Things are changing quickly for Meghan Markle and her husband, Prince Harry. They can blame royal expert Omid Scobie for putting them in a difficult situation with the release of his new book, Endgame.
After a surprising phone call to King Charles III on his birthday, things were looking up for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
The relationship between the two sides was slowly getting warmer. They were even talks of a second call and possibly spending the holidays together.
However, the book forces the Sussexes to be in damage control mode. While the book grabbing headlines puts them in the spotlight, it is not clear that this is the kind of attention they are looking for right now.
The Montecito royals are trying to launch new projects, and they find themselves as the faces of a fiery conversation about race in the UK and elsewhere.
At first, it seemed that the book was a win because it shared some of their stories in a sympathetic way. However, the tide is turning because they cannot use the controversy to lift their brand up.
While trying to take down the Royal Family with salacious stories may appear tempting, it does nothing to really build the Sussexes up.
That is why there is a real chill in Montecito, and some of the advisers for the power couple are starting to get nervous. The book is coming at a bad time for the pair.
They were getting ready for a soft relaunch of their brand as power players in entertainment and the charity business. The different revelations hurt the Royal Family, but Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are losing a real chance to reconcile.
Royal commentator Duncan Larcombe told OK! Magazine: “It has put them right back to square one. There’s now pressure being put on Harry to come out and distance himself from the book, and I think that will be very tempting for him to do because it seems he has been trying to soften his tone towards the royals.”
He continued: “There were some green shoots that he might be trying to end the feud from his side. So the timing of the book couldn’t be worse for Harry. I think it’s his worst nightmare.”
For Larcombe, there is no way Markle can really clear her name in this situation. He added: “It doesn’t matter what Meghan says as, frankly, I don’t think everyone will believe her. In my opinion people will always conclude that she’s played some kind of indirect role in some of the information that Scobie has revealed. There will also be suspicions in the palace that this has Meghan’s fingerprints over it. There are some astonishing claims in it.”
The expert concluded: “I think you can never say never,” he said. “Camilla went from being one of the most hated people in Britain to becoming our Queen. If she can pull that off, I don’t think you can ever say there’s no chance for Harry. But this book has made it less likely. And it seems that at this moment, there is no hope whatsoever.”
In a strange way what is unfolding looks like a vindication of King Charles’s approach to the Sussexes. While Prince William is always pushing for a tougher response, The Monarch stayed calm with a long term view.
For The King, if you give the Sussexes enough time, they will always dig themselves into a hole.
