As a ticket package to a dinner with the Duchess of Sussex is laughably peddled for £795,000, Matthew Steeples reminds the much loathed ‘MeGain’s’ PR peddler Omid Scobie that “recollections may vary” as he heads to court to support Prince Harry
“Recollections may vary” was the late Queen Elizabeth II’s deservedly punchy response to the ongoing insults piled on her family by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in March 2021 after the commencement of the couple’s train wreck ‘interview tour’ with the likes of Netflix and Oprah Winfrey.
Now, with the pomp and ceremony of the coronation over, Prince Harry is again causing trouble by forming part of a group action against Mirror Group News (MGN) at the High Court in London. Meanwhile, back in America, his whack job wife is back being ‘me-me-me-and-a-little-more-me’ and ‘doing the circuit’ of awards galas later this month in New York and Beverly Hills, California.
Laughably, guests at the Ms. Foundation Women ceremony – where the meddling menace formerly known as Meghan Markle will be awarded the ‘Woman of Vision’ award on 23rd May – are being touted tickets for astounding sums of upto £795,000 for a ‘lead’ package that includes 24 tickets. The cheapest offering comes in at £20,000 and includes hospitality for 10 guests.
In Beverly Hills, however, the event where the dastardly duchess will receive a digital media national winner award for her Spotify podcast Archetypes, is illustrative that Californians are tiring of this moaning Minnie. So-called ‘Sussex Squaddies’ will be able to nab a seat for ‘just’ £397.
Returning to the Prince Harry v Mirror Group News case, predictably Finding Freedom ‘co-author’ and guffawing gossip Omid Scobie has yet again stuck in his sticky fingers. Very much like Prince Andrew, who very distinctly remembered going to a Pizza Express on the night in 2001 when the then Virginia Roberts Giuffre claimed she was with the non-sweater, Scobie is now behaving as if he has “one of the great memories of all time” in Donald Trump-like fashion.
Offering, as ever, his undying support to the domineering duke and duchess, the little read YahooNewUK ‘executive editor (royals)’ has curiously not shared anything other than retweets since 8th May, but has submitted evidence in support of Prince Harry’s accusations in the case.
According to Newsweek’s Jack Royston: “[Scobie] approached Harry’s lawyer offering evidence. It allegedly tied [Piers] Morgan to illegal acts at his newspaper, [the Mirror].”
The filing reads:
“As a journalism student [Scobie] spent a week at the showbiz desk of the Sunday People [another MGN title]. He was given a list of mobile telephone [cellphone] numbers and a verbal description of how to listen to voicemails, as if it were a routine newsgathering technique.”
“In April/May 2002, he did additional work experience on the Daily Mirror’s 3AM column. He recalls during one of those days in the office the editor, Piers Morgan, came over to talk to someone about a story relating to Kylie Minogue and her [then] boyfriend James Gooding.”
“Mr Morgan asked how confident they were in the reporting, and was told that the information had come from voicemails. After informing the claimants [Prince Harry and others who are suing] about this information, Mr Scobie found an article online dated 11th May 2002 which appears to relate to that discussion.”
Going further, Royston added: “Scobie told the court he did not carry out the request to hack phones at the Sunday People viewing the practice as ‘immoral.’” He failed, however, to mention that in November 2021, the Duchess of Sussex was forced to apologise to the Appeal Court in London for making a misleading statement about her involvement with Finding Freedom in her another privacy case against The Mail on Sunday’s publishers.
The truth is no doubt stranger than fiction, but in the case of the anything-but-selfless Scobie: “Recollections may vary, recollections may indeed vary.”
Editor’s Note – Unlike as is the case in many publications, this article was NOT sponsored or supported by a third-party. Follow Matthew Steeples on Twitter at @M_Steeples.
The Forthcoming Known Diary Dates Of The Not-So-Private ‘Privacy Seeking’ Duke & Duchess Of Sussex
10th May onwards for 6 to 7 weeks – The Duke of Sussex v Mirror Group Newspapers lawsuit at the High Court in London. The Honourable Mr Justice Fancourt is the presiding judge in the case.
Prince Harry will be cross-examined over the allegations and will be the first senior royal to appear in court since his aunt, Princess Anne, appeared and was found guilty in November 2002 after her English bull terrier dog, Dotty, bit two children in Windsor Great Park in April that year.
The prince forms part of a group litigation and amongst others bringing the action are the former Girls Aloud ‘star’ Cheryl Cole, the Coronation Street actor Michael Le Vell, the estate of the late singer George Michael, the model Paul Sculfor, the actor Ricky Tomlinson and the television presenter Ian Wright.
Prince Harry is represented by David Sherborne QC, whose previous clients have included ex-Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife Cherie, actor Johnny Depp, actress Sienna Miller, model Kate Moss, ‘Wagatha Christie’ Coleen Rooney and the somewhat reclusive businessman James Stunt.
16th May – ‘MeGain’ to be awarded ‘Woman of Vision’ award at the Ziegfeld Ballroom at 141 West 54th Street in New York by the Ms. Foundation for Women.
Amongst those organising the event is the New York magazine journalist Gloria Steinem. Astoundingly, a package of two tables (24 seats) is offered for the sum of £795,000 ($1 million, €915,000 or درهم3.7 million); whether that includes an audience with the former Suits actress is unknown but those opting for this do get 2 Twitter posts about them or their company as a ‘Brucie bonus.’
Also on 16th May – Fifth ‘wedding’ anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – if you believe the former Meghan Markle’s statement to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 that: “Three days before our wedding, we got married. No one knows that. But we called the archbishop, and we just said, ‘Look, this thing, this spectacle is for the world, but we want our union between us.’ So, like, the vows that we have framed in our room are just the two of us in our backyard with the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, later called out this as utter baloney stating the only valid marriage occurred on 19th May 2018.
19th May – Fifth wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
23rd May – ‘MeGain’ to be awarded a digital media national winner award for her Spotify podcast Archetypes at the 48th annual Alliance for Women in Media awards at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
Tickets to this event are far cheaper and start at just £397 ($500, €458 or درهم1,836) – clearly the good people of Beverly Hills aren’t willing to pay as much to have a knees-up with the bestie of Sir Elton John and his titleless hubby David Furnish.
Twitter reacts to Matthew Steeples’ poll and Omid Scobie’s audacious antics…
