- The Sussexes’ biographer Omid Scobie said he has received online threats and “unwanted visitors.”
- The author told Tatler that his publisher had to provide security at his parents’ home.
- Scobie wrote “Finding Freedom” with royal correspondent Carolyn Durand.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s biographer Omid Scobie said he had to call the police due to racist remarks and online threats.
Scobie, who co-authored “Finding Freedom” with Carolyn Durand, told Tatler about the treatment he has received since publishing the book in 2020 and the subsequent revised edition, which was released on Tuesday.
“Have I had to call the police over racist comments and threats to burn my house down? Absolutely. The publisher offered security for my parents because we’ve had a couple of unwanted visitors. I think the whole thing has spun out of control,” Scobie said in an interview with the publication.
The author went on to compare his experience to Meghan Markle and Prince Harry’s, telling Tatler that he “experienced a sliver” of what the couple are up against.
“Finding Freedom” shares details of Harry and Markle’s life together, including the racist treatment Markle received at the hands of both the tabloids and the institution of the British monarchy.
It’s not the first time Scobie has opened up about his own experiences. In an interview with Insider in August 2020, Scobie said he experienced racial “ignorance” from a palace staff member who said they never expected him to “speak the way you do,” an anecdote which is mentioned in the book.
“The reason why I felt it was important to include a small anecdote in the book was because I think over the years we’ve often heard people say, ‘Well, there wasn’t that much racism. It was just calling her ‘Straight Outta Compton’ once, that was that,” he said, referencing a Daily Mail article which used this language to compare photos of Markle’s mother’s home to Kensington Palace.
He added: “Sometimes these things fly under the radar, and I wanted to give an example of something within my own experiences within the institution that was a similar type.”