Royal Family

Prince Charles is getting in on the spring break action ... splashing around on a Caribbean beach with his bae.

The Prince and Camilla are busting out their swimwear for some fun on the island of Barbados. Gotta give props to the 70-year-old for rocking some seriously trendy floral trunks. Go ahead ... soak it in. We don't get to see Chuck in board shorts that often.

The Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall are on a 12-day tour of the Caribbean. After getting some Royal business out of the way, Charles and Camilla hit the sand Monday -- armed with a ton of sunscreen, we hope.

Meghan Markle's half-brother got a sweet deal in his DUI case ... but he'll have to keep his nose clean for the next year.

Thomas Markle Jr. entered a DUI diversion program last month stemming from his January arrest in Oregon for driving under the influence of alcohol. We broke the story ... cops said Thomas bombed a field sobriety test and blew a .11.

The court's allowing the 52-year-old to enter a 1-year diversion program, but it comes with strings attached.

First, Markle Jr. must attend a victim impact panel this month. He also has to get an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle ... and he's gotta fork over more than $700 in fees.

Thomas must be booked and fingerprinted by the end of the month.

Queen Elizabeth's first ever post on Instagram is blowing up which is totally impressive ... considering it's just a boring old, OLD letter.

QE2 didn't even remember to add #latergram or #throwbackthursday when she hit the share button. Naturally, there was plenty of royal fanfare for the moment ... they had an actual ceremony for it at London's Science Museum, and she got cheers and applause when a right proper English dude announced, "It's worked perfect."

As for what the Queen posted to The Royal Family's account ... it's an 1843 letter written by computer pioneer and mathematician Charles Babbage to Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert.

The Queen wrote in her caption ... "In the letter, Babbage told Queen Victoria and Prince Albert about his invention the 'Analytical Engine' upon which the first computer programmes were created by Ada Lovelace, a daughter of Lord Byron."

(*EYEROLL*) Can't wait to see her #MCM.

Meghan Markle took her fetus for a night on the town Tuesday -- hitting the famous Polo Bar restaurant for dinner with her pal Serena Williams ... and we've got the video.

Her Royal Highness had a busy day -- she flew into New York for her baby shower at The Mark Hotel earlier in the day ... where friends like Abigail Spencer and Jessica Mulroney helped celebrate the mom-to-be.

Afterward, it was off to Ralph Lauren's Polo Bar -- famous for its $20 "RRL Hot Dog" -- which comes with sauerkraut, sweet relish & mustard on a toasted brioche bun.

If she didn't have the dog, she missed out.

On the way out, 37-year-old Meghan strutted to her waiting SUV while clutching a fancy black Stella McCartney purse.

FYI, everything Meghan touches seems to sell out in minutes -- guessing royal fashion-aholics already snapped up the remaining stock.

Serena followed Meghan and got in the same SUV.

12:25 PM PT -- We just caught Meghan on her way back into The Mark Hotel after lunch at Cafe Boulud with friends. The day of celebration for the royal and her bump continues!

Meghan Markle's celebrating the upcoming birth of her first child with Prince Harry ... and she's doing it on U.S. soil, baby!! Take that, UK.

We just got a shot of Meghan outside The Mark Hotel Tuesday afternoon in NYC. She held her baby shower there and, as you'd expect, she was flanked by tons of security as she got into a waiting SUV.

As you can see ... Meghan's doing the expectant mommy thing, cradling her baby bump with every step. The Duchess of Sussex is about 7 months pregnant, and she and Harry have been hinting the baby is due in April.

Meghan's flying solo, sans Harry, for this trip. The baby shower could be the last time she sees her friends -- at least stateside -- before she gives birth.

Thomas Markle agrees with George Clooney -- the press is treating Meghan Markle like crap ... but he's pissed off at George's comments on his relationship with his daughter.

Sources close to Meghan's father tell TMZ ... he's upset the actor chimed in over the letter the Duchess of Sussex sent him -- which has now been posted by multiple media outlets.

ICYMI -- George said in a recent interview he found the broadcasting of Meghan's letter to her dad "frustrating" and "irresponsible." We're told Thomas took this as a dig ... and thinks Clooney should "do a little research before he talks about Meghan and her father."

To be fair, Clooney seemed to be slamming the outlets more than Meghan's dad. He said, "I can't tell you how frustrating that is, just seeing them broadcast a letter from a daughter to a father. She's getting a raw deal there, and I think it's irresponsible and I'm surprised by that."

True enough, he doesn't mention Thomas, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to read between the lines ... Thomas set the ball in motion by releasing it. It sure seems that's the way Thomas is reading it, and that's why he's ticked off at George.

Our sources say, Thomas believes he's getting a raw deal in the press ... and Meghan's friends are to blame.

Prince Philip won't be getting behind the wheel again any time soon ... because he's turned in his license following a scary crash last month.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace tells TMZ ... "After careful consideration, The Duke of Edinburgh has taken the decision to voluntarily surrender his driving licence."

Norfolk police have confirmed with us the Duke voluntarily turned in his license to officers Saturday, and tell us the investigation of the collision has been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. We're told CPS will provide "advice on how to proceed."

As we reported ... Queen Elizabeth's 97-year-old husband was fortunate to survive after flipping his SUV in a 2-car crash in January. The woman in the other vehicle suffered a broken wrist.

Philip sent the woman an apology note for his role in the accident a little more than a week later, blaming it on the blinding sun that obstructed his view of the road and oncoming traffic.

Meghan Markle's dad is forcefully pushing back against claims he's refusing to reach out to his daughter ... TMZ has learned.

A close friend of Thomas Markle tells TMZ ... all the claims made by Meghan's friends about his relationship with his daughter are "bulls***" ... and Thomas can prove it.

In a recent People story, Meghan's friends claimed Thomas refused to call or text his daughter since she entered the British Royal Family ... but we're told Thomas says that's complete "nonsense."

We're told Meghan's dad texted a loving message on her wedding day, and they spoke over the phone the day before the royal wedding -- with Meghan expressing worry for her dad's health issues, and Prince Harry wishing him well.

However, our sources say things drastically changed after Meghan and Harry tied the knot ... because we're told the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stopped communicating with Thomas and went radio silent.

We're told Thomas tried reaching Meghan multiple times by text ... to no avail.

Bottom line ... Thomas hasn't heard from Meghan for months.

Prince Philip was being driven around town Saturday, and he finally buckled up ... and he also tried explaining away his car crash.

The Duke of Edinburgh was seen being driven through the Sandringham Estate in Norfolk. The Duke had attended a post-shoot lunch with HRH The Queen and guests.

Philip also sent a letter to the woman who broke her wrist in the car accident earlier this month. Philip says in the letter he's sorry for the crash and blames it on blinding sun that obscured his view of the road.

Philip makes it clear he's traveled that road many times without incident. The subtext seems to be he's still capable of driving safely, even at 97.

A local Brit tried his darndest to hawk debris left behind from Prince Philip's car crash last week -- and got pretty close to the finish line before eBay pulled the plug.

An eBay user known as morbius777 put the listing up sometime over the weekend and advertised it as "Prince Philip Car Crash Parts." The items for auction included three plastic parts from the car wreck, and what looks like a bunch of broken glass that the user apparently picked up off the side of the road, where Philip crashed on Thursday.

morbius777 also claimed that some of the debris "may even have Phil's DNA on it, if you wanted to clone him or something." Prior to eBay yanking the listing on Tuesday, bids had gone as high as £65,900 ... which is a little more than $85,000 with 5 days left.

The user claimed in his post description that the proceeds would've gone to cancer research efforts in the U.K., but eBay wasn't having it. They pulled the post, citing a policy of theirs that'd been violated.

An eBay spokesperson reportedly said, "This listing has been removed in line with our policy relating to the sale of any item that seeks to profit from human suffering or tragedy."

As we reported ... police are investigating the crash and will take any "appropriate action" by the time they're finished. One of the people who was injured in the other car claims police have been ignoring her and that her injuries were seriously downplayed.

9:20 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources in the U.K. tell TMZ that Emma Fairweather's suggestion that she's been ignored by police investigating the crash or that there's some sort of cover-up happening is simply not true. We're told the Norfolk Police are treating this collision as they would any other, and the fact Prince Philip was involved bears no weight in how cops have handled things. Our sources say the only thing that's unique about this case is that a family liaison officer was assigned to Emma, due to its high-profile nature.

Interestingly enough, Emma claims the liaison officer who was assigned to her promptly resigned ... allegedly because she was asking too many questions and was difficult to deal with. Our law enforcement sources dispute that characterization, saying Norfolk Police reached out several times over the weekend to answer any lingering questions she had, and that she never called back.

Regarding the investigation, we're told that it's ongoing and that any "appropriate action" necessary will be taken by the time it's over.

A Norfolk Police spokesperson tells us that officers plan to take Emma's statement on Tuesday, adding that arrangements to do so were made last Friday.

The woman who was hurt in a crash involving Prince Philipsays she was told to shut her yap and also claims the gravity of her injuries have been seriously downplayed by what she suggests is a cover-up effort by police on behalf of the Royals.

In an interview with the Mirror, Emma Fairweather says she was told by authorities not to speak to anyone following the accident and to expect a call from the Palace ... presumably from Philip or the Queen herself to offer an apology, well-wishes or ... something.

She claims that personal call never came, and instead ... a police family liaison officer phoned, passing on some vague message from the Royals.

Emma also claims the family liaison officer would call to check in on her in the aftermath of the accident ... adding that shortly after speaking with the officer, a report came out detailing her status, which she says mischaracterized her well-being just 'cause she'd been discharged.

Emma -- who was a passenger in the vehicle that Philip hit -- suffered a broken wrist in the accident on Thursday, and says at one point she was circling the possibility of surgery.

None of that was reflected in the reports that came out though, which she doesn't seem too pleased with. Adding insult to injury ... Philip was back behind the wheel over the weekend, without a seat belt, no less.

Police say they issued a warning to Philip after photos of him driving without a seat belt went around the web.

10:05 AM PT -- Prince Phillip went to a hospital on Friday to get an additional check-up, on a doctor's advice ... according to the Palace. They described it as a "precautionary" visit, and say it confirmed he suffered no injuries whatsoever. Miraculous.

Also, we're told the Prince reached out to the 2 women who were injured in the other vehicle, and "well wishes" were exchanged.

So British.

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, is STILL hell-bent on driving himself because he already has a brand new SUV ... less than 24 hours after flipping his last Land Rover.

The Duke of Edinburgh got his new ride delivered Friday to the Royal family's Sandringham Estate. Looks like he got the same model -- a Land Rover Freelander -- as the one he wrecked a day earlier, not far from Sandringham.

Philip was behind the wheel Thursday when he collided with a Kia, flipping his Land Rover on its side.

The other car had a 9-month-old inside, but fortunately the baby was unharmed. The driver and her passenger suffered some cuts and a broken wrist.

The shocker, of course, is that 97-YEAR-OLD Philip somehow walked away uninjured.

With the new delivery, it seems like Prince William's and Prince Harry's granddad isn't ready to give up his keys just yet. However, one of Philip's friends told People the Prince would stop driving, reluctantly, if he's advised to do so.

Drive at your own risk, U.K. residents.

6:17 AM PT -- Cops say there was a 9-month-old in the vehicle Prince Philip hit, but it was unharmed.

12:25 PM PT -- Police tell TMZ ... Prince Philip and the driver of the other vehicle were both given breathalyzer tests. Police say that's standard ops, but imagine being the officer asking Queen Elizabeth's husband to blow.

Both of them passed with flying colors, btw.

We're told the other driver suffered minor cuts, and her passenger has an arm injury. They were treated and released ... from Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Queen Elizabeth's husband, Prince Philip, just dodged a huge bullet, because he survived a car crash in England ... and the 97-year-old Duke of Edinburgh was behind the wheel!

Buckingham Palace tells TMZ ... the Duke of Edinburgh was seen by a doctor as a precaution and the doc confirmed Philip was not injured.

The two-vehicle collision happened Thursday afternoon near the Sandringham Estate, the private home of Queen Elizabeth. Police reportedly responded to the scene just after 3 PM and assisted two people with minor injuries, but miraculously Philip was unharmed.

As you can see, the crash left an SUV on its side ... and that's the one Philip was driving!

Philip, granddad to Prince William and Prince Harry, married Elizabeth in 1947, five years before she became Queen. Philip was dubbed Prince of the U.K. back in 1957.

At 97, Philip is the oldest ever male British Royal. After surviving Thursday's car crash, seems Philip still has his good luck.

Meghan Markle's got some pretty sweet perks, even beyond the castles and tiaras ... she gets to do some volunteering with super cute dogs.

The Duchess of Sussex stopped by The Mayhew shelter in London Wednesday to meet the staff, and pet some puppers. She even got to hold a sweet Jack Russell Terrier named Minnie.

We're told Meghan's been there before, but it was her first visit since Kensington Palace announced the charity as one of her 4 royal patronages last week.

Markle -- who's about 6 months into her pregnancy, has reportedly had rescue dogs of her own before ... so, naturally, the cause is near and dear to her.

Along with meeting the doggos, we're told the Duchess also spent time checking out The Mayhew's animal therapy program ... which provides dog visits for people in need.

Meghan Markle's half-brother, Thomas, was arrested Friday for driving under the influence of alcohol ... TMZ has learned.

The 52-year-old was driving by Oregon State Police when police stopped him at 1:33 AM and took him into custody for impaired driving.

Cops performed a field sobriety test and they say his impairment was obvious. They say he was visibly intoxicated and blew a .11.

Thomas -- the son of Meghan's father, Thomas Sr. -- was taken to the Grants Pass Sobering Center. His Chevy Silverado was impounded.

Thomas is estranged from Meghan. He sent a letter to Prince Harry in April in which he said, "It's not too late. Meghan Markle is obviously not the right woman for you."

Thomas' dad tells TMZ, "My son has a serious problem and he needs help, and I hope he gets it." Thomas Jr.'s sister, Samantha, tells TMZ, "His drinking is not related to Meghan. He always drank."

Two things really seem to make Meghan Markle crack a huge smile ... holding her ever-growing baby bump and helping others.

The Duchess of Sussex was all smiles Thursday as she hit up St. Charles Hospital in west London, where she became a royal patron at Smart Works. It's an awesome charity ... they help unemployed and vulnerable women get back into the workplace.

Meghan -- who is about 6 months pregnant -- looked stunning in a black dress from the maternity brand, Hatch. She also sported a long, brown Oscar de la Renta coat.