Royal Family

Meghan Markle's an expert at pushing the envelope when it comes to what's politically acceptable to the Palace, and she proved it with some covert statements on her Royal IG with Prince Harry.

During her time as a Senior Royal, the Duchess of Sussex used the only social media she's allowed to have to make her political opinions known, but she did it subtly, knowing she was wading into dangerous waters with the Crown ... sources close to Meghan tell TMZ.

If you don't know ... Queen Elizabeth and her family are supposed to refrain from expressing political opinions publicly, but we're told Meghan never gave up her previously strongly held political beliefs.

Our Meghan sources say she carefully crafted IG posts to avoid overtly saying what she was thinking or supporting, but the writing was on the wall ... or in the photos.

For example, when her friend and women's rights activist, Loujain al-Hathloul, was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia ... Markle knew she couldn't come out and condemn a foreign government.

Instead, Meghan showed subtle solidarity by sharing a photo of herself with Loujain as part of a bigger post about One Young World ... a UK-based charity which is described as a global forum for young leaders. Meghan's support for the charity began in 2014, before she married Harry. Loujain was imprisoned on the weekend of Meghan's wedding and it's clear that, despite the diplomatic nature of her royal role, Meghan was calling for her friend to be freed by the Saudi regime.

That same post included a photo of Markle sitting next to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, shortly after he won re-election -- a low-key shout-out of support for her friend.

Our sources say, for the most part, she knew how to walk up to the line without crossing it, which helped her dodge any issues with royal higher-ups. Call it effective self-censorship.

Pro tip for all future Serena Williams interviewers ... whatever you do, do NOT ask about her friend Meghan Markle ... 'cause you WILL get shut down.

The tennis superstar faced the media after her Australian Open match on Monday ... and the first question wasn't about her win over Anastasia Potapova, it was about Megxit.

“Your good friend, Meghan Markle, who attended your last 2 slams, and Harry, have taken a move, a stance that many people think is extraordinary and historic," the reporter said.

"What are your feelings about that? Have you spoken to her?”

Prince Harry -- or Henry Charles Albert David for short, now -- is carrying on without a royal title just fine ... and he's even looking the part of a smart, casual commoner too.

The Duke of Sussex was spotted Sunday in London heading into the Ivy Chelsea Garden restaurant, where a social event of some kind was going down. PH was in attendance, obviously, which is interesting considering he's no longer His Highness ... just Harry.

Fact is, Harry doesn't rep the Queen or the Commonwealth anymore after an agreement between him, his wife, Meghan, and his grandma was reached just this weekend. Buckingham Palace says they'll still uphold the Royal Family's values, just informally.

That said, it's clear Har here still has the access and privilege of being a Royal -- he continues to hit public events like this and is probably rubbing shoulders with folks along the way. And, while he comes from nobility, he doesn't have the added pressure anymore.

Queen Elizabeth doesn't seem to be shedding any tears after cutting the cord with Harry and Meghan, because she showed up with Prince Andrew, smiling and wearing a checkered coat.

And, speaking of checkered ... it's a big show of support for her son, who's smack in the middle of the Jeffrey Epstein pedophile scandal after that disastrous TV interview.

Her appearance comes a day after she 86'd the royal titles of Harry and Meghan. It's apparent ... H&M aren't coming back to England anytime soon, and they may be forever outsiders after their move to Canada.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are a lot more like the rest of us today -- ditching their Royal titles and are pivoting toward becoming commoners ... all with the Queen's blessing.

Buckingham Palace announced a path forward Saturday for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the wake of "Megxit." They say as part of the new agreement reached between all parties, Meg and Harry will no longer formally rep Queen Elizabeth publicly ... and they will also not go by His or Her Highness, as they're no longer working members of the Royal Family.

Another thing they're losing ... public funds and military appointments. All that comes with being a full-time Royal, and since they're out -- all the perks are out too.

The palace says they'll maintain the private charities and causes they support -- and while they're no longer doing anything on behalf of the Queen ... they've agreed to uphold the values of Her Majesty.

Charlie Hunnam is applauding Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for going rogue on the Royals, and he's hoping he and Meghan cross paths on a movie set sometime.

We got the "Sons of Anarchy" star at LAX and asked the proper Englishman for his take on Megxit. After all, he's a royal subject ... so this stuff means more to him than the average Yankee.

Charlie says Harry and Meghan deserve their autonomy. The way he sees it, Queen Elizabeth's heirs didn't ask to be born into the Royal Family and all that entails. He also has a bone to pick with the British media and the way they treat the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Seems he's got a soft spot for Harry.

Most folks think Meghan's destined to return to showbiz -- Harry recently pitched her voice-over work to Disney's Bob Iger -- and Charlie's definitely on board with that.

Prince Harry doesn't seem too stressed after what was one of the most tumultuous weeks ever for the Royal Family ... in fact, looks like he's shrugging it all off.

The Duke of Sussex surfaced Thursday at Buckingham Palace to host the draw for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 -- his first sighting since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, announced they were stepping down from senior royal duties.

Harry's face kind of says it all ... it's no biggie!

Before the draw, Harry spent some time meeting with children who'd gathered to play some flag rugby ... and he put smiles on their faces. Looks like the kids are alright with his big life change decision.

As we reported ... Meghan also surfaced for the first time this week at a women's center in Vancouver, and everyone looked thrilled to be in her company too.

Meghan Markle and the other Royals need some fresh air -- so she and a few others are getting out and, seemingly, getting on with their lives ... all in good spirits too.

The Duchess of Sussex surfaced Tuesday in Vancouver -- she's reportedly living on the island across the way -- at a place called the Downtown Eastside Women's Centre, where she posed with the staff and was grinning from ear-to-ear front and center, in between everybody.

They wrote on Facebook, "Look who we had tea with today! The Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, visited us today to discuss issues affecting women in the community."

The DEWC is known for helping those less fortunate in the area, while also providing food and services to women specifically. Looks like these folks do some good work -- and, obviously, their cause caught Meg's eye. She's very much about supporting these efforts.

Across the pond, her in-laws, Kate Middleton and Prince William, were also spotted out and about in Bradford, where they were leaving the local City Hall for what appears to have been some sort of flower-worthy ceremony.

They also rubbed elbows with the locals inside a restaurant where the future King tried his hand at whipping up a smoothie.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle can still lay claim to the Sussex Royal brand across the pond -- despite the "Megxit" -- but here in the U.S. of A., someone's already calling dibs!!!

You might've heard the Duke and Duchess of Sussex filed trademark docs in the UK to use the phrase "Sussex Royal" for possible merch in the future -- including possible online sales on their recently launched site of the same name.

Doesn't look like anyone's fighting 'em for the brand in England, but it ain't gonna be so easy for 'em stateside thanks to a guy named Joel Fogelson ... who's already filed an application to own "Sussex Royal" in America.

Now, frankly, this could get complicated for Joel if he was dead set on keeping it because it's their name, after all. However, he tells us he only filed for it on digital platforms because he saw it was available, and simply couldn't believe it.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are winning over Queen Elizabeth -- immediately following the family summit, Her Majesty now says she supports them stepping away from Royal life.

QE2 says both she and the fam are fully supportive of her grandson's power move. That said, she's pretty honest too, and notes she wishes they would've stayed on and remained "full-time working Members of the Royal Family."

Prince William, Prince Harry and Prince Charles all left the meeting at the Queen's Sandringham Estate separately. They were all discussing the future of the Royal Family and how they'd all move forward after Harry and Meg's announcement. Meghan, who's in Canada now, reportedly teleconferenced for the meeting.

Her Majesty says there will be a period of transition while they sort out details on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's departure and finances. Harry made it clear they don't want to rely on public funds and prefer to seek financial independence.

Harry's grandma also confirmed he and Meghan will split their time between Canada and the U.K.

Prince Harry and Prince William are actively squashing a report alleging Prince William's "bullying attitude" -- toward his brother and Meghan Markle -- is what's driving the couple away.

The brothers issued a rare joint statement Monday, saying, "Despite clear denials, a false story ran in a UK newspaper today speculating about the relationship between the Duke of Sussex and the Duke of Cambridge."

The statement continues ... "For brothers who care so deeply about the issues surrounding mental health, the use of inflammatory language in this way is offensive and potentially harmful."

The story suggested they had a falling out because William hasn't been friendly toward Meghan, and came on the eve of Queen Elizabeth's emergency meeting at her Sandringham Estate. QE2 is holding a summit with Prince Charles, Will and Harry to discuss how the family moves forward after Harry and Meghan's bombshell announcement they're stepping down from "senior" royal responsibilities.

BTW, the Queen's family meeting will not include her hubby, Prince Philip, or Kate Middleton. Monday morning, she was driving the kids to school, and he was driven out of Sandringham. He gave up his license after a car accident a year ago.

Harry and Meghan revealed their desire to become financially independent, and split time between the UK and Canada. The plan is off to a promising start ... with Meghan already getting some work in with Disney, and Harry's exec producing gig with Oprah.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were ramping up for their exit from royal life as early as this summer ... when Harry pitched his wife's talents to Disney's CEO ... face-to-face.

Resurfaced video from this past July appears to show PH chatting it up with Bob Iger at the '"Lion King" premiere in London -- during which he seems to say, "You know she does voice-overs?" to a genuinely surprised Iger who responds with, "Oh really? Ah ..."

Iger goes on to say he didn't know that, and Harry follows up by saying Meg is "really interested." Moments later, you hear someone clearly say "We'd love to try." Mind you, this was all being said right next to Meg as she hugged Beyonce and Jay-Z.

As we reported ... Meghan's work with Disney is a done deal -- she reportedly completed her gig with them before the holidays in exchange for a donation to a charity called Elephants Without Borders. The nature of the voice-over and the amount of payment is unclear.

Queen Elizabeth is having a face-to-face with the Royal men of her life to hash out what's next for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ... who wanna be part-timers.

TMZ has confirmed that Her Majesty has summoned Harry, Prince William and their dad, Prince Charles, for what's said to be an unprecedented meeting Monday at her country home of Sandringham, Norfolk to discuss next steps for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

It's the first time the immediate family has gotten together in person since the Sussexes said they were out (ish) and wanted to seek financial independence from across the pond.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's stunning decision to step down as senior members of the Royal Family doesn't just have The Queen reeling ... it's shaken up the betting world.

Those looking for some action following the royal shake-up will find plenty of wagering options thanks to oddsmakers at US-Bookies.com ... but the most notable ones revolve around the Duke and Duchess potentially expanding their family.

As of now, the odds are 1/4 that Meghan will announce she's pregnant with the couple's second child in 2020 ... meaning a $100 bet only profits $25, because it's very likely to happen. The odds were 1/2 before they announced they were bailing on senior Royal duties.

Prince Harry's military buddy says the decision to bolt from the Royal fam was to protect his family ... and it's clear from listening to him  -- the death of Harry's mom loomed large in the decision.

JJ Chalmers appeared on UK's "The One Show" Friday and said Harry's #1 priority is his wife and kid.

It's interesting ... JJ thinks part of Harry's thinking was so little Archie would know when he gets older his pops did right by him.

Queen Elizabeth has a lot on her mind after her grandson Prince Harry and Meghan Markle decided to bail on the Royal Family ... and the stress is written all over her face.

Her Majesty was spotted driving her Land Rover down some country roads Friday, away from Sandringham in Norfolk, to head to a photo shoot in a field ... and she doesn't look too happy about the current state of affairs.

As we reported ... the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the shocking call this week to step down from their senior duties and split their time between Canada, and it has the Royal Fam in crisis mode.

Prince Charles and William have reportedly ordered their teams to find a "workable solution" to the situation with Harry and Meghan, but unless something changes ... the couple will be living in North America soon and supporting their Queen from afar. The question -- will the Queen play ball with part-timers? And, there's evidence she will not.

The backlash from their decision has already begun -- their wax figures got yanked from the Royal Family display at Madame Tussauds in London.

The shocking news has also had a ripple effect ... on Oprah. She's had to come out and denied reports she advised Harry and Meghan to break free from the Royals and head to North America.

She says the couple doesn't need her help figuring out what's best for them ... but adds that she cares about them and supports their decisions. Oprah famously attended their wedding in May 2018.