Omid Scobie’s Endgame: Prince William appears ‘tense’, ‘struggling’ following book’s release

The Prince of Wales stepped out for an official function following the release of Omid Scobie’s new royal book Endgame looking out of sorts.

Prince William has made his first public appearance since the release of a bombshell new royal book looking “tense” and “struggling”.

Endgame, by Omid Scobie, paints the Prince of Wales as two-faced, “composed on the pitch but unpredictable off”.

Scobie says in public William appears “level-headed and confident often to the point of staged”, with his aides claiming he aims to follow in the Queen’s footsteps”, with “duty coming before anything else.”

Prince William, arrives at The Tusk Conservation Awards 2023 at The Savoy Hotel in London. Picture: Getty Images

The Prince of Wales showed signs of tension, according to a body language expert. Picture: Getty Images for Tusk

However, out of the public eye William is more like his “famously ill-tempered father”, claims Scobie.

Appearing at the Tusk Conservation Awards in London on Tuesday night, William showed “some clues that he might just be struggling with a desire to fight back against some of the claims in this new book”, according to body language expert Judi James.

She told the Mail William’s “teeth look slightly clenched to suggest tension” and “his trait of tugging at his cuffs suggests a subliminal desire to get ready for a fight.”

Prince William’s appearance at the awards was his first in public since Omid Scobie’s book Endgame release. Picture: Getty Images for Tusk

However, James added the prince managed to pull himself together to perform “some of his most socially relaxed and engaged body language signals to date”.

“His speech shows his ability to push any negative thoughts aside and focus on his cause,” she said.

“With a drink in one hand he is suddenly confident enough to put the other hand in one pocket, not in a desire to hide by stuffing the hand away, but in a gesture that deserves that old-fashioned word: suave.”

The royal was able to set aside negative thoughts and get on with the job, body language expert Judi James said. Picture: Getty Images for Tusk

WILLIAM ‘LEVEL-HEADED, CONFIDENT TO THE POINT OF STAGED’

Scobie – often referred to as a cheerleader for William’s estranged brother Prince Harry and his wife Meghan – paints an unflattering picture of the future king in his book Endgame.

The royal writer also quotes other sources talking about William who say “there’s a spikiness when dealing with him” and that he’s “quick to get fed up and blame”.

“William is a man that likes to get things done, done quickly, done efficiently … In the process of making that happen he can definitely be sharp,” one former staffer is quoted as saying.

All is not what it seems with Prince William, Omid Scobie claims. Picture: Getty Images

Another insider in the book reveals “William can be an emotional character who is on occasion, ‘difficult to handle’.”

Prince Harry also revealed William’s hot-headed side when he claimed in his memoir Spare how his brother physically assaulted him at his cottage in the grounds of Kensington Palace, in a row over Meghan, pushing him to the floor onto a dog bowl, which broke.

But in Endgame, Scobie goes as far as to challenge William’s mental stability.

“As the next King, a role that requires mental balance and a phlegmatic disposition, William’s emotional volatility could be one of his greatest challenges,” Scobie writes.

Scobie goes as far as to challenge William’s mental stability. Picture: Getty Images

The royal correspondent, who has had dealings with the Prince of Wales, also describes the next in line to the throne, as a cold, hard, company man who has been “institutionalised” by the Firm.

He says William’s not afraid to take on the tough jobs, such as stripping Prince Andrew of his titles following the scandal over his close relationship with sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein and an alleged sexual relationship with Virginia Giuffre, when she was just 17.

Scobie also questions William’s integrity especially over racism, which has been an accusation levelled at the royal family following the Sussexes interview with Oprah Winfrey.

He says “recent civic outcries on racial issues look a tad opportunistic”, for example calling out racism on the football pitch.

Endgame – Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival.

Author Omid Scobie. Picture: Supplied

Scobie says he has made these calls and yet he is still to clear the air with his own brother regarding those “cratering accusations of unconscious bias with the family”.

The book reveals William now sees Scobie as being in the “enemy camp”, following many favourable articles about the Sussexes and his previous book Finding Freedom, which heavily criticised the royal family in the wake of Megxit.

“He used to walk over and say hello or make jokes,” Scobie writes.

He says when his professional relationship with the Sussexes grew stronger “my Cambridge connection became fractured.”

He says he was told by William’s former aide and Scobie’s friend, Christian Jones, that he had been told it was no longer appropriate for them to socialise together.

An aide said to Scobie privately in reference to the Cambridges and the Sussexes, “I’m not saying you need to pick a side but you need to accept that there are sides in this.”

Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival by Omid Scobie, published by HQ, is on sale November 29. Available at booktopia

Originally published as Omid Scobie’s Endgame: Prince William appears ‘tense’, ‘struggling’ following book’s release