Harry and Meghan’s mouthpiece Omid Scobie scoops a six-figure TV deal – and it features a ‘very handsome Duke’
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle‘s mouthpiece Omid Scobie has scooped a six-figure deal for his ‘royal romcom’, Royal Spin.
The royal reporter, 43, who now lives a mere two-hour drive away from the Sussexes in LA, previously penned two explosive biographies about the couple, called Finding Freedom and Endgame.
Sphere Fiction has won the ‘hotly contested’ five-way auction for a lucrative six-figure sum led by commissioning editor Rebecca Roy, according to the Bookseller.
The book, co-written with US young adult fiction author Robin Benway, tells the story of a young American woman called Lauren Morgan, who ditches her press role at the White House for one at Buckingham Palace.
The character then enters ‘a hotbed of office politics where tradition (almost) always wins’, with the book described as a ‘fun, fish-out-of-water romantic workplace comedy’.
Royal Spin, due to be published in early 2026, is Scobie’s first venture into fiction – with the love triangle tale featuring a ‘very handsome Duke’ who gets a ‘PR makeover’ as Lauren’s first project.
The anticipated release is also set to come to the big screen, as Universal Television is developing a series based on the book, with Scobie serving as writer, co-creator and executive producer.
Benway will also serve as executive producer, alongside showrunner Emily Fox.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ‘s friend Omid Scobie has scooped a six-figure deal for his ‘royal romcom’, Royal Spin
Mr Scobie previously said the book announcement was ‘exciting news’ and ‘marks the start of something very special’.
Scobie and Benway said: ‘No book has ever gone inside the frenzied world of the Buckingham Palace press office, and we can’t wait to throw Lauren – our young American protagonist fresh from the White House communications team – into the deep end of it.’
Senior commissioning editor Elisha Lundin added: ‘Royal Spin is a sharp, swoon-worthy romantic comedy with irresistible charm, witty banter and a backstage pass to the inner workings of the palace.
‘With a fish-out-of-water heroine, a scandal-prone royal institution, and enough intrigue to keep readers hooked, Scobie and Benway deliver a fresh, playful take on love and scandal in the most high-profile of settings.
‘I can’t wait for readers to dive into this royally entertaining romance.’
A source at Universal previously shared that the upcoming TV series is ‘Emily in Paris crossed with The Crown’.
The source said: ‘Let’s just say the plot isn’t a million miles away from Meghan’s account of what happened to her when she joined the Royal Family, just substitute ‘publicist’ for ‘actress’.
‘You have this plucky woman who enters the Palace and comes up against the ‘men in grey suits’ who are stuck in Victorian times.
The royal reporter, 43, is known to be close to the Sussexes (pictured) and previously wrote two explosive biographies
Scobie recently moved to LA, where he is only a two-hour drive away from Harry and Meghan in Montecito
Mr Scobie’s book is being co-written with young adult fiction author Robin Benway (pictured)
‘The heroine is a thoroughly modern woman, a feminist, much like Meghan sees herself, yet she is stymied at every turn by stuffy royal aides. She gets stuck in the middle of culture clashes and finds herself very much a fish out of water.’
Mr Scobie caused a huge royal race row in November 2023 in his book Endgame when the Dutch translation named two royals who were said to have asked what colour skin Prince Archie would have before he was born.
The author is said to be close to Harry and Meghan and also co-authored the 2020 book Finding Freedom, a biography of the Sussexes which chronicled the couple in glowing terms.
The Sussexes first made the claim a royal had asked about their son’s skin colour when they were interviewed by Oprah Winfrey in 2021.
According to details in Endgame, the two names came to light in letters exchanged between Meghan and Charles in the aftermath of the Oprah interview.
The book – which claimed the identities of those two royals were Charles and Kate – also asserted that the future of the monarchy is ‘in a crisis’ and it is in a ‘fight for survival’.
A source who knows Scobie said: ‘He took a lot of flack when he said it was the King and Princess of Wales who made those remarks.
Scobie’s book Endgame controversially – and, according to him, ‘accidentally’ – named the two royals that Meghan complained displayed racism towards her
Mr Scobie also released the book Finding Freedom about Harry and Meghan in August 2020
A source says Scobie’s story ‘isn’t a million miles away from Meghan’s account of what happened to her when she joined the Royal Family’
Mr Scobie is seen as a cheerleader for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle (pictured in 2022)
Scobie is clearly still in favour with the Sussexes, as he was the one to release Harry and Meghan’s Christmas card
‘I think even he was surprised by the backlash. But in LA, nothing matters except how successful you are and, with the seven-figure Universal deal, Omid is considered very successful.
‘It’s much easier to live somewhere where the sun always shines and people like you, rather than have people constantly sniping at you like they do in Britain.’
Prince Harry’s friend James Haskell, the former England rugby union player who attended the Sussexes’ 2018 wedding, described Omid in his recent book The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, which he co-wrote with Princess Anne’s son-in-law Mike Tindall, as ‘a very odd bloke’.
Haskell wrote: ‘We all know that American royal fans are f***ing nuts, especially Scobieites.’
However, Scobie is clearly still in favour with the Sussexes, as he was the one to release Harry and Meghan’s Christmas card in December, featuring a new photograph of their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
The season’s greetings from Harry and Meghan’s Archewell Foundation showcased the highlights of the Sussexes’ year, including pictures from their four-day visit to Colombia in August.
The card was shared on X/Twitter by the Sussexes’ long-time friend and royal reporter.
