false.
In a statement to theTimesin the U.K., Scobie said: “The reality, though, is that this is information that is not privy just to me. Journalists across Fleet Street have known those names for a long time. We’ve all followed a certain code of conduct when it comes to talking about it.”
Buckingham Palace released astatementon behalf of Queen Elizabeth two days after the Oprah interview aired in the U.S. While the Queen said the family was “saddened” to hear of Meghan and Harry’s challenges and stated “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members,” she also remarked that “some recollections may vary” when it comes to the issues and concerns raised in their interview.
“The difference between racism and unconscious bias…the two things are different,” he said.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle during their interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021.CBS/ Youtube
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“All of this is frustrating because it feeds into something that couldn’t be further from the truth. And also, quite frankly, I’ve always felt the names weren’t needed to have this discussion," he said.
source: people.com
