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

How can a translation be 'inaccurate' if names weren't in the English version to begin with ?

A quick glance at 'X' twitter shows who the names are in the Dutch version -

They must have been 'leaked' on purpose or out of mischief- Hazza and his wife are desperately trying to take down the RF yet ironically want 'tidles' for their children.

The whole thing is a farce.

I feel bad for the children in all this mess. I hope they can still be a part of their wider family despite all this mud slinging.

I think it will be very difficult for the kids to be part of the family. The whole family would be permanently on guard.

The fact that H&M have never actually said what the supposed racist comment was speaks volumes IMO - they know that the insinuation is worse than the reality

It's a pity for them yes but it's entirely of Harry and Meghan's making. Maybe when they are adults they can make their own choices to meet and reconnect with their cousins and other relations but whilst they are children I suspect they will be kept at arm's length I can't see their parents wanting them to hear anyone else's side.

Ok. Book is here. I'm halfway through.

It's a very easy read and Scobie's writing style is not in itself annoying, hence the speed of reading (403 pages in total).

So far I think that he's very respectful of Queen Elizabeth, rightly so. In terms of his portrayal of the other Royals, it is clearly extremely biased - you can tell he has a far closer relationship and access to the Sussexes than to the King, PW and the Princess of Wales and it's obvious he has been cut out due to distrust (which is probably justifiable).

I think it is unfair of him to be making negative comments about them purely on that basis - if he remained close with all of the parties, I feel his comments would be more fair and balanced.

Without a doubt he is portraying Harry in a far more positive light. In fact, so far I've struggled to find anything remotely critical of him. There are plenty of justifications about his behaviour that have an emotional element to it, it's nearly like reading something from PH's therapy notes at times.

There are numerous factual and neutral passages in the book which then surprisingly end with a negative remark about the Waleses' or Charles. It often feels out of the blue, like an add on that doesn't quite follow the preceding paragraph.

I would also say, I have been taken aback so far by how critical he is of some members of the BRF without saying specifically why that is. He tends to make critical remarks without factual justification as if this was a given truth.

Considering he would have to risk being sued for defamation, I think there probably are quite a few seeds of truth in what he is saying, however it's clearly not the case that PH has been perfect in all of this and the book very much reads this way. In my view it is the unrealistically positive portrayal and ongoing victimisation of PH that costs this book any credibility that it may have aspired to have.

So far he is oddly extremely careful not to mention much about Meghan at all.

I've not seen a sensible analysis of the future of the BRF in this book yet, however this may be included in the second half. Considering the continuous clear bias so far, I doubt this would be a fair analysis regardless.

I would say Scobie is clearly smart, but not experienced or close enough for this sort of a book. If any Royal Correspondents with more experience and closer links to the working members of the BRF would take up a task of writing a sensible, well-researched and balanced book about its future, not withhelding criticism or constructive criticism where it's deserved, then this is something I'd buy. It would have to be a book set in a wider political and sociological context of the UK. Scobie's book doesn't achieve this.

I'll finish tonight as it's a quick read, then wrap my Vinted parcels in it. Save yourselves £11.

I have a feeling that the Royal racist story isn’t over since there’s so many answers to who it is.

Lady C (I know!) said Princess Anne, Tom Bower said Camilla, Sussex Squad say William, Royalists say Harry…

I don’t see how the family would ever be able to let the children into the inner circle in the future. You would never be sure if they were trustworthy, or what BS they grew up being fed by the parents. They will grow up on a different continent with a different culture, different cultural education - Britain and it’s monarchy, it’s weird mixture of ancient quirks and traditions and ‘how it is’ stuff, all of that will be alien and bizarre to them (as it is to most of the rest of the world who don’t have monarchies!).

They won’t ’get’ it, they won’t understand it or have the inherent regard or respect for it, it’s history etc that a child of the family raised in this country would have.

With the royal family, it very much is you’re either in or you’re out. The family are VERY careful about who they allow into the inner circles and for good reason. Most people who are on even the outer circle with them have too much self respect, and respect for the family/institution to go selling stories about what they know/see/hear. There’s always the odd person out of a quick buck (looking at you Paul Burrell), but most people know and accept with mout having to be told that ‘it’s just not done’.

Their parents have taken them ‘out’. And not just ‘out’ but ‘OUT’ - not amicably, but messily, distressingly, and with anger and sordidness.

They are never ever getting back in.

And they have their parents to thank.

Thanks @PurplePansy05

If I put what I really think on here I’ve no doubt I’ll be put on the naughty step again.

So I’ll put it simply. Two (possibly three) people need to be absolutely fucking ashamed of themselves for this.

It is a bastard disgrace and beyond hateful.

A little bit of me wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Not any more.

@Rinoachicken Hopefully the kids won’t want to join the inner circle and decide to be like Zara and Peter - ditch the titles and live relatively anonymous and happy lives the way that we hoped that their parents would when they left as senior royals.

By inner circle I mean socially - on first name ‘pop over for a cuppa’, heres my genuine mobile number, join the family WhatsApp terms.

Zara and Mike are very much in the inner circle.

Its about trust at the end of the day. Do you trust this person to not be tempted to gossip or sell your private conversations and details.

@Rinoachicken I see… Zara and Mike do seem to have a good deal where they can come and go.

I actually have a favourite passage so far in which OS praises the late Queen for how she handled her privacy and he claims she was the last one in the monarchy who maintained its dignity and mysticism (or words to that effect, it's not a direct quote). I agree with that. Then he follows up with a rather distasteful reference to KC, QC and the tampon story. Whilst we all remember it, it feels rather unnecessary to contrast it so bluntly, he makes out this is what KC would prefer. Not a fair blow (no pun intenteded!). Astonishingly, at that point you'd think he'd praise William and Catherine for at least attempting to keep their personal lives more private in this day and age and considering they are fronting engagements regularly now. No, nothing to that effect. Equally nothing cricising PH's exhibitionism which OS only perceives from the POV of exhibiting toxicity within the BRF, objectively failing to address toxicity it has also caused. There are some positive and some negative sides to it, but not according to OS, it seems.

Totally - they have the ideal.

Trusted members of the family, but also have their own lives and independence. They show it is possible - you just have to not betray the trust of your family!

I agree, it looks like poor sentence construction. There was talk of the racist. There then should have been a full stop and the next sentence started Charles……(blathered on about a letter Charles wrote to M). Instead they’ve written blah blah blah racist person blah blah : Charles. In the letter the King wrote……

it’s sloppy editing and shit writing causing confusion for the translators.

What a ridiculous comparison he makes! As if KC and QC WANTED their phone to be hacked and their private conversations humiliatingly splashed all across the front pages!

What an unholy mess.

These two are going to be a thorn in William’s side well into his reign. But he would do well remember that whilst he should keep his friends close, he should keep his enemies closer.

One of the most interesting things in the book was that he actually puts a price tag on the cost of the RF's security, £345m per year. I've never seen an actual figure put forward.

Makes me even more curious how much Harry is paying privately and how much it would have cost to provide him security if he stayed in the UK or if they had agreed to provide it in Canada/US

Thank you for the review so far @PurplePansy05

I had thought it might be like that sadly. Just a puff piece for some and veiled unsubstantiated attacks on others.

Having been on the other end of false allegations which almost cost me my job and has damaged my career immeasurably, I am well aware of the damage words can do when left floating in the air.

By all means be truthful. But actually be truthful. Veiled and vague is deeply unfair.

Interesting though that one person isn’t mentioned (much) though.

I can't find the exact passage which was published differently in the Dutch version now, but I did read it, and to me it obviously read as suggestive towards two specific members of the BRF, but not pointing at them directly in a 'he said, she said' manner. It was suggestive enough in my view that a reasonably smart British person would've got the gist. So I'm not entirely sure what exactly happened in the Netherlands.

They married in May 2018 after a v short relationship. By Oct 2019 they were giving interviews about being unhappy. By Jan 2020 they were asking for their ridiculous half in half out status. So 18 months at most in the RF of which most was on mat leave.

I was so supportive of them at first but the constant moaning is tone deaf.

What do they even do now? Other than sue everyone and accept awards. And make money (interviews / books) from the RF.

It's pathetic.

I’ve just been reading some related articles served up by Apple News

Noticed two things

a) carefully worded statement that there was an error in the Dutch translation of the book (left me wondering if the error is not a synonym for a ‘translation error’)

b) a striking comment from the Aussie press about Omid that the nearest he’s been to a good source is tomato ketchup

Hazza and Megzy don’t really DO anything apart from sue and moan.
They appear to detest the Institution yet rely on it when it comes to innerviews ( Hazza is affecting a mid Atlantic drawl these days)

The alleged “racism” row is the gift that keeps on giving for them.

If it was truly bad they would tell the story and be done with it, rather than eking it out over several dire books.

Edith 😁

How can a translation be 'inaccurate' if names weren't in the English version to begin with?

That's what I want to know

I can't comment on the actual book since I've not read it (and don't intend to after the last one) but this isn't my world and I don't understand ... is it usual to have different versions for different countries?