Royal Family

7-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton is now Sir Lewis Hamilton -- the racing superstar just received his knighthood from Prince Charles at Windsor Castle!!

36-year-old Hamilton first learned of the honor last December -- after matching Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 7 championships.

In case you're not up to speed on the honors, a knighthood is an award and title given to someone by the royal family for high achievement and service to their country within their respective industry.

Of course, the Mercedes driver has won more races than any other in F1 history ... and was on his way to securing a record-breaking eighth title this past Sunday, had it not been for a controversial decision at the end.

Hamilton had a lead wiped out when a safety car was deployed after a late crash ... allowing Max Verstappen to eventually catch up and pass him.

According to reports, the British racing star was heard saying, "This has been manipulated, man," on his car radio, but Hamilton later congratulated Max and his team after the race was over.

Wednesday's ceremony hopefully helped ease the loss -- Hamilton attended with his mother, Carmen, who watched as her son became just the fourth driver in Formula 1 history to be knighted.

The Royal Fam is calling BS on a new book that claims Prince Charles wondered out loud if Meghan and Harry's child might have a dark complexion.

Christopher Anderson claims in a new book, "Brothers and Wives: Inside The Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry and Meghan," that on the day Meghan and Harry announced their engagement, Charles wondered out loud to Camilla "what the children will look like?"

Anderson says Camilla was caught off guard and responded, "Well, absolutely gorgeous, I'm certain." Charles allegedly wasn't satisfied with the response, and shot back, "I mean, what do you think their children's complexion might be?"

A Palace spokesperson told The NY Post, "This is fiction and not worth further comment."

It is odd ... how would that convo between Charles and Camilla leak?

Anderson apparently does not say in the book that Charles is the Royal Meghan and Harry were referring to in their sit down with Oprah, but the intimation is certainly there.

As you know, Meghan said there were "concerns and conversations" regarding the skin tone of Archie, who had not yet been born.  The conversations were allegedly between Harry and at least one Royal.

Anderson also claims Queen Elizabeth 86'd a photo of Harry, Meghan and Archie from camera view during her 2019 XMAS message.

Meghan Markle got in on a tried-and-true skit that has become a staple on 'Ellen,' but this one did not land well on social media.

The Duchess of Sussex walked out onto the studio lot with an earpiece that allowed Ellen to give her prompts ... like touching her nose and doing a squat. She went to a couple of vendors on the lot, one of whom was hawking hot sauce. She referred to herself as "mommy" and Harry as her "Boo." She also jumped up and down on cue. Stuff like that.

Well, MM's getting dragged ... with one writer saying she never understood the difference between being a Royal and being a celebrity. Others called it cheesy and insincere ... trying to look like a woman of the people. Not necessarily a fair criticism, but welcome to 2021.

Meghan also made her case for federal paid family leave ... something she's lobbied for by calling various U.S. senators.

As for the mommy comments, she told the vendor "Let mommy have a taste ... My boo loves hot sauce." Then, she pulled out a baby bottle and exclaimed, "Mommy needs some milk."

Queen Elizabeth continues to struggle with medical woes ... this time it's a sprained back that has sidelined her from a big event.

The Queen was MIA from the Remembrance Sunday service ... which honors Britain's war dead.

The Palace said it was "with great regret" the Queen couldn't show for the service. It would have been her first public appearance since her mysterious hospitalization a few weeks back.

As for Remembrance Sunday ... it's especially meaningful to Q.E. because she served in WWII as an army driver.

It's unclear if the Queen has fully recovered from whatever landed her in the hospital. She had canceled her appearance at the U.N. Climate Summit ... instead appearing via video.

Meghan and Harry got all gussied up Wednesday night to attend a splashy NYC event.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex put on their best duds for the "Salute to Freedom" gala that went down at the Intrepid Museum.

It's a duel event ... honoring the military the day before Veterans Day and Britain's Armistice Day.

Meghan definitely made a statement with her red Carolina Herrera dress and some pretty bold stilettos. They were definitely head-turners.

It's interesting ... Harry wore his military star -- it's called KCVO ... Knight Commander of the Royal Victorian Order. Harry has disavowed his royal status, but his military service is a whole different thing. He was happiest during his time in the Royal Family when he served in Afghanistan.

Meghan wore a Cartier diamond tennis bracelet that was previously worn by Princess Diana.

Meghan Markle should go by her U.S. family name the next time she decides to wade into U.S. politics by cold-calling members of Congress ... so says U.S. Rep. Jason Smith.

The Congressman from Missouri joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked what he made of Meghan dialing up Senators to lobby for paid family leave and introducing herself as the Duchess of Sussex.

Rep. Smith says he has no issues with her getting involved in American politics, seeing as she's an American citizen -- but he says she needs to leave her ties to the Royal Family out of it, for a few reasons.

The big beef Rep. Smith has is the Royal Family is traditionally neutral when it comes to politics across the pond ... so Meghan using a royal title to wield influence in America doesn't sit right with him.

While some think Meghan is just using her celebrity to lobby for something she believes in ... Rep. Smith says that's fine, as long as she uses the thing she was known for before marrying Prince Harry and having children.

"Former 'Suits' star Meghan Markle" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Plus, the Congressman did admit he has a slight royal bias.

Meghan Markle is lobbying hard for paid paternity leave -- an issue that could be a deal-breaker in the impending infrastructure vote on Capitol Hill -- and she's been cold-calling U.S. Senators ... but oddly, using her royal title.

Apparently, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand gave Markle the cell phone numbers of 2 key Senators -- Susan Collins and Shelley Moore Capito, both Republicans. Markle followed through with a phone call, which showed up as a blocked number.

Moore Capito told Politico, "I'm in my car. I'm driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly, I thought it was Senator Manchin, his calls come in blocked."

Moore Capito says she answered and the caller then ID'd herself ... "And she goes, 'Senator Capito?' I said, 'Yes.' She said, "This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex."

A similar call was made to Collins, who also answered. Collins said, "I was happy to talk with her, but I'm more interested in what people from Maine are telling me about paid leave."

Markle has been active behind the scenes, writing both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to push for passage of the bill. She wrote, "I'm writing to you at this deeply important time -- as a mom -- to advocate for paid leave ... on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry."

Queen Elizabeth's condition is a mystery ... and there are now allegations the Palace lied about it to keep everything under wraps.

The Queen was back at Windsor Castle Friday after being hospitalized for an undisclosed condition. The palace says doctors have a "preliminary investigation" underway to get to the bottom of the Queen's ailment.

As for the lie ... the Palace said Wednesday the Queen had canceled a trip to Ireland after doctors ordered her to get some rest. They had strongly intimated the problem was just that, the 95-year-old Queen had been working too much.

There was no mention that she was actually hospitalized until Thursday, after The Sun broke the story. At that point the Palace fessed up and acknowledged it.

Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named Don

A poor President who didn't know right from wrong

And when his kids asked to meet the Royal Queen

His staff stepped in so they never would be seen

Stephanie Grisham -- the former White House press secretary under Donald Trump best known for holding zero press briefings -- is saying plenty about him now, and like many other of his former employees ... it ain't positive.

Grisham's got a new book coming out this week, and in it, she details her experiences working in Trump's White House and dealing with his family ... including when they went to visit The Queen in June 2019.

TMZ's obtained an excerpt from the book -- titled "I'll Take Your Questions Now: What I Saw in the Trump White House" -- in which she says the trip to the U.K. for dinner with Queen Elizabeth royally excited the Trump children.

In fact, Grisham writes ... "It was the only trip in all four years that every single member of the family expected to attend."

Problem was, according to Grisham, the Trump fam also wanted royal service along the way ... including getting to ride on Air Force One, and spots at the Queen's official state dinner table for Don Jr.'s girlfriend, Kimberly Guilfoyle, and Tiffany's boyfriend too.

Grisham says this didn't fly with Melania's chief of staff, Lindsay Reynolds, whom she claims was concerned the Trump kids would ruin the trip simply so they could get attention.

Grisham claims Reynolds told her, "We are going to look like the Beverly Hillbillies," adding ... "We'll be an embarrassment to the whole country."

The allegations get even juicier from there -- with plenty of smoke for Ivanka and Jared too -- so check out the full excerpt for more.

It should be noted, Grisham describes Trump's White House in her book as "a clown car on fire running at full speed into a warehouse full of fireworks" ... so you know what else to expect.

Ex-President Trump, through his spokesperson, is already refuting Grisham's claims, telling TMZ ... "Stephanie didn't have what it takes and that was obvious from the beginning. She became very angry and bitter after her break up and as time went on she was seldom relied upon, or even thought about."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may no longer be in the good graces of the Royal Family, but they still give their dog the royal treatment ... even when they're busy.

The couple's dog -- a black Lab rescue named Pula -- got to enjoy a lovely stroll near the beach in Santa Barbara Friday ... courtesy of her professional walker.

It's unclear who the heavily tatted, dog-walkin' bro is, but he made sure Harry and Meghan's pup was nice and clean before she hopped back into their Land Rover and headed home to Montecito.

While the dog walker's 15 minutes of fame may have just begun, Pula's pretty popular already. She was featured in some photo spreads earlier this year frolicking with Harry at the beach ... and she also made an appearance during the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah earlier that month.

Prince Harry got a taste of New York he's never experienced before ... in the form of chicken and waffles ... and a lot more.

Harry and Meghan Markle took a trip Friday to chow down at Melba's ... the famed soul food restaurant in Harlem.

Melba rolled out the red carpet, serving them Southern fried chicken, eggnog waffles, spring rolls, catfish, collard greens and yams.

They chatted with Melba about City Harvest, a charitable org that delivers food that would otherwise go in the trash to various groups that help feed folks in need. H&M pledged $25k ... unclear if it's to support Melba's, which was hit hard by the pandemic, or City Harvest.

Prince Andrew's old friend, Alan Dershowitz, is trying to get him out of a jam with his sexual assault lawsuit ... by asking a judge to unseal some old legal docs involving Jeffrey Epstein.

As you'll recall ... Queen Elizabeth's son was sued last month by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was a victim of Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme for powerful men, including guys like Prince Andrew and Dershowitz.

Giuffre also sued Dershowitz in 2019 and made similar accusations, but she recently dropped her battery claim against him. He says she dropped it because an old settlement she reached with Epstein in 2009 released him and others from certain liability ... meaning they can't be sued by her for the sexual claims.

According to new legal docs filed by Dershowitz ... this confidential settlement is the reason she had to drop the battery claim against him, and he believes it should apply to Prince Andrew too.

However, according to legal docs, Giuffre's lawyers claim they can't undo the confidentiality of the settlement because other parties were involved ... and Epstein's estate won't undo it either. So, Dershowitz is asking the judge to step in.

Dershowitz wants the judge to unseal the 2009 settlement with Giuffre -- or at least a redacted version of it -- so Prince Andrew can try to use it to get the sexual assault claims against him dropped.

Prince Andrew is accused of sexually abusing Giuffre in NYC when she was 17 as part of the alleged sex trafficking by Epstein and his accused co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Andrew was not cooperative with FBI and federal prosecutors in 2019 and 2020 -- when they wanted to talk to him about Epstein -- and in wake of Epstein's arrest and death in his jail cell, the Prince claimed he couldn't remember meeting Giuffre ... despite a 2001 photograph where he's apparently posing with her.

Prince Andrew sexually abused a teenage girl he met through Jeffrey Epstein ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Queen Elizabeth's son is being sued for sexual assault in federal court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking scheme for powerful men, including Prince Andrew.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Andrew is accused of sexually abusing Giuffre in NYC when she was a minor ... at the invitation of Epstein and his alleged co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Giuffre claims she was only 17 years old when Prince Andrew committed sexual assault and battery against her ... and she says the alleged abuse left her with severe and lasting emotional distress.

As we reported ... Prince Andrew was not cooperative with FBI and federal prosecutors in 2019 and 2020, when law enforcement was looking to talk to him about Epstein.

In the wake of Epstein's arrest and death in his jail cell, Prince Andrew went on "BBC Newsnight" and claimed he couldn't remember meeting Giuffre, despite a 2001 photograph where he's apparently posing with her.

Prince Andrew resigned from all public roles in May 2020 over his ties to Epstein.

Meghan Markle got a birthday gift from her father, a bouquet of roses, but it doesn't seem to be thawing their icy relationship.

Thomas Markle tells TMZ … he sent Meghan flowers for her 40th birthday, along with a personalized card that simply said, "Wishing you a happy birthday and brighter days."

We're told the bouquet featured a dozen red roses with 2 yellow roses in the middle, signifying Meghan and Prince Harry's 2 children.

Thomas says he specifically wanted to incorporate his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, in Meghan's birthday flower arrangement ... telling us he wants to be a part of their lives because it seems to him the kids don't have enough family around them in Montecito.

As you know ... Meghan and her father have a testy relationship, and Thomas doesn't get along with Harry either.

Meghan and Harry also have a huge rift with the Royal family, and as we reported, the royals tweeted her happy birthday from their official accounts in what came off like calculated moves meant to keep up appearances.

Thomas says he didn't hear a peep from Meghan after he sent the gift, but he says that's fine and he's just hoping she likes the flowers.

Meghan Markle is waking up to tweets from the Royal family -- and nice ones -- wishing her a happy 40th birthday ... which, unfortunately, come off like calculated moves meant to keep up appearances.

The official Twitter accounts for Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Camilla all fired off birthday wishes to the Duchess of Sussex ... accompanied by flattering photos of her and single emojis -- either the red balloon or birthday cake.

The Queen's official account fired off first with 3 pics of Meghan with the Queen in 2018, and 2 other photos of her and Prince Harry with their son, Archie, during their 2019 South Africa visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's account tweeted 4 minutes later with more pretty shots of Meghan from her Senior Royal days touring the world with Harry. And, because we know there are Royals fanatics counting these things -- both tweets ended with a single exclamation point.

Both tweets were straight to the point, without any flowery gushing or anything. Hey, they're British. Baby steps.

Now, Meg's father-in-law, Prince Charles and Camilla's tweet was a little different -- they went with a single close-up portrait of Meghan, and they ended with a boring-ass period. No exclamation, so they lose some style points.

Of course, the elephant in the room -- to which none of the messages referred -- is the giant rift between Meghan and Harry and the rest of the Royal family.

As we reported ... the Sussexes accused the Royals of racism earlier this year during their sit down with Oprah. -- including their claim multiple people in the fam were worried Archie's skin might be too dark.

Not that anyone's expecting them to squash all that over Twitter, but that's the painful reality for the whole Royal Family right now.

The Royal family's the subject of a new animated series called "The Prince," and the British are up in arms over it -- calling it less satire, and more mockery and disgrace.

The HBO Max series, created by Family Guy co-executive producer Gary Janetti, is a humorous take on the Royal family. It's been a few days now since the show started streaming, and some hater-fueled reviews are in -- many angry viewers took to social media to decry the show as "wrong" and "disgusting" for portraying the family as a dysfunctional family with egotistical tendencies.

The show, starring Orlando Bloom as Prince Harry, also centers around 8-year-old Prince George ... who is portrayed as a spoiled brat who orders staff around and forces kids to join his lavish play dates.

Queen Elizabeth is portrayed as a mafia boss while Prince Charles gets the mommy-boy label who -- behind closed doors -- bitches about having already waited so long to take the throne. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are also depicted living in L.A. from the "smallest palace" Harry has ever been in.

The animators also pushed the envelope when it came to the caricatures. Prince William's head, for example, is massive. Prince Philip has a protruding back and looks all but lifeless.