King Charles will not be ‘emotionally blackmailed by his own son’ as scandal ensues

King Charles has reportedly said that he will not be "emotionally blackmailed" by Prince Harry as the "royal race row" scandal gains traction. Photo / AP

Sources have reported that King Charles will not be “emotionally blackmailed” by Prince Harry as the fallout from Omid Scobie’s new book, Endgame, continues to plague the Royal Family.

The revelations in Scobie’s new book regarding two senior royals raising “concerns” about the colour of Archie’s skin became even more pressing for the royals to address as the pair were accidentally named in the Dutch translation of the book, which has since been pulled from shelves. The King was one of the “two identities” named.

Buckingham Palace has been notably silent about the drama, as have Harry and Meghan. Yet sources close to King Charles have said that he is continuing his life “full of energy” and was “not concerned” about the appearance of his name in the Dutch translation of Scobie’s book.

Since Harry has opposed the family’s conduct and appeared to defend his children over the internal royal conflict, the King has reportedly told friends that he “will not be emotionally blackmailed by his own son”.

Harry and Meghan have been adamant that they would not decline an invitation to spend Christmas at Sandringham with the King and the rest of the royals this year.

However, whether they even get sent an invitation to this Christmas and future ones is looking increasingly unlikely as Scobie’s bombshell book sends ripples through the Royal Family.

The news follows a statement by Harry that was read out in the High Court this week during his fight for 24-hour security guard protection, in which he claimed that he was “forced” out of the UK nearly four years ago.

Harry also said that he felt it was unsafe to travel to Britain with Meghan and their two children to visit the King and the other royals unless they were guaranteed armed royal protection.

Scobie’s book claims that Harry allegedly called his father and said “don’t you want to see your grandchildren?” after they were made to leave Frogmore Cottage.

However, they did call him on his 75th birthday to play a recording of Archie, 4, and Lillibet, 2, singing Happy Birthday to him.

“The King has said that he will not be emotionally blackmailed by his own son. He is not concerned by the book and remains full of energy,” a source close to the King stated.

The “royal race row” first began in 2021 after Harry and Meghan sat down with Oprah to discuss everything related to the royal life. The couple made headlines from the two-hour interview as they unpacked shocking claims that an unnamed royal had made concerning comments regarding the colour of their future children.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are continuing to fight back against perceived mistreatment from the monarchy. Photo / Matt Dunham, AP

The couple said that revealing the royal’s identity would be “very damaging” to them and promised never to do so. However, Harry raised eyebrows two years on when he claimed that it was “unconscious bias,” rather than racism, that they were speaking up about.

The King and Meghan were said to have discussed the comments in private letters, as reported by The Telegraph.

Yet the English version of Scobie’s new book, Endgame, has claimed that “two identities” were involved in the letter exchange with Meghan. Scobie has refused to name those identities for legal reasons.

Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the senior royals from being named. The Dutch translation named the King and the Princess of Wales as the two senior royals to make comments about the colour of Archie’s skin.

Scobie has profusely denied ever writing the names of the two within a manuscript yet the two Dutch translators have said that the King and Kate were both included in the version they received.

Harry and Meghan have denied telling Scobie the names of the two royals, according to a close source, while other sources said to The Sun that the chances that the leak came from Buckingham Palace were looking “vanishingly unlikely”.

Furthermore, no one has been able to confirm that the King and Kate’s names were included within the private letters discussed earlier, which have been kept a tight secret.

During the King’s first address to the nation following the passing of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September last year, Charles detailed his “love for Harry and Meghan” and wished them all the best “as they continue to build their lives overseas” in a TV broadcast from Buckingham Palace.

The King evicted Harry and Meghan from Frogmore Cottage only days after Harry’s memoir, Spare, was released. They handed the keys back earlier this year.

Harry and Meghan must provide 28 days notice if they want to stay at a royal property to plan and account for the proper assessment of security threats. When he visited London in September for a charity event, he instead stayed with his group in a hotel.

Following the decision to strip the couple of 24-hour security when they left the UK in 2020, Harry brought a lawsuit against the Home Office which is currently unfolding.

During a High Court hearing for the case this week, Harry’s statement said: “It is with great sadness to both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020.

“The UK is my home. The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home as much as where they live at the moment in the United States.

“That cannot happen if it is not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil.

“I can’t put my wife in danger like that and given my experiences in life I’m reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too.”

The statement has been noted as a stark contrast to Harry’s original reasoning for leaving the Royal Family, where he said in March 2020 that the couple had “chosen” to leave to pursue “progressive” new roles elsewhere.