His books, Finding Freedom and Endgame, saw savage criticism of the working members of the Royal Family, and news that Omid Scobie has penned a searing new TV drama about The Firm has left Prince William and Kate Middleton panic-stricken.
With the rights already acquired by Universal Television to turn his novel into a television series, Royal Spin – billed as Omid’s fictional debut – tells the story of an American press agent who leaves her intense political career in Washington to begin a communications role at Buckingham Palace. Once in her new job, she navigates culture clashes, strict protocol and messy relationships as she tries to prove her worth.
Already parallels have been drawn between American divorcee Meghan Markle’s uneasy entrance into the Royal Family. And, according to sources, William and Kate, both 42 – who have seen how damaging previous fictional TV depictions of the Royal Family such as Netflix’s The Crown can be – are said to be fearful about the revelations that will be made in Royal Spin.
An insider tells Closer, “The synopsis of the show mirrors Meghan and Harry’s story while hiding behind the guise of a fictional drama, and Kate is incredibly worried about potential storylines. William has of course assured her that the public will see straight through it just like always.”
But the Princess of Wales – who has only just returned to public duties following her cancer diagnosis in January and preventative treatment in recent months – has grounds to be fearful. In his 2020 book, Finding Freedom, Omid and his co-writer Carolyn Durand alleged that Kate made little effort to include Meghan when she first joined the Royal Family. Indeed the pair detailed a story in which Kate reportedly declined to share a lift with Meghan, 42, despite the pair of them heading to the same location to shop.
And while Omid’s second book, Endgame, wasn’t billed as a biography of Meghan and Harry, 39, as the first was, the tone of the book still made it clear that the author aligned with the views of the US-based couple, despite Sussex insiders insisting they had nothing to do with it. In the book, released last year, Omid claimed that Kate had never been a fan of Meghan, with a source reportedly telling him that she “spent more time talking about Meghan than talking to her” and even “jokingly shivered” when the former actress’ name was brought up in conversation.
The Prince and Princess of Wales may have been able to rise above the claims made in Omid’s first two books, but with Royal Spin set to reach a larger market by becoming a TV series, they’re worried that it could have the same impact as Meghan and Harry’s Netflix documentary, which was viewed by 28.7 million households within four days of release.
The source explains, “Ever since Kate and William were told that the show had been bought by Universal, they’ve been caught up in a fresh wave of panic and dread about the impending bombshells and claims. It’s presented as fiction, but that doesn’t stop the possibility of some storylines being close to the knuckle and hinting at actual rows. They know it could still be a brutal exposé. William worries that Kate simply can’t take anymore.
“But he insists that he won’t reach out to his brother to question him about the show for fear it could be used as part of the storyline and paint him in an even more negative light. William is absolutely seething.”
Previously billed as the “mouthpiece” of Harry and Meghan – who are yet to comment on Royal Spin – Omid has repeatedly insisted that he’s not friends with them, claiming that it was instead “mutual friends” who contributed to his work.
However, the extent of Meghan’s involvement has been disputed as, in November 2021, the Duchess of Sussex was forced to apologise for claiming that she knew nothing about Finding Freedom in a statement after it was revealed that she’d provided briefing notes to one of her key aides who she knew was in touch with Omid for the book.
While there has been speculation in Hollywood circles that Meghan and Harry may be involved in this show, at present there is nothing to confirm that. The insider concludes that if they are behind it, and it’s “full of digs” at Kate and William, as well as other members of the Royal Family, it will blow any glimmer of hope of a reconciliation with the royals to smithereens.
The source adds, “Harry, Meghan, William and Kate have not been in the same room since the Queen’s funeral in 2022, so it seems unlikely this new royal TV project will build any bridges, whether or not the Sussexes have been consulted.”
