'Endgame' author Omid Scobie shares the brief notice Prince Harry and Meghan Markle received about the public outing after Queen Elizabeth's death
Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s united appearance after Queen Elizabeth’s death almost didn’t happen, Omid Scobie writes in Endgame.
In the book, published on Tuesday and originally excerpted in PEOPLE, Scobie writes that King Charles nudged Prince William to invite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex to view tributes and greet the public with him and Princess Kate after Queen Elizabeth died in Sept. 2022.
"Essentially, he told William to swallow his pride and invite his brother and sister-in-law to join them when they greeted mourners and well-wishers in Windsor that day. William wasn’t keen. This was his moment with the public, but the King put pressure on [him],” Scobie quotes a palace source as saying in Endgame.
According to the book, shortly before the outing, Prince William “sent his first text message in months to Harry, suggesting it would be ‘good’ if they came along, too.”
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE surrounding the release of Endgame, which chronicles both the breakdown of the royal family and the weakening of the modern monarchy, Scobie stresses that the "Windsor Walkabout" was King Charles’ idea.
The author adds that a source "said it was all led by their father, that he was the one that made the suggestion."
Commenting on the significance of the appearance, which marked the first time that the couples had appeared together in years, "It showed that all four are capable of switching it on and doing what’s right in the moment," Scobie says.
