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Shockwaves from the bombshell royal biography will still cast a shadow over the The Firm’s festivities, says royal writer Emily Andrews
FOR THE ROYAL FAMILY, Christmas will be a time to regroup and reflect after what has been a difficult year, to put it mildly. The festive season may promise goodwill to all men, but that message is somewhat lost on the warring houses of Windsor and Sussex.
The traditional royal Christmas hosted by Charles and Camilla at Sandringham will give the senior members time together, but it may well be marred by crisis talks after Omid Scobie’s explosive book about the future of the monarchy, Endgame, made headlines for weeks after its release at the end of November. Scobie’s fresh claims about the falling out between Prince Harry and Meghan Markle and Prince William and the Princess of Wales, as well as King Charles and Camilla, have added fresh tension to an already fractured relationship – and it’s feared there may be little that can be done to mend it.
The year is ending in the manner in which it began. In January, Prince Harry’s autobiography Spare dominated the headlines, thanks to its dramatic revelations, including details of a physical spat with his brother, and the devastating description of how he had found out about the Queen’s death not from his father, but from the BBC website. This month, however, a ‘race row’ that began in March 2021 with Harry and Meghan’s explosive claims to Oprah Winfrey that there were ‘concerns’ and ‘conversations’ about the skin colour of their unborn children after they got engaged, was reignited after the Dutch edition of Scobie’s book named the alleged family members involved.
The royals are said to be ‘shocked and angered’ by this latest storm, which Scobie insists was a mistake – adding he had not been briefed by the Sussexes on any part of Endgame. This latest drama will make for a more divided Christmas than ever but, as is always the case, The Firm will ‘keep calm and carry on’. This message was clear when the four senior royals hosted the annual white-tie reception promoting UK diplomacy at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday 5 December, putting on a united front with a heavy frosting of glamour in the form of tiaras for the Queen and Kate.
In fact, it’s been entirely business as usual for William and Kate, despite the headlines – privately attending all the end-of-term Christmas concerts and plays at their children’s school and publicly conducting engagements such as hosting Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and her husband in Windsor.
Last week, the Princess of Wales hosted her hugely popular annual Christmas carol concert ‘to recognise those who have gone above and beyond to help others through the year’, which w
