King Charles and Prince Harry’s relationship ‘fractured beyond repair’
On King Charles’ 75th birthday last month, there were high hopes of a reconciliation between him and his estranged son Harry but the latest claims could end their relationship for good.
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King Charles’ relationship with his son Prince Harry could be all but over amid the latest controversial claims that have hit the headlines.
As the King was set to address the COP28 Climate Summit in Dubai on Saturday morning, the BBC became the latest news outlet to name him as one of two royals alleged to have questioned Meghan Markle about the colour of the Sussexes’ first born child Archie.
The claims were made in the latest Royal-focused book to hit the shelves: Endgame by Omid Scobie.
Scobie is alleged to have close social links with Meghan Markle and has been critisiced over his apparently shifting stance in interviews about how King Charles came to be named as an allegedly racist Royal in the Dutch version of Endgame, which has since been pulped.
Endgame has been branded as “poison-filled” by sections of the British press and several high profile Brits including presenter and anti-racism campaigner Sir Trevor Phillips moved to defend King Charles.
The Royal Family’s relationship with the wantaway Californian branch of The Firm The Sussexes was already highly strained before the latest claims, which many have allegedly sourced back to Harry and Meghan.
Now, The Sun reports, King Charles III’s relationship with Prince Harry could be ‘beyond repair’.
“This could not have come at a worse moment in Charles’s career,” Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun.
“This was a speech he’s waited five decades to make but all everyone is talking about are these baseless claims of racism.
“Charles and Harry’s relationship was at an all-time low before but this may have fractured it beyond all repair.
“It could spell the end game for them.”
Hopes of a reconciliation had been raised after Harry called Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday last month. But that seems a false dawn now.
“We thought there might be a chance of de-freezing their relationship,” Fitzwilliam said.
“No chance now.
“I can’t see the monarchy ever again trusting Harry.”
MEGHAN MARKLE RESPONDS AS ENDGAME LEAK SOURCE REVEALED
Sources close to Meghan Markle denied claims she leaked to author Omid Scobie after the identities of two senior royals named in Endgame spread throughout the United Kingdom.
As the royal family considers legal action, the Dutch translator blamed for their bombshell inclusion in the 5,000 copies published in the Netherlands said there was no “error” on her part, insisting that the names were included in the English manuscript.
British broadcaster Piers Morgan first named King Charles and Catherine, Princess of Wales, after they were directly and indirectly implicated in the Dutch language version of Endgame.
He was followed by English-language media including the BBC, and The Guardian, ITV, Sky News, The New York Post, and The New York Times.
Speaking to the UK’s Telegraph, sources connected to Ms Markle insisted neither she nor anyone in her camp leaked to a letter to the King, said to have named the two royals, to Scobie. They added that Ms Markle never intended for the letter, or the names in it, to be made public.
Sources close to the royal family, meanwhile, said that there was no basis to the claims and that they were “considering all options” with lawyers in how to respond.
While there has been no official comment from Buckingham Palace, the UK’s security minister Tom Tugendhat defended the King and Catherine in response to questions from TalkTV host Jeremy Kyle, who named the pair in an on-air interview.
“Some individual has written some rumour and scuttlebutt that has made various claims about His Majesty the King that are, frankly, completely unproven,” he said.
“So frankly I see this as just rumour, hearsay and an attempt to disparage somebody who’s served our country with enormous dignity and enormous grace for many, many years.”
In its latest statement confirming Endgame would return to stores on December 8, the Netherlands publisher maintained that there was an error in the Dutch language version but no longer used the term “translation”.
“Xander Uitgevers temporarily removed the book from sale, due to an error that occurred in the Dutch edition,” the latest statement said.
Previously, the publisher said the book was on hold temporarily after “an error occurred in the Dutch translation”.
One of those translators, Saskia Peeters, disputed claims she added the names of her own accord despite them being absent from the English version.
“As a translator, I translate what is in front of me,” she told MailOnline.
“The names of the royals were there in black and white. I did not add them. I just did what I was paid to do and that was translate the book from English into Dutch.”
It directly contradicts repeated claims by Scobie that the two names were never included in the English version, which he repeated in an interview with the BBC.
“It’s not for me to apologise because I still want to know what has happened,” Scobie said, swearing on his life and the life of his family that the names were included as a publicity stunt.
“Ultimately to write the names, it’s a show and tell situation. There’s no ability to show, so there was never an attempt to name.
Ms Peeters, who translated Endgame into the Dutch title “Final Battle”, said she doesn’t know why Scobie “would say that”.
“I have been translating for many years. This is the first time anything like this has happened,” she said.
“This is not something I wanted to be involved in. This has been upsetting.”
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Originally published as King Charles and Prince Harry’s relationship ‘fractured beyond repair’