Royal Family

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are about to find out exactly where they stand with his father, because the new King Charles III has a big decision to make about the couple's 2 children.

Here's the deal ... it's all about royal succession, and who gets what title. With the passing of Queen Elizabeth II, Harry and Meghan's kids -- Archie and Lilibet -- now, officially, get prince and princess titles and use of the HRH (His/Her Royal Highness). That's because their dad has moved up the line of succession.

But, here's the rub ... Buckingham Palace has made it clear it wants to reduce the number of so-called key royals. One way that could happen is if King Charles issues an amendment -- known as a letters patent -- which would effectively revoke Archie and Lilibet's titles.

Imagine how that would sit with Meghan and Harry ... especially since they've been estranged from Harry's dad ever since their big Oprah interview.

Remember, that's when Meghan suggested the real reason her kids wouldn't get royal titles is because someone in the family was concerned they might be too dark-skinned. She and Harry never named that person, but the wide speculation is it was Charles.

This desire to cut down on the royal family's central players is one of the reasons -- or excuses, depending on your perspective -- the Palace gave for limiting family members on the balcony with QE2 earlier this year during the Jubilee.

Of course, Harry and Meghan were, conspicuously, among the royals sent to alternate viewing areas.

Queen Elizabeth II -- the longest-serving monarch in British history -- has died.

The Royal Family announced Thursday, "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon" ... just a few hours after the palace had announced she was under medical supervision at Balmoral Castle, her estate in Scotland.

They also made it clear, King Charles is now in power, writing, "The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow."

It was clear the situation was dire when the palace told all of Elizabeth's children to rush to her side.

As it turns out, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in the UK for events this week. Harry went to Balmoral.

QE2's last public appearance came on Tuesday when she met with England's new Prime Minister, Liz Truss.

Her overall condition had been in question for awhile -- with her Royal duties being scaled back over the past year, and trips she might normally make without a second thought, especially within the UK, being nixed on doctors' orders at the last minute ... without any real explanation.

Her family and the country celebrated the Platinum Jubilee -- a 4-day celebration -- in June, honoring the 70 years she's been on the throne.

It's a sad moment for all of the United Kingdom and its Commonwealth realms -- of which Queen Elizabeth served as head of state ... and for the entire world too, as Her Majesty was generally beloved around the globe.

Elizabeth ascended to the throne at a very young age, just 25, in 1952 after the sudden passing of her father, King George VI ... who died from respiratory complications, leaving his daughter to take on the mantle and all of its responsibilities.

It was a difficult time to take the reins, as Europe was still recovering from WWII.

And yet, there were more geopolitical challenges ahead ... and QE2 had to navigate a number of conflicts that directly affected her nation, including the Troubles of Northern Ireland, the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, and the gaining of sovereignty for several nation-states that used to be either fully or partially under UK rule -- including Canada.

Elizabeth also oversaw the decolonization of Africa and the Caribbean during her reign ... as well as other territories in South Asia like Sri Lanka, Pakistan and more that gained independence and became republics.

There are several worldwide events the Queen weighed in on over the years -- including Australia's pivot from a parliamentary government to a full-blown republic, the patriation of the Canadian constitution, military coups and conflicts, S. African apartheid, the Gulf War and countless other landmark moments of the 20th century ... several of which the Queen was either explicitly involved in, or at least publicly addressed.

For many, her opinions carried enormous influence.

Of course, as Elizabeth navigated the choppy waters of royalty ... she had her husband, Prince Philip, by her side through the majority of it -- not to mention her children -- as well as her extended Royal family, including her sister, cousins, aunts, uncles and the rest.

As you well know ... the Royals were the subject of much speculation, gossip, innuendo and intrigue -- but perhaps not nearly as much as when Elizabeth's son, Prince Charles, married Princess Diana ... a relationship that resulted in extra-marital affairs and scandals -- thrusting the Queen right back into the spotlight -- only this time, in a new way she never had been.

Of course, that only intensified when Diana died in a tragic accident -- the impact of which is still discussed as it pertains to the larger Royal family, and the Queen by extension.

Ditto for the relationship between her grandson, Harry, and his wife, Meghan -- who accused the Royal family, without naming names, of racism in an explosive interview with Oprah. While Elizabeth herself wasn't directly implicated in the alleged comments about their son, Archie, she certainly seems to have taken the accusations to heart.

The Queen appears to have taken issue with their characterization of the Royal family -- and, by extension, the institution of the monarchy itself -- with veiled comments like "some recollections may vary," which was essentially seen as a denial to Harry and Meg's claims.

Despite the latest fracture in her family ... the Queen carried on with dignity and a profound sense of duty -- always upholding the monarchy's traditions, and fulfilling her obligations with grace.

Even after her longtime hubby, Philip, passed away in 2021 ... Elizabeth held her head high and continued to meet with heads of state, be it at G7 summits or right there at Windsor Castle. Through and through, the Queen has risen to serve out her role.

Queen Elizabeth is survived by her 4 children, 8 grandchildren and even more great-grandchildren -- not to mention the many extended Royal family members that run the gamut.

She was 96.

RIP

Prince Harry has officially joined the rest of The Royal Family on a grim day for all who loved Queen Elizabeth.

Harry touched down earlier Thursday, and he was spotted apparently traveling solo in the backseat of a chauffeured vehicle. It had previously been reported his wife, Meghan, would be joining him on his trip to the Scottish estate, but she was not seen.

Harry and Meghan had previously been in Europe to attend the WellChild Awards in London. Harry was to deliver a speech Thursday night, which will no longer happen.

Unclear what sort of communication Harry had with Prince William and King Charles in the moments leading up to Queen Elizabeth's death ... but it's no secret things have been icy between the family over the last few years.

As we reported, The Royal Family announced Thursday, "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."

King Charles released a statement, in which he's referred to as "His Majesty The King," saying, "We mourn profoundly the passing of a cherished Sovereign and a much-loved Mother. I know her loss will be deeply felt throughout the country, the Realms and the Commonwealth, and by countless people around the world."

Just hours before the world learned of the death of Queen Elizabeth II a massive double rainbow covered the sky over Buckingham Palace.

The beautiful tribute stopped those walking in the area in their tracks, admiring what could now be considered a heavenly homage to the 96-year-old and her 70 years in power.

Just about an hour after the rainbow appeared, The Royal Family announced the longest-serving monarch in British history had died ... saying "The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon."

The Queen's death came just hours after it was announced doctors were concerned about her health and her family members, including Prince William and Harry were gathering to be by her side.

F1 superstar Lewis Hamilton is hoping for the best amid growing concerns about Queen Elizabeth's health ... saying he's praying for and thinking about the Royal Family during the troubling time.

The British driver -- who's currently preparing for the Italian Grand Prix this weekend -- took a moment to share kind words for Her Majesty on Thursday ... saying, "I think she's been such a strong leader for such a long, long time and so resilient."

"I know she's always been a real fighter, so my thoughts are with her. Obviously, I don't have any other more information so I don't know more about the situation."

Lewis -- who received his Member of the Order of the British Empire from the Queen in 2009 -- has met her several times over the course of his dominant career ... and has previously called her a "sweet woman" and "cool."

"My thoughts are with the family," Hamilton added. "My thoughts are with her. My prayers are with them. Hoping for better news soon."

96-year-old Queen Elizabeth II will remain under doctors' care as concerns over her health continue to grow, this according to a new statement from Buckingham Palace.

"Following further evaluation this morning, the Queen's doctors are concerned for Her Majesty's health and have recommended she remain under medical supervision. The Queen remains comfortable and at Balmoral," the palace statement, released Thursday, said.

The Queen's son Prince Charles, her grandson Prince William and Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, are heading to Balmoral to be with her. It was also just announced Harry and Meghan are on their way to join the rest of the family.

On Tuesday, Queen Elizabeth hung out with Britain’s new Prime Minister Liz Truss, but she looked kind of frail. Upon hearing the news about the Queens' health, Truss tweeted that "the whole country will be deeply concerned by the news from Buckingham Palace this lunchtime. My thoughts – and the thoughts of people across our United Kingdom – are with Her Majesty The Queen and her family at this time."

Recently, the Queen's health has deteriorated and her Royal duties have been scaled back over the past year. Several trips she would normally take have been canceled by her doctors with no explanation given.

Meghan Markle is British royalty now, but growing up she was considered the "ugly duckling" who struggled to fit in with other kids ... that's according to Meghan herself.

The Duchess of Sussex just dropped the latest episode of her "Archetypes" podcast -- and she chats with actress Mindy Kaling about her childhood challenges. When Meghan said she was no beauty, Mindy was shocked and almost disbelieving.

Meghan, seemingly looking to offer evidence, said she had "'massive frizzy, curly hair and a huge gap in my teeth" which motivated her to become "the smart one."

Meghan says, she went to the Hollywood Schoolhouse and an all-girls Catholic school in L.A., and she had a hard time at both ... explaining she would join clubs and fill up her schedule so she didn't have to worry about having friends.

"I never had anyone to sit with at lunch. I was always a little bit of a loner and really shy and didn't know where I fit in. And so I just became, well, I was like, okay then, I'll become the president of the multi-cultural club and the president of sophomore class and the president of this ... and French club."

She continued, "And by doing that, I had meetings at lunchtime, so I didn't have to worry about who I would sit with or what I would do because I was always so busy."

Mindy says she just always thought Meghan was "that one nice hot girl who has her head screwed on right."

Meghan Markle's first speech in the UK since stepping away from her Royal duties was one full of uplifting messages ... including a special shout-out to the youth.

The Duchess of Sussex delivered the keynote address Monday at the One Young World summit in Manchester, where activists get together to talk about solutions for global problems -- including climate change-related issues -- in a think tank/networking capacity.

As for what exactly she had to say, well ... check it out for yourself. MM directly speaks to the young folks in the room -- telling them that they're not just the future, but the present.

She also mentions her son, Archie, and says she's learned to see the world from his POV -- seeing how he's got perhaps the freshest set of eyes in her immediate orbit. Her daughter, Lilibet, is just one year old -- so no hot takes from her at this point.

Meghan also name-dropped her husband, Prince Harry, indirectly by saying she was happy he could tag along. That got a big applause from the crowd when the camera cut to him in the audience.

It seems Meg and Harry have been warmly received across the pond ... their second time over there this year, with their first obviously being at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee celebration.

Back then things were clearly tense between the Sussexes and the Royals, and despite the friendly reception in Manchester ... there's no evidence that's changed.

Reports say there've been no plans made between Harry and his brother, William, to connect at all while he's in town -- which is telling, seeing how the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are just down the road from where Meghan and Harry are staying.

Meghan Markle drawing a parallel between her marriage to Prince Harry and Nelson Mandela's prison release is pissing off a lot of people ... especially Mandela's grandson.

To be fair, The Duchess of Sussex says it was someone else who made the comparison, but going public with it is blowing up in her face.

She recently told The Cut -- she's the cover story -- about an exchange she had at the 2019 London premiere of the live-action "Lion King" film ... claiming a South African cast member told her, "When you married into this family, we rejoiced in the streets the same we did when Mandela was freed from prison."

Mandla Mandela, the grandson of Nelson, doubts that conversation ever happened, though ... telling Daily Mail his grandfather's celebration was "based on overcoming 350 years of colonialism with 60 years of a brutal apartheid regime in South Africa. So, It cannot be equated to as the same."

As you know, under Apartheid rule, Mandela served 27 years in prison for sabotage and treason before his release ... and Mandla doesn't think South Africa's joy for that event can be fairly compared to Meghan marrying into royalty.

Meghan spilled a lot during her recent interview ... including her eventual return to Instagram after having to give up her personal account due to royal control.

She says, "Why would I give the very people that are calling my children the N-word a photo of my child before I can share it with the people that love my child?”

She doesn't point fingers at any specific person or moment, though.

Princess Diana might've gotten the Royal treatment for most of her life, but sometimes ... she wanted to drive like a normal person ... and the car she did that in has fetched a fortune.

The late Princess of Wales was top of mind Saturday over in the UK, where an everyman vehicle that used to belong and be driven by her in the '80s hit the auction block at the Silverstone race circuit -- a ways outside of London -- and sold for a whopping $763,555!

The ride in question was a Ford Escort RS Turbo Series 1 -- and it's in great shape ... no different than when PD herself was cruising around in it between '85 and '88.

Apparently, there was a huge bidding war over this thing -- with high rollers from all over the world participating -- but in the end ... a British person walked away as the victor. Reports say this played out like a sports game, with a massive crowd cheering on the bidders.

The winner's identity is being kept anonymous. Whoever it is, they had at least an extra mil lying around ... because there was no sign they were going to slow down on the price if someone else insisted on going the distance. Silverstone officials had expected it to rake in at least $117,000 ... but no one seems to have expected to go for what it ultimately did.

Meghan Markle is recalling a horrifying incident ... where she learned baby Archie's nursery caught fire while they were away.

The Duchess of Sussex opened up about the incident for the first time on the premiere of her podcast, "Archetypes" -- telling Serena Williams in 2019 that her son was 4 months old when they took him to South Africa.

She says they dropped their son off at a housing unit before going to give a speech nearby ... and when she was done, Meghan learned a fire had broken out in Archie's room.

After racing back, Meghan found Archie unharmed -- his nanny took him out of the room while she went to go get a snack ... after they walked out, a heater in the room caught fire.

Prince Harry's royal jewels must be priceless ... because the auction for the underwear from his strip billiards game in Sin City is already at a quarter million bucks.

The bidding opened Thursday, on the heels of the 10-year anniversary of Harry's wild night in Vegas, with ex-stripper Carrie Royale producing the goods ... the Prince's black undies from his memorable night in a high roller's suite.

It only took a few minutes for the bidding to skyrocket ... a $10,000 opening bid rose to $16k before a strip club owner from San Diego placed a call-in bid of $250k. That's not a typo ... it went from $16k to $250k!

Video from the live auction shows Carrie, dressed in a black cocktail dress, and some other exotic dancers going crazy when the big bid came through.

The $250k bidder, Dino, says he plans to create a shrine to Harry's undies if he ends up winning the auction. Carrie believes the winning bid could reach as high as $1 million, and online bidding remains open until Sept. 30 or when the auction reaches $1 mil, whichever comes first.

The live portion of the auction went down at Larry Flynt's Hustler Club, where Carrie claims Prince Harry dropped by during his wild time in Vegas.

Remember ... Harry stripped down to his birthday suit playing billiards in a Vegas suite back in August 2012, and Carrie claims she snatched the discarded undies.

Meghan Markle is celebrating her 41st birthday ... and some of the royals are, at least publicly, setting aside their very deep differences to wish her well.

Prince William and Kate Middleton marked their sister-in-law's big day on social media by posting a photo of Meghan dressed in all white with the caption ... "Wishing a happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"

Not exactly warm and fuzzy, but kind of a big deal when you consider the beef between Meghan, Prince Harry and the rest of the royal family. As you know, tensions have been high for some years now ... especially since Meghan and Harry resigned as senior royals in 2020.

Anyway, there's clearly a royal plan afoot to at least make it seem they're all making nice -- in addition to William and Kate's message ... Prince Charles and Camilla also posted, "Happy birthday to The Duchess of Sussex!"

The Meghan pic they posted was from the Queen's Platinum Jubilee this year, the last time they all saw her in person.

You'll recall, Meghan and Prince Harry attended the Jubilee in the U.K. back in June, and, there was a clear divide -- physically and otherwise -- between them and some of the royal fam.

Prince Harry lumped the recent Roe v. Wade decision in with other international issues, saying they were all hurting democracy, but Meghan's calling BS -- Meghan McCain, that is.

The Duke of Sussex delivered a speech to the U.N. this week -- in observance of Nelson Mandela Day -- and one of the things he said was the reversal of a federal right to an abortion was among the many things he considers a threat to freedom.

The others ... COVID, the war in Ukraine, disinformation and climate change -- all of which he said were among the top perils facing the world. But, McCain thinks he's misinformed.

In a piece written for Daily Mail, she slams the ex-Royal for what she considers virtue signaling -- especially on the Supreme Court's Roe decision ... which she says isn't a threat to democracy, but more so an exercise in it since it gives the power over that issue back to the states.

McCain, who is undoubtedly conservative, argues Harry is ignorant because he isn't an American citizen -- but likes to play one on TV now that he lives here with his wife Meghan Markle. She cites other times where he's admitted ignorance to the First Amendment.

The whole op-ed goes on to call Harry "woke," rhetorically asking if America isn't good enough for him ... why is he even here? She also cites his and MM's accusation of racism within the Royal family to make her point.

Indeed, it's a Harry-bashing think piece ... and in the end, McCain asks this of the Duke: "Maybe he needs reminding that he is a guest here and not a guest who has been universally embraced by the American public."

She adds ... "So here goes: This is not your home country. In fact, my country went to war against yours so that we'd never have to be subject to a royal lecture ever again."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's rift with the Royal Family is so much deeper than anyone imagined -- at least according to a new tell-all book, which has the alleged tea.

Famed author Tom Bower -- known for his biographies about the Royals, most of which are not sanctioned by the subjects -- has a forthcoming project hitting shelves called "Revenge: Meghan, Harry and the war between the Windsors" ... and, boy, does he get into it.

Per Bower ... there were subtle shots taken between both parties behind closed doors and several dust-ups these past handful of years ... which seems to have stemmed from Meghan's Vanity Fair cover in 2017, the first time she publicly acknowledged the relationship.

It was a relatively small part of the article, with Meghan saying ... "We're a couple, we're in love," and going on to say they'd eventually come forward and tell their story in full. But, of course, VF's headline was all about their relationship -- "She's Just Wild About Harry!"

Apparently, according to Bower, the Royals were pissed -- because they'd specifically instructed Meghan NOT to talk about Harry. At the time, they'd been seen together publicly, but neither had spoken to the press. Meghan, in turn, reportedly got up in arms with her PR agency ... telling them to demand VF pull the quote and change their angle. Vanity refused.

That doesn't seem to have left a great impression with Buckingham Palace -- as we know, tensions only grew as time went on ... reaching a boiling point with the Oprah interview.

The aftermath of that sit-down proved to be devastating, so says Bower -- evidenced in Queen Elizabeth II allegedly saying something to the effect of ... "Thank goodness Meghan is not coming," when Prince Philip died a month after the interview aired. MM was pregnant again at the time ... and only Harry went to the funeral, but even he was said to have been antsy while there.

Of course, when Lilibet was actually born ... there were reports that Meghan and Harry sprung the name (Liz's actual nickname) on the Queen -- which Bower also apparently confirms in his book.

Finally, there's the drama that was quite obvious at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee earlier this year -- when Harry and Meghan were more than arm's length from the rest of the family pretty much throughout their entire time there ... especially for the coveted balcony seating.

As it turns out, according to Bower, MM and PH were dead set on getting a spot next to the Queen -- this, Bower claims, in return for what they thought they were owed for bringing the kids out there in the first place -- but Prince Charles shut it down ... and the Queen quietly cosigned by not granting their wishes. As you know, Harry and Meghan left soon afterward.

There's also the issue of Prince Harry's interview with Hoda Kotb, where he kinda dissed his brother and dad -- while making it seem like he and nana were perhaps even closer than she was with any of her other children/grandkids. The Royals resented this too, Bower claims.

Prince Harry claims he was not aware that some folks in the Royal Household had a hand in ending his police protection during a recent trip to the U.K. ... and he's pissed about it.

The Duke of Sussex and his team fired back at royal officials in a hearing Thursday ... saying he should've been aware that some of the Queen's aides were involved in the decision given the fact there were tensions between him and some royal officials.

In case you didn't know -- Prince Harry, who now lives in California, is suing for taking away his personal security during visits to the U.K. He claims it's not safe for him, Meghan Markle, or their two children to return to Britain because it's too dangerous without security help.

His lawyer, Shaheed Fatima, says ... "there were significant tensions between the claimant [Prince Harry] and certain people."