Why Piers Morgan named two ‘race row’ royals printed in Omid Scobie book

Piers Morgan has publicly named two members of the Royal Family alleged to have raised “concerns” about the skin colour of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s son in a new book.

The Dutch version of Endgame by author Omid Scobie was pulled from shelves in the Netherlands on Tuesday, the day of publication, after early reviewers reported that it mentioned two individuals said to have questioned Archie’s skin colour before he was born.

The version being sold in English-speaking countries does not name the two people, with Mr Scobie stating: “Laws in the United Kingdom prevent me from reporting who they were.”

Last night, journalist Piers Morgan used his Uncensored show on TalkTV to repeat the names for the first time in UK mainstream media.

Why did Morgan name the Royals?

Morgan said he was taking the step so the UK could “have a more open debate” about the issue, adding that he will “never believe” that any racist comments were made by the Royals.

In his opening monologue, Morgan said he did not believe the claims, first aired by Megan Markle in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, and described them as an “ugly smear”.

But he added: “If Dutch people wandering into a book shop can pick it up and see these names, then you, British people, here, who actually pay for the British royal family, you’re entitled to know too… and then we can have a debate about this whole furargo [sic].”

Media outlets in the UK have been wary of repeating the names because Britain has some of the strictest libel laws in the world.

Anyone who can prove they have a reputation to defend in the UK is entitled to sue in the courts.

Those laws have come under renewed scrutiny in recent decades as names and details are widely featured and discussed on social media but not in the mainstream press.

Celebrities and prominent individuals have also been able to apply to the British courts for injunctions barring the publication of names or other identifying material where to do so risks breaching privacy rights, though a specialist media lawyer told i he believes that is unlikely in this case.

What are the origins of the row?

In their Oprah interview in 2021, the Sussexes alleged an unidentified member of the monarchy – but not Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh – had raised “concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born”.

Mr Scobie states in his book that two people, not one as the Duchess had said, made the comment about Archie, widely interpreted as a racist remark.

The Duchess’s claim in 2021 led to a difficult period for the Royal Family, with the Prince of Wales having to defend the monarchy against accusations of racism, saying: “We’re very much not a racist family.”

Before publication of Endgame, there had been widespread speculation about the identity of the Royal involved but now two individuals will be associated with the comment.

When it was pulled from sale, the book’s publisher said in a statement on its website: “Xander Uitgevers is temporarily withdrawing the book Final Battle [Endgame] by Omid Scobie from sale. An error occurred in the Dutch translation and is currently being corrected.”

Mr Morgan, 58, claimed he was fired from his job on ITV for stating he did not believe the claims made by Meghan in the Oprah interview.

Harry later denied the comment about his son was racist during an interview to promote his memoir Spare.

When asked by his friend and broadcaster Tom Bradby in an interview earlier this year “wouldn’t you describe that as essentially racist?” the Duke replied, “No ,I wouldn’t.”

What has the author said?

The two names came to light in letters exchanged between Meghan and Charles in the aftermath of the Sussexes’ Oprah interview, according to Endgame.

In his book, Mr Scobie says of Charles’s correspondence with his daughter-in-law: “The King, said sources, wanted his response to make clear to Meghan that he felt there was no ill will or casual prejudice present when the two people had spoken about his future grandson.”

Speaking to Dutch TV, the writer said: “The book is available in a number of languages and unfortunately I can’t speak Dutch so I haven’t seen the copy for myself, but if there have been any translation errors I am sure the publisher has got it under control.

“For me, I edited and wrote the English version; there has never been a version that I’ve produced that has names in it.”

Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace declined to comment.