The journalist who penned Harry and Meghan’s biography apologised after telling a US TV station that the Queen’s coffin will be transported from Scotland ‘over to the UK.’
Omid Scobie, who is believed to be a close the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, has apologised for erroneously implying that Scotland is not a member of the United Kingdom.
He also said that the Queen will be carried to London using “one of the royal trains,” despite the fact that there is only one royal train and Her Majesty would be flown.
The 41-year-old subsequently said on Twitter that his statements were a “slip of the tongue” made “in the turmoil of breaking news” as the Queen’s death became public knowledge.
On Thursday, September 8, he made the remarks on ABC News, outlining what would happen to the Queen’s body following her death at Balmoral Castle.
The royal expert said that Her Majesty would be laid to rest in the smallest palace in Edinburgh before being transported on one of the royal trains to the United Kingdom.
Tomorrow, the Queen’s body will be transported to London by military aircraft from Edinburgh Airport to RAF Northolt just outside London.
However, he apologised for an apparent slip of the tongue that indicated Scotland was no longer a part of the United Kingdom.
Scobie said on Twitter: ‘Turns out in the chaos of breaking news on September 8 I accidentally said ‘Scotland to UK’ instead of ‘Scotland to England’ when discussing travel elements of Operation Unicorn. Slip of the tongue and happy to own it’
Dear #OmidScobie, #Scotland is part of the UK, there is only one #royal train, and it won’t be used to carry #TheQueen’s coffin to London pic.twitter.com/Cga6yumW9Z
— Richard Eden (@richardaeden) September 12, 2022
Scobie has been a staunch supporter of Harry and Meghan over the last several years, and in 2020 he co-authored the couple’s biography, Finding Freedom.
He is the royal editor of the American website Harper’s Bazaar and has been one of the couple’s closest journalists since their arrival to the United States.
The Queen’s remains is presently resting at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh, where tens of thousands of mourners have waited in line for hours to pay their respects.
Earlier today, King Charles and his siblings held a vigil beside her coffin, which will be conveyed to London on Tuesday.
In a ritual known as the Vigil of the Princes, King Charles III, Anne, the Princess Royal, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward each stood on one of the four corners of the wood casket with their heads bent.
During the 10-minute vigil, the Duke of York closed his eyes for a length of time, while the Princess Royal and Earl of Wessex gazed at the floor. As members of the public filed by, the King, whose eyes were moistening, kept his hands linked and gazed downwards.
The King and his family stood beside four members of the Royal Company of Archers who were equipped with arrows and quivers and wore caps with long feathers.
The people, who filed past the coffin by the hundreds throughout the day, was stopped to let the royals to take their places.
However, after the vigil started, they continued to trickle through, giving them an amazing view on the momentous event.
The cortege of Her Majesty will be shown in Westminster Hall on Wednesday, with tens of thousands of mourners expected to pay their respects.
On Monday, September 19, her funeral will be place at Westminster Abbey, with heads of state and family members from across the globe invited to pay their respects.
After this service, she will be transported to St. George’s Chapel in Windsor, where she will be laid to rest.
