Sussex supporter Omid Scobie lastly addresses claims his new romcom relies on Harry and Meghan

Royal biographer Omid Scobie has said his new fiction book about a feisty American publicist falling in love with a handsome British Duke is a ‘real mix of things true and not true’. 

Royal Spin is the 44-year-old journalist’s first foray into fiction, as Scobie teamed up with young adult author Robin Benway to write a book inspired by Emily In Paris and gay romance, Red, White & Royal Blue, according to its blurb. 

Some people have suggested the plot is inspired by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s whirlwind love story, and Scobie addressed the comparisons in a recent interview promoting Royal Spin. 

During an appearance on Good Morning America, the Finding Freedom author said: ‘We really wanted to make sure that this felt like a completely separate universe. We didn’t want someone to be like, “That’s Harry and Meghan! That’s the Andrew situation.” We wanted it to live in its own space.’

However, he added his job as a royal reporter inspired the plotlines and characters, explaining: ‘It’s a real mix of things true and not true.’ 

The book chronicles the adventures of Lauren Morgan, an American spin doctor who quits her job at the White House to be appointed head of communications at Buckingham Palace in a decision that alters her life forever. 

Both Scobie and his co-author Benway have maintained that the ‘royals in our book definitely have their own things going on’, adding that it’s a ‘completely alternate universe’. 

Plot points include Lauren’s strained relationship with her father, the fictional Duke’s disdain for the Palace press office, and a ‘racist’ royal overheard telling a foreigner to ‘learn proper English’. 

Listing some that may have been inspired by real events, Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir noted protagonist Lauren’s difficult relationship with her troubled father in what was seen as a thinly-veiled reference to Meghan’s father, Thomas Markle. 

The plucky American heroine also hates ‘pantyhose’ like the Duchess of Sussex, who said she was made to ‘wear nude pantyhose’ during her time as a working royal in an interview with Bloomberg’s Emily Chang last year. 

‘Let’s be honest, that was not very myself. I hadn’t seen pantyhose since movies in the 80s when they came in the little egg. That felt a little bit inauthentic,’ she said while emphasising her relief at being able to ‘be myself’. 

One of the scandals facing Scobie’s ‘alternate’ royal family comes when a ‘royal-by-marriage wife places a highly offensive racist vase’ during a luncheon for NHS workers from the Caribbean nations.

Ms Moir felt this was a pointed reference to Princess Michael of Kent, who had to apologise for wearing a blackamoor brooch to the Queen’s Christmas banquet at Buckingham Palace in 2017. 

Meghan, then Prince Harry’s fiancée, was also present at the gathering as a spokesperson for the wife of Prince Michael said she was ‘very sorry and distressed’ that the brooch ’caused offence’ and promised not to wear it again. 

Scobie’s protagonist Lauren falls for the handsome ‘Duke of Exeter’ Jasper, who is described as a ‘misunderstood maverick’. 

At one point, he talks about the royal family’s ‘playbook’ in a bit of dialogue that echoes Prince Harry’s own accusations about The Firm’s press office. 

During the Sussexes’ explosive, two-part Netflix docuseries that was released in 2022, he said: ‘There’s a hierarchy in the family, you know, there’s leaking… but there’s also planting of stories. 

‘So if the comms team want to be able to remove a negative story about their Principal, they will trade and give you something about someone else’s Principal. 

‘So the offices end up working against each other. It’s a kind of weird understanding or acceptance that happens.’ 

Meanwhile, Jasper tells Lauren:  ‘I know how this works. They bring you in, build you up, then offer you as a sacrifice when someone with a higher rank makes a mistake. It is the playbook that works, and they use it every single time.’ 

Neither Buckingham Palace nor Kensington Palace commented on claims made in the docuseries. 

In interviews promoting his new book, Scobie has maintained that it is a ‘real mix of things true and not true’. 

Speaking with co-author Benway, he told Good Morning America: ‘We really wanted to make sure that this felt like a completely separate universe. We didn’t want someone to be like, ‘That’s Harry and Meghan! That’s the Andrew situation.’ We wanted it to live in its own space.

However, he added that his job as a royal reporter certainly inspired the characters and storytelling.  

‘I kept notes and diaries for 12 years doing that job, and I brought a lot of my own experiences into the characters, including our royal correspondent, our protagonist Laura Morgan, who is the woman who moves from the White House to take over the Buckingham Palace press office,’ the author added. 

He told Marie Claire that his new novel is ‘set in a space that has never really been explored before’ while drawing parallels with the Netflix blockbuster Emily in Paris, about an American social media marketing executive who follows her dreams to the French capital. 

‘Like yes, we have seen a young woman move to a European country. Emily in Paris did a great job of that, but we haven’t seen this kind of culture clash within a traditional institution,’ Scobie reflected on how the stories are different. 

Meanwhile, Benway told the magazine that, as a fiction author, she knew the subject matter was rife with potential. 

‘Like it’s almost Shakespearean. It’s family dynamics. It’s so not universal and yet extremely universal, the effects of your family and how does it affect the generations after that.’

Elsewhere, Scobie also addressed the release of the latest batch of Epstein Files that revealed further links to the disgraced Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson. 

‘We’ve seen an increasing amount of pressure on not only the royals but the royal institution to speak about this and be transparent about it, to acknowledge the severity of the situation. 

‘Of course, we’ve just had a statement from Kensington Palace, and I would expect more from others over the days ahead.’ 

On Monday, the Prince and Princess of Wales said they were ‘deeply concerned’ by the latest revelations about Andrew and the disgraced paedophile financier in their first statement since the scandal broke. 

‘I can confirm The Prince and Princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations,’ a spokesperson said. ‘Their thoughts remain focused on the victims.’

This was followed by a statement from Buckingham Palace, noting King Charles’s ‘profound concern’ at allegations about his younger brother’s conduct. 

The statement read: ‘The King has made clear, in words and through unprecedented actions, his profound concern at allegations which continue to come to light in respect of Mr Mountbatten-Windsor’s conduct.

‘While the specific claims in question are for Mr Mountbatten-Windsor to address, if we are approached by Thames Valley Police we stand ready to support them as you would expect.

‘As was previously stated, Their Majesties’ thoughts and sympathies have been, and remain with, the victims of any and all forms of abuse.’

The King spoke out after Andrew appeared to have shared confidential reports and investment opportunities while working as a trade envoy in Asia in 2010 and 2011, newly discovered emails in the Epstein files revealed.

Andrew was stripped of his royal and military titles last November amid continued scrutiny into his friendship with Epstein. 

In 2014, the late Virginia Giuffre alleged that she was sex trafficked to Andrew by Jeffrey Epstein when she was 17, which Andrew denies.

There are now also accusations that a second woman was trafficked to him for sex at his mansion, Royal Lodge, before she was given tea and a tour of Buckingham Palace.

Andrew has not commented on the latest allegations at the time of writing. 

Reflecting on the scandal, Scobie also suggested his book Finding Freedom, about the Sussexes’ split from the Royal Family, ‘questioned the future of the monarchy’ as Scobie added: ‘We’re seeing different things unfold at the moment. 

‘So, if there’s a story to tell, I’m happy to do it.’