Palace insiders accuse Harry and Meghan after names of royals 'who asked about Archie's skin colour' leaked

29 November 2023, 23:29

Senior Palace insiders have accused Prince Harry and Meghan Markle of leaking the names of two royals who allegedly asked about Archie's skin colour.

They are believed to have been named in a letter sent from the Duchess of Sussex to King Charles, though that document is said to be under "lock and key".

But the controversy worsened as a new book by Omid Scobie, a royal author close to the Sussexes, had to be pulled from the shelves in the Netherlands when it mistakenly printed two names.

Now, insiders have pointed the finger at Meghan for the leak of the names - with Scobie saying he knew who they are alleged to be, but would not name them for legal reasons.

"It's vanishingly unlikely the names came from here," a senior Palace source told The Sun.

Read more: Omid Scobie doubles down on race row and insists he didn't name royals at centre of racism claims

Another royal source said: "That letter is under lock and key and no one from within the King's circle would've briefed anyone about its contents.

"In all likelihood, it must have been the Sussex camp which leaked the names. It's a nasty and deliberate attack."

Scobie has threatened to name the royals himself, but insisted he would not for the moment.

He told ABC on the network's Nightline programme: "Unfortunately, those are two names that I have to keep to myself for now.

Read more: Kate fears Christmas showdown if Harry and Meghan 'gatecrash' family celebrations

"But I do wonder if that might change over the future. It does seem that Harry and Meghan have decided to put that to rest."

Dutch publishers said they had been told to halt sales of his new book Endgame at the eleventh hour, with copies now set to be pulped.

The English version of the book does not name the royal accused by Meghan of expressing "concern" about her son's skin colour, a claim that first emerged in her interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The book goes further to claim similar remarks were made by a second person in the royal household.

Scobie has also said he is not responsible for the "translation error".

The royals have not responded directly to several major claims made against them in Endgame, with a number of passages having been widely reported on.

They took a similar approach as the Sussexes hurled accusations from across the pond.

This has previously been referred to as a "dignified silence".

But the late Queen did respond to Meghan's claims about royals asking about Archie's skin colour.

"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately," she said.

"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members."