Omid Scobie's New Book - PART 2

[Mymilkshakebringsallthepapstomycar]

I'm not sure what is the correct etiquette for carrying on a thread, but here we are. Thanks to @BoxedandRibboned for the original thread.

Original thread:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/the_royal_family/4935714-omid-scobies-new-book?page=40&reply=131041571

They could do Lady Chatterley's Lover. With Meghan as the aristocrat and Harry as the commoner. It would make more money than Musk on Bezos!

@PurplePansy05 No sarcasm intended at all. I'll be interested to know if he has something of more substance to say than than the nasty stuff that he himself has allowed to be revealed. I won't be reading it unless it appears in the charity shop, so for the time being, it's the dreaded media coverage for me!

Oh dear. I had a look on Amazon, and also listed was a book called “Omid Scobie Biography: Unveiling a Journey from Royal Insider to Unflinching Trailblazer”, by Dru James.

The blurb reads:

Step into the riveting world of Omid Scobie through the pages of his compelling biography. This immersive journey unveils the behind the scenes tales of a fearless journalist who dared to navigate the enigmatic corridors of royalty.
From exclusive interviews that captivated the globe to the untold stories that shaped his career, Scobie's narrative is a rollercoaster of intrigue and revelation.
This book (OMID SCOBIE BIOGRAPHY) is more than a biography, it's a front-row seat to the making of headlines, the unraveling of secrets, and the relentless pursuit of truth. Prepare to be enthralled by the life and legacy of Omid Scobie, a storyteller who transcends the boundaries of journalism.
Key features in this book include:
Who really Omid Scobie is.
His Early life right from his birth.
His Personal Life and Relationships.
The Rise of Omid Scobie to Fame.
His significant Royal Journalist Career.
And many more interesting things about him.

86 pages, £8.77. Gosh, really really hard to resist buying it. 😉

I'll pass on this one too 😂

I’m not too sure what you mean here. You say the RF are briefing. Do you mean against Scobie’s book? All commentary on the book has come from press members who have read it 🤷‍♀️

Sorry, no, I meant they're briefing in general. They brief before various engagements to test the waters, they leak details which work in their favour and disclose extra information in return for less favourable parts not being reported on. I think it is true to say looking at the timeline that some stories have been leaked by them to cover up other (negative) stories, even if done at other family members' expense. I don't think this tactic is new and I'm not referring to H&M here, it's been used for years.

@hoteltango

His Early life right from his birth.

😂

What's your evidence for all this leaking, @PurplePansy05 - aside from claims from H&M?.

Or busily reading the book perhaps?

It’s on tattle

What do you mean by that? Virtually every pre-engagement story comes from "palace sources", would you like individual links?

It was also clear many years ago that some of the negative press about Diana could (and still is, to this day) only originate from one source. H+M's negative coverage was likely used to dilute Prince Andrew and Virginia Giuffre story and other stories which cannot be legally discussed in this country and the UK press knew this very well because alongside those, they ran other stories about nothing, flagging up what the whole thing was about. I understand Scobie refers to some of it in his book and on that, he is likely to be correct.

Well Harry did used to shoot grouse so he could be perfect as the gamekeeper although the gamekeeper in LCL is quiet and brooding and no one can shut Harry up with his incessant moaning! 😆

Looking at the reviews online and the excerpts you guys have posted, Harry Potter is far more believable than a book about Harry Windsor

OS is an absolute dick!!

His Early life right from his birth.

Here’s hoping they at least managed to get the subject’s age right.

I’m hearing recollections vary there too…

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but all the pictures of OS that are being splashed across the media are terrible. They’ve deliberately picked ones he’d be mortified with

@PurplePansy05

That’s a lot of serious allegations without any evidence. Making press releases about an event before it happens isn’t leaking. It’s called PR and it totally normal.

What isn’t normal is to feed negative stories about people you don’t like to pet journos- if the extracts from Scobie book are accurate then either Harry or Meghan helped him write some of the worst slights and accusations in the book, which makes them look completely unhinged.

@PurplePansy05 - that's not evidence.
"Likely" to dilute a story? H&M managed to create enough negativity, they didn't need help.
I would imagine that the Palace does briefings, but I don't see evidence that they trashed H&M to the popular (or unpopular) press.
Maybe Harry's phone was hacked.

Exactly that, @Ratsoffasinkingsauage .

Not any less unhinged than those who leak stories or instruct others to do so if this is true. We're talking Becky Vardy level.

PR is precisely that? Making public stories one wants to make public to create a certain image? You're not for a moment suggesting it's objective? It's clearly geared up to serve a certain purpose and BRF is very well versed in it. What serious allegations, of BRF doing what you call PR and I called briefing or leaking? It's one and the same thing.

I don't think anyone deserves to be glorified or in all this, it's hardly a glowing chapter for all involved.

What I dislike, however, is how many posts on MN defend BRF no matter what, as if the institution and its members could never do wrong. This just isn't the reality.

Ngl, I wasn't expecting the royal racist to be that person!

I don't think that the RF can do no wrong.
I just think that they could be held to account in a more intelligent, measured way, with proper sources of evidence, rather than this kind of book with it's violation of privacy and personal attacks.

Ty. G. By I

I’m surprised too, to me if anything this completely undermines her entire racist narrative. Look at the way PC walked her down the aisle, and welcomed her and her mother into the family. It’s hardly symptomatic of the terrible treatment they so desperately want to portray is it?

Also makes sense that they didn’t reveal as by not doing so it threw PW under a bigger bus than any of them, even though he said nothing the speculation was enough for people to use it against him. Which was exactly the reaction they wanted

This feels like another example of them getting all the PR so so wrong… OS is such a sycophant that he wouldn’t dare do something he or they thought would make them look bad … I think they’ve all gone into this thinking how terribly clever they must be. I’m delighted it has backfired. Not because I especially love or hate one or the other but because I really detest the levels of self importance and grandeur from both OS and MM throughout.

Talk about biting the hand they want to feed them.

Perhaps that's true, I agree. Not sure what other ways there are, however, apart from somebody or something triggering a public discourse.

Also, in terms of evidence - nobody on here has participated in conversations, has transcripts, call lists and whatever other evidence you may have had in mind. If I say something is likely and not certain it's because clearly I have no hard evidence to say it is certain (and neither do you). However, I have formed an opinion based on reading up numerous articles, their timing, tone, which newspaper they appeared in etc. Subsequently it's a matter of critical thinking and one arrives at their own opinion. It's OK if yours is different than mine.

That's fine, @PurplePansy05 . I think a book evaluating the monarchy in contemporary Britain would be a good thing. Unfortunately, this sort of tome just seems to rehash gossip and unpleasant personal slights. It seems a pity. It's damaging, but perhaps not in the way Scobie intended. I find it another example of polarisation, so prevalent nowadays - good/bad, hero/villain. Perhaps mistakes were made, no-one is perfect, no-one deserves vilification. No proper evidence or evaluation seems to have been employed, although I am prepared to be corrected.
The BBC review is scathing.