“Prince Harry ‘Begged’ Palace Not to Announce Queen’s Death Before He Knew”: Claims from Omid Scobie’s New Book
In a revealing excerpt from Omid Scobie’s upcoming book Endgame, the bestselling author claims that Prince Harry’s team pleaded with Buckingham Palace not to release the news of Queen Elizabeth II’s death before the Duke of Sussex was informed. Scobie alleges that Harry was left “completely by himself” and “remained in the dark” about his grandmother’s deteriorating health before she passed away, told The Mirror.
The royal biographer, known for his close connections to Harry and Meghan, suggests that Prince William ignored his brother’s attempts to reach out as Harry frantically organized his journey to Balmoral to be by the Queen’s side. The excerpt from Endgame, due for release later this month, highlights how the ongoing rift between the brothers has evolved into what Scobie describes as “something colder and more immovable: indifference.”
In his own memoir, Spare, Harry disclosed that he had to travel alone to Balmoral on 8 September 2022, where the Queen was staying as her health rapidly declined. Now, fresh allegations from Scobie shed light on those critical hours. According to Endgame, earlier reports that King Charles personally informed Harry of the Queen’s death were inaccurate. Instead, Scobie claims that Harry’s team “literally had to beg [the palace] to wait for his plane to land,” and the palace only reluctantly agreed to delay the announcement temporarily.
The book further alleges that when Harry attempted to coordinate travel plans with Prince William, he received no response, leaving him to travel separately from the rest of the family. Scobie reports that during Harry’s flight, there was a “tug-of-war between the Sussexes’ team and Buckingham Palace” over when to release the announcement, with the Prime Minister already having been briefed on the Queen’s passing. “The Palace claimed Charles tried to call Harry (sources later told me there was never any proof of this), and that there was no more time left to delay,” the book states.
While the Queen’s death occurred at 3:10 p.m., Harry was reportedly still unaware of the news when he set off over two hours later. As bad weather delayed his flight further, the palace ultimately announced the Queen’s death at 6:30 p.m., just 20 minutes before Harry’s plane landed.
Endgame, described on Amazon as “a penetrating investigation into the current state of the British monarchy,” is set to be released later this month. The book’s description teases a dramatic portrayal of the monarchy’s internal struggles, referencing “an unpopular king, a power-hungry heir, a queen willing to go to dangerous lengths to preserve her image, and a prince forced to start a new life after being betrayed by his own family.”