Royal biography Endgame pulled after Dutch translation 'names' royal who 'questioned' Archie's skin colour

Earlier this year, Prince Harry's memoir Spare became the UK's fastest-selling non-fiction book with reports that it sold 400,000 copies on the day of its release. Since the Sussexes stepped down as working royals, there has been a huge interest in what caused them to walk away from the monarchy, and they have shared their personal experiences in televised interviews - first with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, and then in their own Netflix show Harry & Meghan in 2022. 

One of the biggest talking points from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview with Oprah was their claim that a member of the royal family expressed 'concern' over their son Archie's skin colour while the Duchess was pregnant. According to Harry and Meghan, there were 'several conversations' about it in the royal household, with one person asking 'how dark his skin might be when he's born'. 

Meghan explained: "That was relayed to me from Harry. Those were conversations that family had with him. And I think it was really hard to be able to see those as compartmentalised conversations. Was there concern that if he was too brown that that would be a problem? I wasn't able to follow up with why but if that's the assumption you're making, I think that would be a safe one."

The couple refused to name the royal, and following the interview the Palace released a statement saying: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan. 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."

Prince William also addressed the claim when he told reporters days later: "We're very much not a racist family."

This week, royal journalist Omid Scobie released his latest book on the royals, Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival, which has made a number of claims about the family, including that Meghan and Kate have not spoken for four years. 

However, sales have since been paused in the Netherlands following a Dutch translation which appears to 'name' the royal in question, with Xander - the publishers - calling the print an 'error'. 

In a statement, they said: "[We are] temporarily withdrawing the book by Omid Scobie from sale. An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being rectified."

Scobie, who also co-wrote Finding Freedom, told Dutch media that he did not mention any names in his book, telling chat show RTL Boulevard: "The book is in several languages, and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch. But if there are translation errors, the publisher will correct them. I wrote the English version. There was no version from me in which names were mentioned."

Endgame is now available to buy in the UK.