The palace expected an ax job, but the sheer malice of the claims in Omid Scobie’s book has left them all reeling, writes REBECCA ENGLISH

Omid Scobie recently posted a cryptic message on ‘

Perhaps he should have paid more attention to the better-known saying, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Because that, in a nutshell, is the fatal failure of his vicious new royal tome, Endgame, whose sheer malevolence has left the Palace staff reeling.

A critical look at the monarchy and whether it is an anachronism in the modern world would have been tolerated and even welcomed by some.

Any publicly funded national institution must be prepared to justify its existence – and Buckingham Palace is no different.

The toxic filth of Scobie’s book, the oozing bile that seeps from almost every sentence and the pantomime nature of the alleged villains (from King Charles and Queen Camilla (pictured) to the Prince and Princess of Wales, their staff) make readers feel feeling quite grimy. with the utmost resentment of it all

Of course, sometimes they will fight their corner fanatically (I’ve had enough “hairdryer” treatments to know that).

But even the most ardent royalist accepts that we no longer live in an age of unconditional deference. The monarchy must prove its worth and relevance every day.

But the venomous filth of Scobie’s book, the oozing bile oozing from almost every sentence and the pantomime nature of the alleged villains (from King Charles and Queen Camilla, to the Prince and Princess of Wales, their staff – and even me!) readers feel feeling quite disgusted by the utter hatefulness of it all.

Like an embittered ex, Scobie dons the mantle of narcissism and victimhood from the couple that he decidedly does not serve as a ‘mouthpiece’ to attack everyone from the King (for not giving Harry and Meghan what they wanted), to ‘ cold ‘Catherine (for her wariness of her new sister-in-law and wanting to spend time with her children during the holidays) and even poor old Prince Edward and Sophie, for daring to make an embarrassing joke about the infamous Oprah interview Sussexes .

The only person shielded is the late Queen Elizabeth, who even Scobie knows (as do Harry and Meghan) that it would be extremely unwise to absorb his attention.

The shock in palace circles this week when the true nature of the book emerged was palpable.

They expected a hatchet job, of course, given the author’s known sympathies, but not one as brutally and aggressively one-sided as this.

“I think everyone is shocked by the malice and deliberate cruelty of what he has written, not to mention the misogyny of much of what he says,” a source told me.

‘That is especially breathtaking from someone who also goes to such lengths to tell us what a high-minded person he is, who operates above what he portrays as the incestuous struggle of everyday royal reporting.’

One of the claims of misogyny that Scobie has had to deal with is that the Princess of Wales is “technically a part-time working royal” due to her determination to also be a hands-on mother, rather condescendingly describing her as the “last shiny thing of the monarchy for many’. the next few years’.

And as more people in royal circles read the book yesterday, one source told me – with genuine disbelief – that it was ‘so thoroughly riddled with errors, both fundamental and more serious’, that it was ‘discredited as a piece of journalism’.

That’s not to say Scobie is completely wrong. To remain balanced, it is important to make that clear.

Scobie dons the mantle of narcissism and victimhood of the couple for whom he is definitely not acting as a ‘mouthpiece’ to attack everyone from the King (for not giving Harry and Meghan (pictured) what they wanted), to ‘cold Catherine (for her wariness of her new sister-in-law and wanting to spend time with her children during the holidays)

Did William and Kate (photo) welcome Meghan with open arms? Scobie says no – and I agree. But can their instinctive wariness in admitting a stranger into their close circle really be interpreted as social superiority and coldness?

Princes William and Harry attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace in July 2021

Mr Scobie’s new book, ‘Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s fight for survival’, was released in Britain on Tuesday

Tensions between Charles and William? Yes, that is recognizable. Father and son have never completely seen eye to eye, as I have written many times over the years.

Did William and Kate welcome Meghan with open arms?

Scobie says no – and I agree. But can their instinctive wariness in admitting a stranger into their close circle really be interpreted as social superiority and coldness?

And surely what has happened since (Oprah, Harry’s book Spare and the rest) shows that they were indeed right to be cautious?

On the issue of race and diversity, Buckingham Palace knows full well that it must do better to ensure that it truly reflects the whole country.

But to get people to take you seriously, you have to take your subject seriously.

And this 400-page poison-pen letter amounts, as most Endgame reviewers have noted, to a handling of minor put-downs, interspersed with the author’s pontifications on the evils of an institution he clearly despises. He has the right to be critical, but the responsibility to be honest.

Some might even think that his complaint about the “institutional cruelty” of the House of Windsor seems rather hypocritical, given the squalor of the Manor of Montecito in recent years.

Everyone, especially those who live their lives in the public eye, have to learn to bite their lip sometimes. Harry and Meghan, whose popularity has plummeted in recent months, are learning this to their own peril. The question remains whether their favorite biographer will also encounter his Endgame as a result of his latest – and most vicious – attack.