The translation shows who asked questions about Archie’s skin color.
The eyes of many royalty watchers are focused on our little country today. Of course because our Máxima shone so brightly at the Iris van Herpen exhibition, but also because a special ‘error’ crept into the Dutch translation of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame. And not just a small mistake: the Dutch translation mentioned by name exactly which royal asked questions about Archie’s skin color.
Endgame
It can hardly have escaped your attention that the book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival was published yesterday. In this book, royalty journalist Omid Scobie writes about the current state of The Firm, claiming there is some sort of crisis among the Windsors.
Previous leaked excerpts focused mainly on the relationship between the Sussexes and the Windsors – from how alone Harry was faced with the death of his grandmother, to the icy bond between him and his brother, Crown Prince William.
Naturally, the author also addresses the whole issue surrounding the interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which it emerged that one person at the court had asked questions about the skin color of little Archie. The Sussexes themselves refused to name names at the time – but they did strongly deny that it was Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip.
Unveiling ‘royal racist’
This detail also remains hidden in the English version of the book. But somehow the Dutch translation deviates considerably from the original. A tweet from royalty reporter Rick Evers, who was allowed to read a press copy of the book, shows exactly who had asked questions about Archie’s skin color. On page 128 of the book it is clearly written: “But in those private letters an identity was revealed and confirmed: Charles.” Oh dear!
This is – as far as I know – only regarding the Dutch version, not the English one. It seems as if only the Dutch version has published the person’s name who spoke about the skin color of the unborn child. Charles.
Translation attached. pic.twitter.com/lXMJJVjlO3
— Rick Evers (@RickEversRoyal) November 28, 2023
In response to the ‘error’, the Dutch publisher, Xander Uitgevers, has announced that it will withdraw the book from stores. A corrected version is currently being worked on.
Scobie denies everything
Now the big question is of course: how did this happen? Writer Omid Scobie responded in RTL Boulevard and said he had nothing to do with the revelation. “The book is in several languages and unfortunately I do not speak Dutch. But if there are translation errors, the publisher will correct them. I wrote the English version, and there is not a single version of mine that mentions any names,” the author said.
Scobie reportedly had to remove the name from the British version because legal rules would prevent him from making this revelation. This would therefore explain why he originally included this passage in the English version, but subsequently deleted it.
It is not (yet) clear whether the statement also appears in other translations of the book. But this little thing will undoubtedly continue!
Source: RTL Boulevard, The Daily Mail | Image: NL Image
