The reviews that I've read ie: New York Times do not note any criticisms of the Sussexes.
"End Game" by Omid Scobie - 2023
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The reviews that I've read ie: New York Times do not note any criticisms of the Sussexes.
Thank you - I'm sure we'd all love to read what, if any, criticisms of the couple are in the book. Personally I suspect you wont have to make a long post for that - but I'm happy to be proven wrong and if so it will say something telling about the media (around the world).
Hallo girl
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I also wondered if the paced start was as a result of Diana and Sarah. Learning by the mistakes.
Impactful to who? The charities she has visited since leaving the BRF seemed to really appreciate her time spent with them. Success isn't alway monetary. You can say that her career as an actress didn't take her far. She had a role on a TV show that was on cable for quite some time. It's a lot more success than the 90% of actors that are still looking to land their first role. Not everyone will reach the heights of a Tom Cruise or George Clooney. You didn't care for her blog but many people enjoyed it. To each his own. My comment on tiara wearing and palace living had nothing to do with the other royal marry ins it was more about measuring success in your own life and not how others view your success.
Is the 72 days you are referring to take into account that she was also on maternity leave part of her time as a member of the BRF? As for the celebrity world I am pretty sure Elton John was a very good friend of Princess Diana so that is where that relationship ties in. As for Vogue not really sure what you are referring to giving nods to her favorite celebrities. It was Forces of Change or something along those lines. They did have an outside firm conduct an investigation into bullying and since they wouldn't comment on what they uncovered we will never know if Meghan was a bully or if they uncovered other members of the family were treating employees in unacceptable ways too. I get the feeling she is happy to be home in California.
miss whirley
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Well Harry admitted in Spare that her employees were crying at their desks and when William confronted him about the bullying Harry talked about her adjusting still. That's a pretty big hint that she thought toxic Hollywood set treatment would fly at KP offices.
As for her being happier back in Socal, I 100% agree. Socializing with starlets like Benji Madden, and sucking bottles on Ellen is truly much more in her wheelhouse than foreign diplomacy or daily/weekly engagements. She thrived at Spotify in ways she never did in the BRF.
It also breaks my heart that for so long the BRF held Harry back from todger talk and juggling. And finally he gets to live his true self, plus less restrictions with his drug use.
I can only hope Omid's recent move to California will give him the same career boost.
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Just a reminder: this thread needs to be focused on “End Game.” Opinions should be backed up by either the book itself or extracts. People have strong opinions on this topic which makes civility and staying on topic especially important.
SirGyamfi1
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No one measures success by living in a palace or wearing a tiara.
My point being that since she left the royal family she has been successful on her own terms and not through the eyes of people who are disappointed she left.
Do you think all the stories about William always being incandescent with rage will be in the book or Andrew driving his car through the gates? How about the luncheon that Camilla had with her friends Jeremy Clarkson, Judi Dench and Piers Morgan? I wonder if Omid will mention her other celebrity friends. And who can forget that cameo on American Idol. That was a surprise especially since no one really expected working royals to appear on an American TV show. I hadn't heard about Omid moving to California but hopefully he too will have a $14 million mansion with 37 bathrooms with the success of his new book.
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miss whirley
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The quote about William's temper was always referencing him being called Billy the Basher as a toddler. I'm not going to criticize William for being a oafish toddler. Then I'd be like Scobie who has criticized Prince Louis for acting like a young energetic child. If William was behaving like Harry, slapping Taylor Hawkins, physically assaulting his protection officers, trying to punch photographers, throwing snowballs at unsuspecting strangers, making his polo horses bleed. Then yes I'd be very concerned about William. Even Omid admits Harry has a scary temper. A big part of Finding Freedom was talking about how Harry's temper scares Meghan.
I'd believe it about Andrew. I'm no fan of his. Though Harry appears to be. Meghan met the Queen at Andrew's house. Harry has vacationed with Andrew before to celebrate Andrew's birthday. And their mouthpiece in this book is gunning for all Harry's family except Andrew, Fergie, Beatrice and Eugenie. Not surprising given H&M fondness for the Yorks.
Camilla's friends aren't writing books trashing H&M. Camilla isn't saying Harry is leaving bodies in the streets. She isn't talking about her genitals and having had sexual romps behind pubs, and talking about peeing herself. So equating Camilla with H&M is a big stretch.
You'll be happy to know Omid is even using private jets in California. No word on if he plans to be carbon-emissions zero by 2030 like H&M promised.
I have to disagree because from listening to her comments and viewing her actions that Meghan truly does not believe that she's been successful on her own terms. If that was the case, then why the need to frequently bring up her time as a working royal and her association with the BRF through an interview, documentary, podcasts, and books? Why continue to use the title "Duchess of Sussex?" If she actually believes that she's successful on her own terms, then drop it and just use Meghan Markle. Based upon the excerpts, it's rather obvious that she's shared information about private correspondence, conversations etc.. for End Game. And it is happening either directly with Omid Scobie or through intermediaries. BTW, Omid lives now in Hollywood about a two hour drive from Montecito.
Her other projects which are not associated with the BRF, have not been nearly as lucrative or were cancelled ie Pearl. I hope that one day she might actually feel confident enough to achieve some success without her royal connections, but that might take some time.
Queen Claude
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Charles could not actually change anything until he ascended. QEII could have changed the titles and chose not to.
My read between the lines is that Charles did make it known to Harry and Meghan, and I suspect Edward and Sophie, that his wish would be for the monarch's grandchildren by the non-heirs apparent not be given titles. If my suspicion is correct, Edward and Sophie complied with Charles' wishes and when their children were born they were not HRH Prince/ss, whereas Harry and Meghan wanted their children to have titles and were not willing to comply with Charles' wishes.
The whole skin tone brouhaha from the Oprah interview was tied to titles. Firstly Harry and Meghan wanted their children to have titles from birth because according to them the child would get security if they were bestowed the HRH Prince/ss title at birth. Secondly there was the discussion that Harry's children would not be HRH Prince/ss when Charles ascends which according the the LP issued by George V, they become HRH Prince/ss when their grandfather ascends, but it was made known that going forward only the heir apparent's children are HRH Prince/ss. Meghan made it clear that she thought this was unfair because the future KC3 would have one set of grandchildren who were HRH Prince/ss and one set that were not, and in Meghan's eyes, that was unfair, and furthermore also not a good move because the first BRF child of color would not be titled. According to Meghan, "it’s not their right to take it away".
So basically the Sussexes made it known before their child was born that their wish was for their children to have titles from birth, and if not that, that the George V LP be adhered to.
For Charles to get what he wanted, he would have to issue his own LP and either make it going forward, or if he wanted it to apply to existing HRH Prince/ss, he would have to designate which ones, all of them which means that the Duke of Kent would lose his HRH Prince title, or certain ones, and if not all of them, then what was the cut off point and why.
Of course what he could have done was upon his ascension, when the website was updated to to change his, Camilla, William, Kate and their children's titles, also update the titles of his Sussex grandchildren, especially since he probably realized that he was not going to make any changes that would result in retroactive removal of titles.
I get why Charles did not update the website, my understanding is that he wanted it to be clear that the Sussex children have the HRH Prince/ss titles because their parents wanted them to have the title, so he let them be the first ones to refer to their children as HRH Prince/ss which they did when they released a statement about Lili's christening.
To me, it was not handled badly at all, if anything, I think that it was a smart move on Charles' part to let the Sussexes out themselves as being hung up on titles, although it was not as if that was not already very apparent to more than a few royal watchers.
Iluvbertie
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I can see your post on page 15 and Queen Claude's post is also on page 15 for me - immediately before yours.
Lee-Z
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OT
maybe you have blocked some people who commented on this thread so you don't see all the posts there are? (i think that is an option on TRF to block someone?)
Hallo girl
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Omid has missed the point, yes Catherine is a bit nervous when speaking, and yes she spends quality time with her children at weekends and during school holidays, the kids are lovely and we see them a reasonable amount of time. They also spend quality time with their other grandparents the Middleton family.
Louis was a scream at the jubilee. Just a normal 4 year old.
That does not make her lazy or not very good.
Why shouldn't she do the school run, lots of working mums do part time hours to allow them that special time with the kids to talk about their day. It has nothing to do with wealth or having staff do these things for you.
Catherine was obviously brought up in a home where family coming together and sharing was a vital part of the set up. Country walks, making cakes.
That is what the public love about her. She has brought her relatively ordinary but loving family background into the royal family while at the same time has stepped up to do royal duties.
Good on the couple if they made the decision that they wanted a more balanced family / work life than possibly William experienced as a child , even more so Charles.
When the late Queen went on tours she was away for weeks and months, travel being what it was then.
It seems to work for them as a family, you wonder why Omid finds it so necessary to attack Catherine. I will leave you all to make your decisions on that one.
Anybody that saw Charlotte with William on the balcony at Trooping the Colour can see what a close bond they have.
Louis was a scream at the jubilee. Just a normal 4 year old.
That does not make her lazy or not very good.
Why shouldn't she do the school run, lots of working mums do part time hours to allow them that special time with the kids to talk about their day. It has nothing to do with wealth or having staff do these things for you.
Catherine was obviously brought up in a home where family coming together and sharing was a vital part of the set up. Country walks, making cakes.
That is what the public love about her. She has brought her relatively ordinary but loving family background into the royal family while at the same time has stepped up to do royal duties.
Good on the couple if they made the decision that they wanted a more balanced family / work life than possibly William experienced as a child , even more so Charles.
When the late Queen went on tours she was away for weeks and months, travel being what it was then.
It seems to work for them as a family, you wonder why Omid finds it so necessary to attack Catherine. I will leave you all to make your decisions on that one.
Anybody that saw Charlotte with William on the balcony at Trooping the Colour can see what a close bond they have.
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Alison H
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-67546162
The BBC's take on it:
If you're looking for sizzling royal drama, untold intrigue and scandal, this new book is probably going to be a disappointment. It's called Endgame but much of its feels more like Action Replay.
Omid Scobie's widely-trailed book covers familiar territory, with an account of family tensions and palace plots, through the era of Prince Harry and Meghan's departure for the US, the late Queen's death and into the new reign of King Charles.
But with its relentlessly recriminatory tone, it's often more mope opera than soap opera. It's a slightly 2-D world where malign palace officials seem to be permanently conspiring with journalists. The chaos, cock-ups and boredom of real-life never seem to intrude.
The depiction of the King, as a rather temperamental figure getting his toothpaste squeezed and laces ironed, also feels like a much younger caricature. Now aged 75, the oldest person to have come to the throne, King Charles spent his birthday in a warehouse launching plans for food banks.
The BBC's take on it:
If you're looking for sizzling royal drama, untold intrigue and scandal, this new book is probably going to be a disappointment. It's called Endgame but much of its feels more like Action Replay.
Omid Scobie's widely-trailed book covers familiar territory, with an account of family tensions and palace plots, through the era of Prince Harry and Meghan's departure for the US, the late Queen's death and into the new reign of King Charles.
But with its relentlessly recriminatory tone, it's often more mope opera than soap opera. It's a slightly 2-D world where malign palace officials seem to be permanently conspiring with journalists. The chaos, cock-ups and boredom of real-life never seem to intrude.
The depiction of the King, as a rather temperamental figure getting his toothpaste squeezed and laces ironed, also feels like a much younger caricature. Now aged 75, the oldest person to have come to the throne, King Charles spent his birthday in a warehouse launching plans for food banks.
Nico
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Interesting.
A the very least "Spare", a somewhat peculiar piece of literature nevertheless, could be taken as Harry's very own approach of life and duty. Some members here swore it was his right to tell his truth etc ...
Ok, point taken.
Scobie's work, on the other and, seems to be another piece of work : clearly mean spirited and purposely vindicative to satisfy a somewhat vocal niche.
Agreed. This is just nasty. And it does sound like Meghan to me too. And maybe Harry too.
I thought so too.
And Meghan choosing to jump right in just reinforces the point that taking it slow IS a good approach. Her blink and you miss it time as a working royal speaks for itself.
Catherine continuing to get criticized for this baffles me.
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Everything that is mentioned by the Daily Mail seems to be either the same or a similar narrative to the one that the Sussexes have been pushing in recent years (in the Oprah interview, Finding Freedom, the Netflix "docuseries", Spare, and so on). By now, they should know it is not working and only hurting their brand, especially when there are no new facts to back it up.
End Game in particular seems to be the low point in their PR campaign actually as, from the excerpts we have seen, the book reads like a gossip magazine at best, to be honest.
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changemysoul
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Harry admitted staff cried but not because of Meghans behavior but how the press was attacking her and their work to combat stories. That’s leaving out a big part of your statement.
William, also didn’t ask for proof of what she did to considered a bully, he just believed what was said and wanted it dealt with. William himself never confirmed that Meghan was a bully, he just heard she was and decided she needed to be punished but didn’t actually investigate what she did. To this day, we still don’t have an actual example of Meghan did to be called a bully.
She used the title because her husband still uses his title. She talked about the royals in an interview and a documentary. The Cut, asked her about it. And her interview with Variety, she was asked about it. She didn’t mention the royals during her One Young World Speech nor did she mention the royals when she got her Women of Vision Award, she also didn’t mention the royals on the red Carpet at Power of Women Awards, so she isn’t just talking about them wildly.
Pearl didn’t make it but a bunch of Netflix animated shows didn’t make it. Sure, Spotify was canceled but it not only won two awards, it knocked of Joe guy, it went no. 1 in several non-English speaking countries and even managed to stay in the Top 10 during her unnecessary break.
So success on projects has been achieved since leaving and without the royals. As only her first episode talked about anything related to the royals and it wasn’t even about the royals but a personal experience on a tour.
I do think it’s amazing that they dismiss the good things the Sussex’s do. Helping that lovely lady who did children’s hair for back to school, gifting the money to Melba’s, buying the washer and dryer for the school they visited, along with items for a garden and the reading nook, helping out the moms center in LA by gifting them not only supplies but an area for that to be stored as well.
People don’t have to like the Sussex’s but there is no reason to ignore the good they have done.
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Also, Omid didn’t attack Kate. He actually, came more so for the media that infantilizes her and praises any small thing she does as if she cured world hunger. Pointing out that after 10 years she doesn’t have a lasting legacy or she’s just getting one started isn’t an attack, it’s an observation of what she’s done until now. Yes, she’s getting started with Shaping Us and the her tackling children’s mental development but she hasn’t actually done anything substantial with it.
It’d be nice if she need more drives, donating and etc for Baby Banks as she did that one year. There is a lot Kate could do without stepping on the toes of government or getting involved in politics, people who don’t have her platform do it everyday, in everyday lives.
But it shows how protected and babied she is, someone pointing out an observation about her work is seen as an attack on her when the issue Omid brought up was how the media covers her.
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Kenya
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As a royal reporter, he threw all his money in on H&M, only to have them walk away from royalty. They were still lucrative for him in the early years, when everyone was intrigued by what they had to say. But now that we've heard what they had to say ad nauseam and most people have moved past needing to hear anymore, he wisely sees that his cash cow is drying up. He's burned all his bridges and ruined his credibility in real royal circles, so naturally he's grasping at his fading opportunities to earn money from the Sussex Squad, who will never tire of hearing how great and modern H&M are, how boring and antiquated W&K are, and how victimized H&M were by the entire institution.
But from everything I read, this book sounds so lacking in any real bombshells or new information that surely even the Sussex Squad can recognize an opportunist when they see one. How much longer will they feel compelled to subsidize his new California lifestyle and private jet use? The law of diminishing returns has to kick in at some point, you'd imagine.
Princess Merena
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It seems that the Dutch version of the book contains some information that the English one doesn't.
The Dutch royal reporter Rick Evers has posted the following on Twitter:
The Dutch royal reporter Rick Evers has posted the following on Twitter:
Katymcwaity
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I saw it yesterday in Evers' twitter feed but I thought he must have been mistaken as the UK press/ Scobie said that the person(s) would stay unnamed. It will be interesting to see if other translations leave out this part or not.
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Hallo girl
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Omid will need to come up with something else to hold over the royals , it is out there now.
Claire
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I have stopped visiting here - but I came to read what was in the book as well as look over what was been said - as I has a good visit when Spare was released.
Here is a few things that I believe that might add to your conversation:
1. The idea of the no titles for lesser royals was something that was brought up years ago as it the early 1990's. Edward agreed that his children would not be HRH then - long before they were born. Harry attended these meeting so would have known if not agreed to what was already discussed in them. The only thing that pulled it out was Andrew's daughters titles - The titles should have been removed and then Harry would not have been able to use the York daughters as the reason he must be given them. If the Queen had done that there would not be an issue now.
2. It was not a good idea of the KP to blacklist Omid Scobie from royal reporting. More friends are won with honey then with vinegar. If the Wales had attempted to get Scobie over their side and yes - there was more than a bit of opportunity. They should not have cut with off with what he needed to continue with his work.
Here is a few things that I believe that might add to your conversation:
1. The idea of the no titles for lesser royals was something that was brought up years ago as it the early 1990's. Edward agreed that his children would not be HRH then - long before they were born. Harry attended these meeting so would have known if not agreed to what was already discussed in them. The only thing that pulled it out was Andrew's daughters titles - The titles should have been removed and then Harry would not have been able to use the York daughters as the reason he must be given them. If the Queen had done that there would not be an issue now.
2. It was not a good idea of the KP to blacklist Omid Scobie from royal reporting. More friends are won with honey then with vinegar. If the Wales had attempted to get Scobie over their side and yes - there was more than a bit of opportunity. They should not have cut with off with what he needed to continue with his work.
Nope.
“Our staff sensed the friction, read the press, and thus there was frequent bickering around the office. Sides were taken. Team Cambridge versus Team Sussex. Rivalry, jealousy, competing agendas—it all poisoned the atmosphere.
It didn’t help that everyone was working around the clock. There were so many demands from the press, such a constant stream of errors that needed clearing up, and we didn’t have nearly enough people or resources. At best we were able to address 10 percent of what was out there. Nerves were shattering, people were sniping. In such a climate there was no such thing as constructive criticism. All feedback was seen as an affront, an insult.
More than once a staff member slumped across their desk and wept.
For all this, every bit of it, Willy blamed one person. Meg. He told me so several times, and he got cross when I told him he was out of line.”
