The Amsterdam bookseller shook her head in frustration. Here she was with a pile of books that she hoped would sell like hotcakes - the Dutch version of Omid Scobie's Endgame. But she had just been told that she must return them to the publisher, thanks to a "translation error."

At least, that was the official reason. But there seems to have been more to it than that. The Dutch version is reported to include the name of a senior member of the Royal Family accused of racism. 

The accusation echoes an interview with Prince HarryThe second son of Britain's King Charles III. He decided to leave the UK to move to the USA in 2020. and Meghan MarkleAn American actress and the wife of Prince Harry. Also known as the Duchess of Sussex. by Oprah WinfreyAn American talk show host and media personality. . In it they said that, when Meghan was pregnant with their son Archie, someone in the Royal Family asked about what colour his skin might be when he was born.

The allegation caused an enormous furoreAn excited or angry reaction. It was originally an Italian word meaning "rage" or "madness"., which Scobie's book has reignited.

The book makes several other damaging claims. Prince William is described as a "hot-headed" character who tried to upstage King Charles and "didn't have much confidence in his father to do the right thing".

The Princess of Wales is accused of "jokingly shivering" whenever Meghan's name is mentioned. She is also accused of being cold to people she does not like.

According to Scobie, King Charles is envious of his sons' popularity. Queen Camilla is alleged to have thanked Piers MorganThe British journalist was sacked as editor of the Daily Mirror for running fake photographs of alleged torture by British soldiers in Iraq, and resigned from Good Morning Britain after making disparaging remarks about the Duchess of Sussex. for calling Meghan "Princess PinocchioA fictional character whose nose gets longer when he lies. ".

The family as a whole is criticised for not defending Meghan against accusations of bullying. Scobie sums it up as "tone-deafInsensitive to how something might sound to other people. , racist and financially reckless".

Endgame has received some scathing reviews, with The Times dismissing it as "royal guff."

But in The Guardian Zoe Williams reports that republicans have been emboldened by criticism of the family and by the change of monarch.

The two sides of the argument were eloquently expressed in a debate organised by the New Statesman. Professor Anna Whitelock criticised the monarchy for being costly and above the law and reinforcing the idea that "some people by birth, not merit, are better than others."

But the journalist Robert Hardman argued that a president would be equally expensive and far more divisive, while the monarchy gave stability and enormous soft powerA kind of power based on shaping the preferences of others through appeal and incentives. It is contrasted with hard power, based on simple coercion..  

Yes: The book's revelations about a family already seen as out of touch and expensive are the last straw. They may be largely tittle-tattle, but they add to the sense of decay, decline and pointlessness.

No: King Charles is hugely respected across the world, above all as a champion of the environment, while Prince William shows a real understanding of young people's concerns. Scobie is clearly biased.   

Or... Even if the monarchy were to be abolished in Britain, it might well survive in other countries which recognise Charles as their king - including Scotland if it became independent.