Omid Scobie has admitted he included the names of the alleged royal racists in an early draft of his book, in the latest twist of the royal biography row.
In an opinion piece for i News, the royal author attempted to explain how the Dutch version of his royal book Endgame included King Charles and Princess Kate’s names as the alleged royals that raised “concern” over Prince Archie’s skin colour.
Scobie wrote: “Unbeknownst to me at the time, early and uncleared text was provided to the Dutch publisher in order for them to start work on the translation, with the understanding that their translation would be updated to reflect the final version of the book I officially submitted.”
Previously during an interview with Dutch media, the author denied any responsibility for the inclusion of the names.
WATCH NOW: Omid Scobie denies responsibility for naming the alleged royal racists in the Dutch version of Endgame
Speaking to the RTL Boulevard show, Scobie said: “There’s never been a version that I’ve produced that has names in it.”
In another interview with This Morning, the author told Craig Doyle and Alison Hammond: “I had never submitted a book that had their names in it, so I can only talk about my version.
“I am obviously frustrated, I would not say I am upset about it.
“I have been operating in a bubble of no emotion for 10 days.”
In his opinion piece, Scobie added: “Other foreign-language publishers, including in France and Italy, were also doing the same thing, though their versions perfectly replicated the completed work.
“What I can be sure of is that I edited carefully, took independent legal advice, and the finished book that I submitted was not the version published in the Netherlands.”
After it was made known that the Dutch version of Endgame included the names of the two royals, Holland removed the book from its shelves.
The correct translation of Scobie’s book was re-released in The Netherlands today.
In a statement, the Dutch publishers Xander Uitgevers said: “The corrected edition of Final Battle [Endgame] by Omid Scobie will be available in bookstores on Friday, December 8.
“Xander Uitgevers was forced to temporarily withdraw the book from the market because an error had occurred in the Dutch edition.”
