Spoiler alert: For those who like a royal bombshell blockbuster, this book doesn’t deliver killer blows.
But it is a fairly damning account of the House of Windsor, and its inner workings.
It tells a tale of a King and heir out of step with each other, tangled in a “tussle for the spotlight”.
Endgame depicts Charles and William as rivals, with “simmering animosity” and different visions of the monarchy.
And while this might sound more Succession than accession, this book lacks both drama and plot.
A lot of what Omid Scobie writes about feels old news.
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After Harry’s sensational headline-grabbing biography Spare, it comes as no surprise to read about the royal family’s factions and friction.
The author does paint a particularly unflattering portrait of “scheming” Prince William, a man who would have “no problem taking prisoners”, who “rejects” advice from his father.
Kate comes out badly too, but perhaps no worse than Prince Harry’s memoir.
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Princess Anne was behind the decision to stop Meghan and Harry using Frogmore Cottage
There is the odd new nugget – Prince William pushed forward the plan to remove Prince Andrew’s royal roles, and letters were exchanged between Meghan and the King about which TWO members of the family allegedly made comments about Archie’s skin colour. And it was Princess Anne who told the King to take Frogmore Cottage away from the Sussexes.
The bigger theme, as the subtitle of the book says, asks existential questions about the institution.
Reaching his own conclusions, Scobie claims the Royal Family is teetering “on the brink”, and “struggling to define itself,” with an unwillingness to change.
He’s certainly not the only one to make these points.
But his book fails to move the story forward.
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Buckingham Palace will publicly rise above it
You’re left wondering who is it written for? Fans of Meghan and Harry will probably agree with the narrative, but it’s unlikely to shift the dial when it comes to royal loyalists.
As for everyone else, it may well lack the sensational substance we’ve come to expect after a year of memoirs and interviews.
There will be no comment from the Royal Family, who will outwardly rise above it, but it is another uncomfortable read.
Although they reportedly did not contribute to the book, only Harry and Meghan come out unscathed.
There had been talk recently of a possible rapprochement in relations between the Sussexes and the King. It’s hard to see how this book helps that.
