STRAINED PRINCES Bombshell claim ‘heartless’ Prince William denied Harry chance to fly to Queen’s deathbed deepens rift between brothers
AUTHOR Omid Scobie has deepened the rift between Princes William and Harry after it emerged that the Dutch version of his controversial book brands the heir to the throne “heartless”.
The highly inflammatory term does not appear in the UK edition of Endgame.
The Dutch text also claims William was “still angry” with his brother at the time of Queen Elizabeth’s death, after Harry and Meghan’s 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The specific excerpt recounts the events in the hours before the monarch’s death in September of last year — when senior members of the Royal Family rushed to Balmoral to be at her bedside.
While a chartered plane took Prince William, Prince Andrew, Prince Edward and his wife Sophie to Scotland, Harry had to make his own way there and later claimed he was “not invited” on the flight.
The Dutch version of Scobie’s book has since had to be pulped after it emerged that the text revealed the names of the two royals at the centre of Meghan and Harry’s racism row.
King Charles and the Princess of Wales were named as allegedly having discussed Prince Archie’s skin tone before he was born.
Earlier this week, Scobie claimed he “never submitted a book that had their names in it”.
The Sun on Sunday has translated significant excerpts of the now- recalled Dutch version and we can reveal that the changes from the English edition go much further than just naming the two royals.
A number of quotes appear, attributed to “sources close to the Sussexes” — but they have been changed or omitted from the English book.
One section of the English version, which discusses the trip to Balmoral, reads: “Harry was informed that William had already secured a flight with his uncles Andrew and Edward (and Edward’s wife, Sophie), but he couldn’t get in touch with anyone about joining that flight.
“It was upsetting to witness,” said a source close to the Sussexes.
“(Harry) was completely by himself on this.’”
But the Dutch version continues: “It was heartless to deny him the chance to go to Scotland to say goodbye to his grandmother,” says a source close to the Sussexes.
“This was not the time to be petty.’ ”
Further on in the English version, during the discussions about the day the Queen died, a “family source” is quoted as saying “William ignored him. He clearly didn’t want to see his brother.”
But in the Dutch edition it says: “William purposely ignored him. He didn’t want to see his brother and didn’t want to help.
“He was, and is, still angry because Harry revealed private issues. He thinks that is unforgivable.”
In a chapter on King Charles titled Baggage, paragraphs appear in the Dutch version which cannot be found in the English book.
This will be seen by some as an attack on the King and his Clarence House aides as they refer to the so-called “cash for honours” scandal last year.
The Met Police investigated after the Sunday Times reported that a billionaire Saudi businessman was offered a knighthood in return for thousands of pounds in donations to The Prince’s Foundation charity.
No further action was taken after the police inquiry.
In a section about articles concerning claims relating to Charles and his aides, Scobie writes in the Dutch version: “A source told me at the beginning of 2023 that people inside the institution are concerned that ‘more stories will follow.’ ”
Another paragraph reads: “Although representatives of Charles still insist that he didn’t know about the ‘cash for titles’ deal, there are others not so convinced.”
Another paragraph in the Dutch book but not the English version reads: “A source close to the Sussexes says: ‘The couple is absolutely convinced that a free and ethical Press is the heart of a functioning society and democracy.’”
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun on Sunday: “There is no doubt that this is an absolutely poisonous book. It has smeared members of the Royal Family with claims that do not appear to be backed up in any way.
“The English version appears to have been softened. The Dutch edition seems to go a lot further with these hateful claims. It is a complete fantasy.”
Omid Scobie, Kensington Palace, Archewell and Dutch publishers Xander Uitgevers were contacted for comment.
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