The Princess of Wales and Meghan Markle have both been encouraged to dress like Diana so a bit of her ‘shine could rub off on them’, according to a new book.

Omid Scobie, who has long been closely associated with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, claims in his new book about the royal family that the pair were urged to essentially ‘cosplay’ as their husbands’ mother.

The Sussexes’ biographer writes that Kate, 41, and Meghan, 42, would sometimes be given outfits based on ideas which used photos of the late Princess of Wales for inspiration.

The 42-year-old quotes a royal source as saying that William, 41, and Harry, 39, were consulted anytime it was suggested that their wives be dressed in a style similar to their late mother.

It is one of a number of explosive claims made in the author’s new book Endgame, which is set to be published on Tuesday, with other allegations made inside including that Charles is a ‘pampered’ royal who has his shoelaces ironed for him.

The book also takes aim at Kate by claiming she is ‘too terrified to do anything more than grinning photo ops’, in a cruel swipe branded ‘horribly unjust’ by a friend of the Princess.

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Omid Scobie claims in his new book that Kate and Meghan were urged to dress like Diana. Pictured: Meghan Markle in 2020 (left), Princess Diana in 1982 (right) in similar green outfits

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The new book claims aides hoped a bit of Diana’s ‘shine could rub off on them’. Pictured: Kate at Ascot in 2022 (left) in a polka-dot dress and Diana at Ascot in 1988 (right) in a similar outfit

The latest claims to come out before the books official release were published in Page Six, which claims to have seen an extract that raises the spectre of Diana.

In it, Scobie writes that Kate and Meghan both wear jewellery that once belonged to their late mother-in-law, adding that a ‘huge amount of effort’ is put into ‘channelling her exact look’ and this is ‘sometimes beyond the pale’.

He adds: ‘During the past thirteen years, Diana cosplay has become a royal staple.’

The author continues: ‘Were there gentle pushes from others? At times, yes. It had been known for someone to go back and pull images of Diana at a certain place or time for ideas.

‘At the right moment this can be a sweet gesture, but there is also a slightly queasy feeling when you realise it’s often orchestrated within the same system that contributed to her living misery, and an institution that still wants some of Diana’s shine to rub off on them.’

Scobie co-authored Finding Freedom, a biography about the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and has not held back in his criticism of the Royal Family in the build-up to the release of his new book.

In an interview published on Sunday to plug his latest work, he said: ‘The small achievements that we’ve seen from the Princess of Wales wouldn’t perhaps be noticed if it was from another member of the Royal Family, but with Kate it’s like ‘wow!’ ‘

His cruel swipe – described by a friend of the Princess as ‘horribly unjust’ – will infuriate the Royal Family.

Insiders said that in the past few years the Princess – intelligent, hard-working and passionate about the causes she promotes – has proved popular with the public.

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Princess Catherine pictured wearing a spring green tunic during a visit to Pakistan in 2019 (left) and Diana wearing a similar green tunic during her trip to France in 1992 (right)

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Omid Scobie, pictured here on This Morning in January, has not held back in his criticism of the Royal Family in the build-up to the release of his new book

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The Sussexes’ biographer has a new book, titled Endgame, which is set to be published on Tuesday

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But in a telling indication of the scornful tone of the new book, Scobie says that ‘we infantilise [Kate] massively so the bar is always lower’.

Today’s Sunday Times says that in the book the Princess is ‘portrayed as a woman terrified to do anything more than grinning photo ops’.

In the past, Scobie, 42, has been dubbed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s ‘mouthpiece’ for his sympathetic portrayal of the couple.

His new book Endgame, a full-frontal assault on their perceived enemies, is expected to further widen the rift between Harry and his family.

Leaked extracts seen by The Mail on Sunday paint an unflattering picture of King Charles, with Scobie judging him ‘a flawed father’ and a backstabber – and accusing him of effectively sanctioning leaks about his sons to the press.

Predictably, William also comes under fire. The author says he is increasingly in cahoots with Palace courtiers who dream up dirty tricks.

By Scobie’s account the Prince of Wales uses his aides and their press contacts to paint his younger brother as emotionally fragile.

Endgame also suggests William and Kate found the merciless lampooning of the Sussexes on the American animated satire South Park earlier this year ‘very funny’. William, it adds, disliked Meghan from the start.

And the book says the King thought his son was a ‘fool’ for making a soul-baring Netflix documentary which claimed his father told ‘lies’ and his brother ‘screamed and shouted’ at the Sandringham Summit that resulted in the Sussexes leaving for the US.

Writing of what he sees as a power struggle between the favoured Prince and the ‘unpopular’ King, Scobie claims Charles is jealous of William’s position and knows that while his reign will be merely transitional, his eldest son will have time to breathe new life into the monarchy.

Scobie alleges that Palace corruption and toxic media spin has continued into the present and reflects on what he portrays as the selfish agendas of the King and his eldest son.

This is part of Endgame’s thesis that the Royal Family are ‘desperate’ and floundering after the death of the late Queen.

Other extracts suggest Palace aides expressed doubts about whether Charles would be a suitable King.

To survive, Scobie alleges that the Palace now uses ‘jingoism’ in the style of Donald Trump.