Omid Scobie, labelled as Meghan Markle’s mouth piece after his book about the Sussexes, has ventured into fiction with his debut novel ‘Royal Spin’, which he describes as a real mix of things that are true and not true.
The journalist, 44, collaborated with young writer Robin Benway on the romantic comedy, which follows a spirited American publicist who falls for a British duke, sparking interest among royal fans as some speculated about real-life inspirations.
However, the author insisted his upcoming book is a ‘separate universe’ despite the Sussexes parallels.
The royal biographer left fans guessing as he drew parallels between the storyline and the real-life romance of Harry and Meghan. He he has pushed back against such comparisons.
Speaking on Good Morning America, the Endgame and Finding Freedom author stated: “We really wanted to make sure that this felt like a completely separate universe,” adding: “We didn’t want someone to be like, ‘That’s Harry and Meghan! That’s the Andrew situation.”
He added: “We wanted it to live in its own space. It’s a real mix of things true and not true.”
The writer’s comments left many unimpressed as commentators have identified numerous apparent real-world parallels within the narrative.
The protagonist Lauren Morgan’s troubled relationship with her father has been highlighted by royal commentators, who view it as a thinly-veiled nod to Meghan’s estrangement from Thomas Markle.
The fictional heroine’s aversion to “pantyhose”, an American term for tights, also mirrors the Duchess of Sussex’s own remarks to Bloomberg last year, when she described being required to wear nude hosiery as a working royal as feeling “a little bit inauthentic.”
Another storyline involves a royal spouse displaying “a highly offensive racist vase” at an NHS luncheon for Caribbean workers.
This has been widely interpreted as a reference to Princess Michael of Kent, who apologised in 2017 for wearing a blackamoor brooch to Queen Elizabeth II’s Christmas banquet whilst Meghan was present.
In one passage, 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.”
Scobie is a British journalist and spent 12 years covering the royal beat for major outlets. Now based in Los Angeles, Scobie is co-creator, writer, and executive producer on the TV adaptation Royal Spin.
Robin Benway is a National Book Award–winning and New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, which have been published in more than 25 countries.
