Scobie: Prince William ‘quietly cooperates’ with the media to ‘undermine’ Harry

It’s almost time for a Scobie Christmas! Omid Scobie’s Endgame will be released on November 28, and for his second book, Scobie eschewed the British media (for now) for the early promotion. He has given some exclusive excerpts to People Magazine for their second cover story this week, and he also gave an interview to People. He talks about what happened between Prince William and Harry and how there’s basically no going back for the brothers.

Nothing has changed between the brothers since ‘Spare’ was published: Nearly a year after Spare’s publication, “absolutely nothing has changed,” author Omid Scobie, whose new book Endgame is out Nov. 28, tells PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. In fact, the hurt and anger between the two brothers — one, the Prince of Wales and future King and the other, the Duke of Sussex and Californian — has now hardened into something colder and more immovable, says Scobie: indifference.

Why Harry wrote Spare: “I saw Harry’s release of Spare as his last attempt at telling his family how he’s felt for years,” says Scobie, who chronicles both the breakdown of the royal family and the weakening of the modern monarchy in Endgame. “Because clearly there’s never been an open enough forum to have these conversations or share these feelings.”

The Windsors are ostriches: The royal family, of course, is not known for its focus on feelings. But in Endgame Scobie writes that perhaps more than at any other point in history, the family is ignoring its internal fractures at its own peril, because “part of the buy-in from the [British] public is that the royal family is the nation’s family.” And yet, Scobie says, heir-to-the-throne William has prioritized his loyalty to the monarchy, even quietly cooperating with the U.K. press to undermine Harry. (Kensington Palace had no comment when reached by PEOPLE about the allegations.)

William sees Harry as a defector: In writing Endgame, “I was talking to a source quite early on in the process, and they called Harry a ‘defector’ and said that was William’s view,” says Scobie. “These were two men who once upon a time were firmly aligned in their outlook. One of them had to move on to also protect the crown.”

Can the monarchy endure? “There’s a real chance here to learn and adapt to modern society and also make up for mistakes of the past,” says Scobie. “It’s their move.” Even if the monarchy endures, the question remains of whether sacrificing brotherly bonds was worth it. “These are probably sad realizations that will be had far too late in the journey,” says Scobie. “In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy.” Which is why for the brothers, he says, “there’s no going back.”

[From People]

It’s funny to think that William sees Harry as a “defector” – which I think is true – while William is also trying to copy and stalk Harry. It’s the same thing as Kate copying Meghan – it’s clear that Kate has nothing but hatred for Meghan, but Kate also wants to BE Meghan. I also think Scobie perfectly summarizes why the institution still sees Harry as such a threat – “In the eyes of some within the institution, Harry is a threat to the crown. His freedom to exert his own thinking outside of the confines of the institution has made him the enemy.” Harry can’t be controlled, he can’t be ordered around, he can’t be bullied, he can’t be punished, he can’t be brought to heel. His freedom has made him “dangerous” to the Windsor cult. And yes, “William has prioritized his loyalty to the monarchy, even quietly cooperating with the U.K. press to undermine Harry.” You don’t say.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images. Cover courtesy of People.