Royal Family

Thomas Markle frets he could be the only one in his family to attend the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration in June ... and he has a theory ... calling Prince Harry an "idiot" for being controlled by his daughter.

Thomas told Dan Wootton on GB News Tuesday he'll be making the trek to London in June...  while he'd like to reconnect with his daughter Meghan and meet Harry and their children for the first time, he's convinced they won't be making the trip -- especially after they learn he'll be front and center.

As you know, 77-year-old Thomas didn't go to Harry and Meghan's wedding in 2018 as he was recovering from heart surgery ... while their relationship has been strained since, he's hoping he'll get the chance to mend the rift with the Royals.

He says, "I'm going to show my respect for the Queen and I'm going to make sure that the Queen understands that my entire family respects the Queen and the Royals."

He also wants to thank Prince Charles for walking his daughter down the aisle when he wasn't able to. He sees some similarities between him and Charles -- both have been ghosted by their kids.

Thomas goes on to say he has very little respect for Prince Harry, calling him an idiot that follows his daughter around like a little kid.

Former President Donald Trump once claimed the Prince was whipped by Thomas' daughter ... he admits that's one of the only times he'll agree with Trump.

Queen Elizabeth II is celebrating another trip around the sun ... taking a spin around town for her 96th birthday!!!

THE Queen was spotted riding p-side to visit her horses ...  she's hanging at her Sandringham estate -- where her birthday celebration rolls on.

Btw, her late husband, Prince Philip, loved Sandringham estate and the Queen as well ... she loves her ponies ... posing majestically with two of them recently -- then again, every pose is majestic by definition, right?

Prince William and Kate Middleton called her an inspiration ... just before they were seen visiting Disasters Emergency Committee HQ in London.

Speaking of Prince William and Kate, they seemed unphased by Prince Harry's explosive interview ... just hours before.

Harry sat down with Hoda Kotb on 'Today' and when Hoda asked about reuniting with his brother William and his dad Charles, the Prince deflected and never answered. It's clearly a sign of a continuing rift if not a total break in the relationships.

Prince Harry says all is well between him and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, but it's quite clear he isn't cool with his brother, William and his dad ... evidenced in a new interview.

The Duke of Sussex opened up with Hoda Kotb on 'Today' during his visit to the Netherlands for the Invictus Games -- and whereas he was cagey with the BBC, PH actually spilled the tea to NBC ... giving details about his meeting with QE2 and where things stand elsewhere.

Watch ... Harry says the face-to-face with grandma -- for which his wife, Meghan Markle, was also present -- went well ... the 3 of them, it seems, had a good time while catching up.

But, Harry also made eye-opening revelations -- including the fact that the UK doesn't feel like home to him, and more importantly ... he isn't sure he'll attend Liz's 96th birthday.

On the sibling front ... Hoda asked straight up whether PH misses his bro and his dad, Charles, but Harry completely dodges the question -- saying he misses his own family, and noting that his focus at the moment was there for the Games.

Later in the same interview, Hoda again tried getting Harry to address Will by invoking their late mother, Princess Diana, and once more ... he made it seem like he and his brother led different lives now and he very much so wanted to differentiate between himself and PW.

He says he feels his mom's spirit with him right now more than ever before ... apparently alluding to the fact that his life is no longer in England. Very interesting choice of words.

Prince Harry's finally revealed what he and Queen Elizabeth II discussed during their first face-to-face in a while -- and it sounds like Her Majesty was in a sporty spirit.

The Duke of Sussex was talking to the BBC Monday night about the Invictus Games -- for which he and wife Meghan Markle are in attendance -- and one of the hosts asked him how his not-so-secret meeting with grandma went.

PH spilled ... sorta. He echoed back the question -- which was about whether QE2 sent well-wishes to Team UK -- saying yeah, Liz sends her best. Harry also noted he'd already passed on her sentiments to those for whom they were intended ... namely, the athletes.

Harry also said it was great seeing her, adding she'd love to be here if she could. That's about it -- nothing of substance, really, but at least it's a glimpse of their chat.

You'll recall ... Harry and Meghan made a pitstop in London last week on their way to the Netherlands, where they met with both the Queen and Prince Charles, briefly, before they were on their way again. It was the first time the couple had been back in the UK. together since they stepped down from their Royal duties in 2020, and since the Oprah interview.

Harry and Meghan were all about the Invictus Games Saturday ... this after 2 years of delays.

The Prince and Dutchess were front and center at The Hague, Netherlands ... they were scheduled for 2020, but the pandemic put a stop to that. The thought was 2021 would work, but again, the COVID sidelined the plans.

They attended a soiree for the athletes Friday night, and then on Saturday enjoyed the Jaguar Land Rover Driving Challenge which was the roll-up to the opening ceremony.

You may recall ... H&M went official at the Invictus Games in Toronto back in 2017. Although she's a U.S. citizen, she was living in Toronto where she filmed "Suits."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reached their destination after a layover in London to meet with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles ... they're in the Netherlands for a famous sporting event.

Harry and Meghan just arrived at The Hague, where they were all smiles Friday for a reception ahead of the start of the Invictus Games.

The couple, who are not traveling with kids Archie and Lilibet, both wore suits as they mixed and mingled with other distinguished guests ... and it looks like folks were lining up to meet Harry and Meghan.

As we reported ... the pair stopped in England to meet with Harry's father and grandmother on their way from Los Angels to the Netherlands ... with the face-to-face meeting a clear attempt to smooth things over after Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior members of the Royal Family, and the infamous Oprah interview.

With the family business out of the way, Harry and Meghan look ready for the fun part, the Invictus Games ... an international sporting event for injured, wounded and sick servicemen and women, including veterans and those still serving.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are making a layover in London -- their first time returning to the royal fam's home turf together in about 2 years, and it's led to an unexpected reunion with family ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us Meghan and Harry flew from L.A. to London Tuesday night, first class on a commercial flight ... with security shadowing at all times. We're told their plan was to enjoy a lowkey visit this week in London before heading to the Netherlands for Saturday's start of the Invictus Games.

But, the big shocker about this trip is ... we're told they've had a meeting with Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles in what's clearly an attempt to smooth things over since they stepped down as senior members of the royals in 2020.

The timing of the meeting makes sense. The Queen, who's now 95, has been having health issues ... especially with her mobility. The Palace just announced she won't be attending Easter Sunday services at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

While Prince Harry's visited the UK a few times -- including last summer for the unveiling of a Princess Diana memorial -- he hasn't been back with Meghan since the so-called "Megxit" in 2020, and their bombshell Oprah interview.

The face-to-face meeting with Harry's father and grandmother is their first attempt in-person at making peace.

Prince William addressed the elephant in the room during a speech in Jamaica ... calling slavery "abhorrent" and expressing "deep sorrow" over the issue.

As we reported, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are making their way around several Caribbean nations that are part of the British commonwealth. The latest stop is Jamaica, and it came with much backlash because of the obvious -- the Royal family represents the British colonizers who enslaved and traded millions of Africans in Jamaica ... and its other territories.

While the royal couple seemed to have been welcomed with open arms -- as they made PR stops to drum with Rastafarians and play soccer -- many Jamaican leaders were demanding the royals apologize for slavery and pay reparations.

Well, last night, Prince William addressed the issue head-on, at a formal banquet, calling slavery an abhorrent chapter in history that "should never have happened."

He also reiterated the words of his father, Prince Charles ... who, just 4 months ago, said slavery put a "stain on our history." He said that at a ceremony marking Barbados's transition to an independent republic.

William added, "While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude."

Prince William and Kate Middleton sitting in the middle of a Rastafarian drum circle and banging away in the birthplace of reggae -- yeah, this is NOT your typical Royal tour!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Kingston, Jamaica's Trench Town neighborhood Tuesday, and were fully immersed in the culture. Awkward as it might seem, Kate and Will each played a drum in a traditional Nyabinghi drum session. This was just the latest stop on their tour of several Caribbean nations in the British Commonwealth.

The royal couple visited the former home of reggae legend Bob Marley and met with other well-known local musicians.

They also celebrated some of the island's favorite sports -- hopping into a Jamaican bobsled and taking pics with the latest Olympic team. Later, William even played a little pickup soccer match and met national team stars Raheem Sterling and Leon Bailey.

But, not everyone is thrilled about their visit. The royal tour was met with backlash from many folks and Jamaican leaders, who are demanding reparations.

This is kind of a last hurrah for the royals ... in Jamaica, anyway. The country is starting the process of becoming an independent republic, which means removing Queen Elizabeth as its head of state.

The goal is to cut ties by August 6, which is Jamaica's Independence Day.

Queen Elizabeth seems to have bounced back from COVID ... because she hosted Justin Trudeau for her first in-person engagement since beating the virus.

The Queen seemed in good spirits as she welcomed the Canadian PM with a smile Monday at Windsor Castle.

The two shook hands and shared a warm embrace. He's in the UK to meet with PM Boris Johnson, Netherlands PM Mark Rutte and other allies to talk about the war in Ukraine.

The queen and Trudeau have known each other since he was a child and his dad served as the Canadian PM ... so it make sense he would stop to see the longest reigning monarch.

The 95-year-old monarch tested positive for Covid-19 back in February. Her symptoms were mild ... and she even performed light duties as the virus ran its course.

BTW, Queen Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle at the start of the pandemic, back in 2020. Originally, she lived about an hour away in Buckingham Palace and visited the castle for weekend getaways. But, now she'll likely live permanently at the castle.

Meghan Markle didn't have the crappy childhood she wants the public to believe, according to her half sister ... who is now dragging Meghan to court, suing over that famous Oprah Winfrey interview.

Samantha Markle is suing Meghan for defamation, and she's especially pissed about some of the things she and Prince Harry told Oprah about the Markle fam. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Samantha rips into Meghan for spinning a "rags to royalty" narrative about herself which she claims is simply false.

Samantha claims Meghan is trashing her, and spreading outright lies, in order to bolster the notion she's overcome leeching family members. For example, Sam points out she and Meghan share the same father in Thomas Markle ... yet Meghan told Oprah she was an "only child."

She also claims Meghan dropped another lie when she told Oprah she'd last seen Samantha "at least 18, 19 years ago and before that, 10 years before that."

Those aren't the only alleged disses ... Samantha claims Meghan got it flat out wrong when she told Oprah Samantha only changed her surname to Markle after Meghan started dating Harry.

In the suit, Samantha also claims Meghan's fabricated tales of growing up in "virtual poverty" ... because Thomas paid for her to attend "elite and expensive private schools," and dance and acting classes. She claims dad also covered Meghan's tuition and living expenses when she went to Northwestern University ... something the Duchess told Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres she worked to pay for herself.

As for Meghan's motive -- Samantha claims the alleged lies about her and their father were part of a calculated effort so "they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairytale life story concocted by" Meghan.

Samantha says Meghan's harsh words have hurt sales of her autobiography, prevented her from getting jobs and caused emotional and mental distress.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got a taste of what they left behind in the U.K. ... because one of the royals made her way to the U.S. for a little chow and a little conversation.

Princess Eugenie and hubby Jack Brooksbank broke bread with Harry and Meghan in Santa Barbara over the weekend.

It seems Harry and Eugenie have a close connection ... closer than he has with some of the other royals, including his dad and his brother.

Harry took Eugenie to the Super Bowl the weekend before ... so it sure seems the 2 are pretty close.

They certainly have a U.K. connection ... Eugenie and Jack now live in Frogmore Cottage ... the same place Harry and Meghan lived before bolting England.

The dinner came on the heels of a grievance Harry had about the royals protecting his kids.  As we reported, Harry will not take Archie and Lilibet to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June because the fam refuses to provide security for the kids.

Queen Elizabeth II has faced lots of challenges over the last year ... and now another -- she has COVID.

The 95-year-old monarch is obviously high risk, but so far she's only experiencing mild symptoms ... a cold and not much more, this according to Buckingham Palace.

Ever the hard worker, Q.E.II is continuing to perform "light duties" at Windsor Castle over the next week.

A Palace spokesperson added, "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

From all indications and reports, the Queen is fully vaccinated.

The Queen has had a rough go health-wise over the last year ... she's been hospitalized -- although the Palace never said why. She also sprained her back, which sidelined her from attending a big U.N. meeting. A few days ago she was seen with a cane, mildly joking about her health struggles.

The Queen's not the only one in her fam to be hit by COVID ... Prince Charles tested positive a little more than a week ago, and it's his second bout with the virus. Camilla also tested positive.

Prince Harry is putting his children's security first, saying he doesn't feel safe bringing them to the U.K. because they won't get the kind of protection he had before leaving his royal duties.

The Duke of Sussex's attorney, Shaheed Fatima, repped him Friday morning in the High Court in London during a hearing to reinstate Harry's family's protection. She expressed Harry's concern that the security arrangement put in place when he and Meghan Markle left the royal family in 2020 is inadequate for Archie and Lilibet.

When they removed themselves, the family lost their public-funded protection in the U.K ... and have paid out of pocket for their security while in America.

However, they were also told they couldn't buy British police protection with their own money.

Harry now fears his children won't be safe in the place he calls home. His lawyer added, "It should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart."

Harry and Meghan have recently been raking in the cash ... an estimated $100 million deal with Netflix, and a deal with Spotify for somewhere north of $25 million. So, with all that revenue, why not use it to buy a private security force?

One downside of that option would be the lack of government intelligence ... which the U.K. police could offer.

After a sketchy incident went down with Harry last July -- getting chased by photographers while driving through the streets of London -- he began the process of trying to get a legal review of his security arrangements.

Prince Harry got some serious MVP treatment from the L.A. Rams following the team's Super Bowl victory ... even getting to touch the sport's most coveted prize.

The official Rams account just posted these photos of the Duke of Sussex getting an up-close-and-personal look at the Lombardi Trophy after L.A. won the game. The attached caption ... “Feelin’ like royalty.”

In the pics, you see Harry in the Rams locker room, checking out the hardware alongside team owner Stan Kroenke and others, while laughing it up ... sans any face coverings.

We should say, however, while seated in the stands with his cousin, Princess Eugenie, he was indeed wearing a mask. But it seems like when he was behind the scenes and undetected, or so he thought, he ditched the cloth as well ... like countless others were already doing.

Like we told you ... as it stands, the rule in L.A. County is that everyone is supposed to mask up indoors ... even though California at large has already lifted the mandate. Despite this, a good majority of folks at the game -- famous or not -- didn’t give a hoot ... and enjoyed themselves with their mugs set free.

Prince Andrew settled a lawsuit with a woman who claimed the royal had sex with her when she was a minor.

According to new legal docs, the Duke of York and Virginia Giuffre reached an out-of-court settlement after she brought suit against Andrew.

As we reported ... Giuffre claims Andrew had sex with her 3 times when she was still a minor -- in London, New York and the Virgin Islands -- but he categorically denied the allegations.

In the docs, Prince Andrew's legal team says he intends to make a "substantial donation" to Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. There are no specific financial details included in the docs.

There's a photo of Prince Andrew, Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell ... though Andrew says he doesn't recall taking the pic.

In the docs, Andrew says he regrets his association with Epstein and commends Giuffre and other survivors for their bravery in standing up for themselves and others.