Wednesday, 6 December 2023

Book ~ "Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy's Fight for Survival" (2023) Omid Scobie

From GoodreadsQueen Elizabeth II’s passing ruptured the already-fractured foundations of the House of Windsor - and dismantled the protective shield around it. With an institution long plagued by antiquated ideas around race, class and money, the monarchy and those who prop it up are now exposed and at odds with a rapidly modernizing world. 

Relying on his vast experience as a royal reporter and over a decade of conversations and interviews with current and former Palace staff, trusted friends of the royals and even the family members themselves, Scobie pulls back the curtain on an institution in turmoil to show what the monarchy must change in order to survive. This is the monarchy’s endgame. Do they have what it takes to save it?

I like reading bios/autobios and so this book caught my eye. The author apparently started writing it in the summer of 2022, a few months before the queen passed away so had to revise it to reflect this. 

This book covers the royal family, with chapters focusing on specific things like the rise of Camilla from mistress to queen, how Kate has changed since she became William's wife, Andrew's fall from grace and how Queen Elizabeth and Charles still dote on him, and more. There is lots of information about the personalities of Charles, Camilla, William, Kate, Harry and Meghan and how they choose to deal with things.

I found it to be an interesting read and there are lots of pictures at the end.  It's hard to say how much is true or not as there as there are many anonymous "sources". He comes across as being pro-Harry and Meghan (not that there's anything wrong with that) but does say nice things about the rest of the family. At times there is a lot of detailed historical background which was heavy and a bit boring. It should be interesting what happens with the monarchy once Charles (the "bridge") has passed on and William becomes king.

1 comment: