Did Omid Scobie name 'royal racists' in original manuscript? Saskia Peeters, the Dutch translator who worked on 'Endgame' reveals the truth

The Dutch translator who worked on Omid Scobie’s book Endgame said the names of the royals who allegedly asked about the color of Archie’s skin were revealed in the manuscript she was sent. The translator, Saskia Peeters, said that the original Endgame book revealed the name the 'royal racists', but she did not add the names to the Dutch version of the book.

Saskia Peeters, the Arnhem-based translator, while translating the Dutch version of the book, Eindstrijd, said, she just translated whatever was given to her. She said:

"I have been translating for many years. This is the first time anything like this has happened."

In her statement to the Daily Mail, she clarified that she had not included the royals' names in the Dutch version. As a translator, she emphasized that she translated exactly what was presented to her. The names of the royals were already in the text, and she did not add them intentionally.

On the other hand, Omid Scobie, the author insists he never sent out a book that revealed the identities of two royals who are accused of asking about Archie's skin color. As per Forbes, due to the controversy between Scobie’s Endgame and Eindstrijd, thousands of copies of the Dutch book had to be pulped in the Netherlands.

Saskia Peters vs. Endgame controversy

Endgame has been embroiled in controversy since it was pulled from shelves in the Netherlands on Tuesday, after a Dutch translation of the book reportedly revealed the royals who Meghan claims asked the question about the skin color of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's son, Archie. Mr. Scobie has repeatedly insisted, via ITV's This Morning, that “there’s never been no version that he’s produced that has names in it."

But Saskia Peeters denied the MailOnline stating:

“As a translator, I translate what is in front of me. The names of the royals were there in black and white. I did not add them. I just did what I was paid to do, and that was translate the book from English into Dutch.”

Amid this controversy, Endgame was pulled from shops in Netherlands.

When Newsnight asked him whether he would apologize for the inconvenience about the incident, Mr. Scobie said it was not for him to apologize because he still wanted to know what had happened.

“The buck doesn’t stop with me because there are irresponsible people in this country who’ve broken the law and repeated names that should never have been repeated, should never have been named,” he said.

Endgame claims the names were discussed in letters exchanged between the Duchess of Sussex and the King, and media lawyer Mark Stephens called on the Sussexes to take legal action to "stanch" their distribution.

In an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Harry and Meghan alleged an unidentified member of the monarchy — not Queen Elizabeth II or her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh — had raised "concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born."

Mr. Scobie states in his book that two people, not one as Meghan said, made the comment about Archie, widely interpreted as a racist remark. Mr. Stephens said legal action was not open to the monarchy as it would identify those royals alleged to have made the comments.

According to the New York Post, Dutch journalist Rick Evers, who has read the translated book, revealed on Wednesday that the name of the first royal in the Dutch translation is “very specific” while the second one was “a little bit vague."

While The Independent has chosen not to name the royals, TV host Piers Morgan controversially confirmed their identities during an eight-and-a-half-minute takedown of Endgame and its author on Wednesday.

He demanded that Scobie or the “Sussexes finally come forward with the evidence for their allegations” of racism against the royals.

But the royal author brushed off Mr. Morgan’s scathing criticism on This Morning as he said he did not find the TalkTV host’s comments “particularly credible."

UK Media and The Royals are gearing up for the answers

Neither Buckingham Palace nor any of the royal family's offices have commented on the book, but the Daily Mail said officials were considering all options, including legal action.

"However the key thing for them is His Majesty responding in the most eloquent way possible, by getting on with business and not letting it distract from vastly more important issues regarding the future on the planet and bilaterals with other world leaders," the paper quoted an unnamed source as saying.

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan also declined to comment.

The United Kingdom reportedly has strict libel and privacy laws, and many British media outlets have written about the controversy without identifying who is purportedly named in Eindstrijd.

Journalist Piers Morgan has accused Scobie of "lying" about the racism allegations. He addressed Scobie as the couple's "lickspittle."

Endgame's new Dutch version of Eindstrijd is due to be released on December 8, 2023, according to Xander Uitgevers.