Royal Family

Prince William and Kate Middleton spent their first night in the U.S. at a Celtics game, as one Royal controversy has exploded and another is on the way.

The Duke & Duchess of Cambridge were front and center at the Celtics game Wednesday night against the Miami Heat -- they're in town for Friday's Earthshot Prize Awards Ceremony ... created by William to find solutions for global warming.

When they popped up on the jumbotron, there was a smattering ... maybe more than a smattering of boos. Now we all know that's the way Boston fans roll, but their appearance came just hours after William's Godmother, Lady Susan Hussey, stepped down from her Royal duties after asking some racist questions at an event.

And, then there's Harry and Meghan ... hours after the game Netflix dropped a trailer for their upcoming documentary, and it's clear as day they're going after the fam. Harry says, "No one sees what goes on behind closed doors. I had to do everything I could to protect my family."

The two brothers will NOT see each other during William's 3-day stay in the States. So much for a reconciliation after the Queen's death.

Prince William is speaking out against racism that's been alleged against his godmother -- who's also a high-ranking Buckingham Palace aide.

Reps for the Prince of Wales says he is "really disappointed" by the account shared by Ngozi Fulani about Lady Susan Hussey, adding ... "Racism has no place in our society, these comments were unacceptable and it's right that the individual concerned has stepped down."

Hussey -- a Royal courtier, who works for Queen Consort Camilla and who served Queen Elizabeth II for years prior to her death -- resigned from her post after Fulani publicly detailed an uncomfortable interrogation she says Lady Hussey put her through Tuesday at Buckingham Palace.

Fulani, who heads up a nonprofit in the UK for DV survivors of color, says she was in attendance for an event Camilla hosted to raise awareness for violence against women ... and that's when Hussey approached her.

Fulani claims Hussey moved her hair out of the way to view her name tag, and then went on to ask where she was from -- which NF says turned into a back-and-forth about where her ancestors were from.

Fulani, at first, identified the org she was with -- Sistah Space -- but she says Hussey wanted to know what part of the world she was from. Fulani says she told Hussey she was British, but Hussey apparently wouldn't accept that ... pressing for her regional heritage.

When Fulani explained that she was of African heritage, Caribbean descent and British nationality ... she says Hussey butted in and flippantly said, "Oh, so you're from ..." Fulani says the interaction left her disillusioned the rest of the time she was there.

When she posted this on Twitter, it went viral ... and Buckingham Palace issued an apology on behalf of Hussey, adding ... "All members of the household are being reminded of the diversity and inclusivity policies which they are required to uphold at all times."

BP also said they'd reached out to Fulani personally and extended an invite if she wanted to discuss things further. Despite this, the backlash mounting has been swift and fierce.

King Charles loses his cool over bleeding pens, but keeps his head up when it comes to protesters ... armed with eggs!

The King and Queen Consort Camilla were out Wednesday in the city of York (the old one), and about to enter a historic gateway when the sticky biz went down.

A guy in the middle of the gathered crowd reportedly yelled out, "This country was built on the blood of slaves," and unloaded several eggs in the direction of KC3 and Cami.

The good news for the King is this guy has bad aim -- not a single yolk landed on the monarch or his wife -- but cops, and apparently a couple of citizens, immediately took down the protester.

You could hear a lot of "God save the King" and "hip, hip hooray" during the arrest -- and we gotta say, Charles at least looked calm and collected through the whole thing.

As for the protester ... the 23-year-old was reportedly arrested on suspicion of public order offence (they spell weird over there).

Netflix's "The Crown" is currently filming its latest season, and it looks like Princess Diana's fatal car crash will be front and center ... because the show's recreating that tragic moment.

Production was underway Thursday in Paris, and rather eerily, they're shooting right around the Pont de l'Alma tunnel ... the fateful location where Diana's driver crashed in 1997 while being tailed by paparazzi.

It looks like the production is retracing the actual route and the scene as it really happened -- they have photographers on motorcycles surrounding the Mercedes-Benz sedan.

As you know, the 36-year-old's death shocked the world ... her boyfriend, Dodi Fayed, and their driver were also killed in the devastating crash.

FYI -- fans of the show know Diana, currently played by Elizabeth Debicki, was first featured in the show's 4th season, and there was a TON of fan excitement surrounding her introduction to the royal plot.

It's unclear if Diana's death will become the main focus of the upcoming season, but it looks like producers and the director are aiming to recreate the event as accurately as possible.

Meghan Markle might've thought her "Deal or No Deal" days were chock-full of misogyny -- but she was pretty into the deals she found in Montecito Friday ... or a lack thereof, rather.

The Duchess was shopping at a swanky luxury boutique in her backyard with a friend and security guard/driver in tow. She was looking pretty chic, but apparently wanted some new threads from a place she was happy to advertise on the way out ... bag-flashing for days.

The store she went to is quite high-end -- so much so, you can't even view their catalog on the web for a price point. All they seem to offer in their "Shop Online" category are gift cards, ranging from $100 to $1000 ... so that gives you an idea of how uppity it is.

In other words ... she probably didn't get much of a deal here, not like her briefcase days -- when she says she felt objectified over her looks and made out to be a "bimbo."

Anyhoo -- check out how Meghan handled herself when she was getting out of there ... she tries to open the door for herself, but her driver insists on getting it, which she lets him do.

It's interesting ... this is apparently one of the things that the Royals and/or their staff had a major problem with while she was working for them -- namely, that she broke a ton of little protocols ... including taking the lead or getting her own door, stupid stuff like that.

Former "Deal or No Deal" model Claudia Jordan is sticking up for the other briefcase models on the game show ... saying Meghan Markle's claims about being "forced" to become a briefcase "bimbo" just ain't right.

The "RHOA" alum joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday, saying she had no clue the Duchess of Sussex had such negative feelings about being on the show ... and felt her comments were a little unfair for the rest of the models.

Meghan felt the models were "objectified" for their looks and were never able to showcase their brains.

Claudia says there were lots of briefcase models with brains, including Stacey Gardner, who passed the bar exam while she was on the show.

But, as Claudia says, it was no secret ... they signed up for a modeling gig, and clearly, Meghan knew that.

Claudia has been a fierce defender of Meghan's, saying the racist treatment she got from the British press and the treatment she generally got from the Royals was appalling, but the "Deal or No Deal" complaint is different.

Meghan Markle says she was reduced to "bimbo" status after her stint on "Deal or No Deal" ... the question -- what on earth was she expecting from the show?

The Duchess of Sussex expressed her grievances on the new episode of her "Archetypes" podcast. She said the job was all about looks, and not smarts, complaining many of her briefcase-toting cohorts were super smart, but producers didn't care.

Gotta ask ... what did she think she signed up for ... wearing sexy dresses and striking poses as she cracked a big smile and opened the case. That was the job.

What's more  ... there were no surprises here. Meghan joined the show in season 2, so it was apparent to anyone who watched ... the briefcase models were not there to show off their intellect.

She admits she was grateful to land the job, especially getting something that was secure and paid the bills ... but she couldn't help but think back to her past work as an intern at the U.S. Embassy.

Meghan eventually became a series regular on USA Network's "Suits" in 2011 ... staying until 2018 -- when she married Prince Harry.

Thomas Markle insists he's too old and frail to pose any threat to famed paparazzo Jeff Rayner that would necessitate a restraining order ... but Jeff says he still needs the protection because he thinks Thomas has nothing to lose.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, Thomas is asking a judge to terminate the 2-year restraining order put in place last month ... claiming Jeff is harassing him by, among other things, claiming Jeff lied about him having a gun.

In his request, Thomas writes ... "I am no threat to anyone because I'm 78 years old" ... adding he's had "2 heart attacks, one stroke, and have a cane for walking."

Jeff fired back in his own legal docs ... saying Markle's age and poor health are the exact reasons why he's still worried -- simply put, he thinks Markle has nothing to lose because his time is running out anyway.

He points to Markle's OG threat which read, "If they tell me I've got terminal cancer, then I'll kill [Jeff] because I have nothing to lose."

Jaire Alexander will be honoring Queen Elizabeth during the Green Bay Packers game in London on Sunday ... with these new custom cleats featuring Her Majesty.

TMZ Sports has learned the Packers organization reached out to celeb artist Joe Castro last month -- in order to have custom spikes made for their 25-year-old cornerback for their big game against the Giants.

"They wanted something to commemorate the Queen while they play in England," Castro tells us.

And, Castro delivered!!!

You can see a portrait of the Queen -- who sadly passed away on Sept. 8 at 96 years old -- in front of the United Kingdom flag on one side of the green-and-yellow-painted Adidas.

There's also a detailed design of London's skyline on the other side of the Pro Bowler's cleats.

Kim Kardashian's new podcast is taking over ... quite literally.

Her big true crime project, "The System," shot to the top of Spotify's "Top Podcasts" list this week -- surging past "The Joe Rogan Experience" and even the famed "Call Her Daddy" ... which fell in line behind her at #2 and #3, respectively.

Meghan Markle's podcast, "Archetypes," was #4 -- and from there you got "Huberman Lab," "Crime Junkie," "The Try Pod" and "On Purpose with Jay Shetty" ... in that order.

It's pretty impressive, considering this is less than a week old. If you're unfamiliar -- this first season of "The System" tackles a case pertaining to convicted murderer Kevin Keith ... whom Kim believes is innocent, only to dive deep into the deets/evidence.

Clearly there's interest in what she has to say in a podcast setting, but keep in mind -- this is a Spotify exclusive ... so it's hard to tell how "The System" would translate across other platforms. Rogan and Markle's podcasts are also exclusive to them -- so jury's out there too.

In any case ... she's all in on promoting it. Looks like KK snapped up some old-fashioned billboard advertising in Calabasas to plug the podcast, with her face front and center.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are softies for soft rock ... hitting up a Jack Johnson concert!

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex watched Jack do his thing Wednesday night at the Santa Barbara Bowl, an outdoor venue that was packed. They weren't exactly just part of the crowd ... they watched the show from a special section cordoned off from the masses, with 10 other folks.

They cut loose during the show, dancing, swaying to the music and clearly familiar with Jack's hits. It was clearly date night ... Harry and Meghan were standing as he wrapped his arm around her waist. They were also friendly with the small group in their section ... chatting them up.

Meghan and Harry arrived separately ... she got there around 8 PM and Harry pulled up about an hour later.

Of course, their night out comes weeks after Harry and Meghan went to the U.K. to attend all the Queen's funeral events, after she died last month.

Meghan Markle not only mirrors a woman in the royal family with MANY similarities ... she even dresses like her!

Photos surfaced this week of Meghan looking shockingly like Wallis Simpson. For those who don't know, Wallis Simpson was a divorcee and American actress who married King Edward VIII back in 1937. Edward had to make an incredibly hard choice, because the royal family did not allow members to marry divorcees, so he had to choose, and he chose love, abdicating the throne and leaving the country.

Sound familiar? Meghan was a divorcee and an American actress who married Prince Harry, and after it became unbearable for her to the point she was considering suicide, Harry left the royal family and left the country.

Oh yeah, King Edward VIII was Harry's great-granduncle!

Of course, Meghan's fashion choice could be coincidental, but we don't think so. The style of Meghan's dress is a dead ringer for Wallis', her hair is pulled back just like Wallis', and the bunched-up fabric around their necks -- identical.

Edward and Wallis was a true love story ... they were married until Edward died in 1972.

This isn't the first time Meghan has drawn up fashion comparisons to Wallis. In the infamous interview with Oprah, Meghan wore an Armani dress similar to a dress Wallis wore in a portrait.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's potential move up the road to an even more exclusive spot in Santa Barbara is cranking up the angst among the locals already ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the Homeowners Association (HOA) at Hope Ranch -- a super exclusive SB community  -- tell us there are a number of folks in that community who are fretting over Harry and Meg coming there ... because of all the baggage that comes with them.

We're told nobody in Hope Ranch holds ill will toward the Sussexes personally, but the fact is ... many feel they're going to bring a circus to their quiet, super-private burb ... since they're so famous and controversial, and our sources say that can present very real-world problems.

One of the issues worrying some Hope Ranch residents has to do with traffic as a result of PH and MM's presence. Traffic has always been an issue in Santa Barbara, where residents for decades have tried to protect their community from an influx of cars.

The roads there are narrow and winding, and with would-be paps flocking to snap the Royals ... some residents fear it could create peril, especially for kids who are playing and walking to school.

While there's certainly a lot of richies living at Hope Ranch, none of them are quite as high-profile as Harry and Meghan ... and we're told them coming in is stressing out a good number of the villagers.

As for their current Montecito neighbors, we talked to a few who've had no issues with the Royals being in their backyard.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have apparently outgrown their 10,000 square-foot mansion ... because they're reportedly looking for greener, larger pastures.

The self-exiled royals are on the hunt for a bigger house in the uber-exclusive Hope Ranch area about 10 miles away from Montecito -- AKA Oprah Country -- this according to the Santa Barbara News-Press.

They're currently in a super-fancy home on a huge parcel of land -- by SoCal standards -- but they're doing a lot of work from home and also raising their 2 kids, so they apparently want more space.

They spent around $15 mil for their current home, and the prices in the area the News-Press says they're looking go as high as $22 million.

The Hope Ranch area has an exclusive country club, golf course ... and access to all sorts of fun stuff, including tennis courts, picnic areas and equestrian trails.

It's unclear if they're just looking or if they've sealed the deal.

Queen Elizabeth II might have been one of the most complex, dynamic and beloved figures of the 20th century ... but her death certificate is simple, perhaps oddly so.

The official document was filed this week, revealing she passed at 3:10 PM local time on September 8 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland -- and the 96-year-old monarch's cause of death is listed as "Old Age."

That's it.

We gotta say, it's the first time we've seen a death certificate with so little information -- typically, there's something more medical listed ... like cardiac arrest or multiple organ failure. Then again, we haven't seen many any of these for British monarchs who sat on the throne for 70 years. The physician who declared her dead was Douglas James Allan Glass.

Interestingly, her only daughter, Princess Anne, is listed as the "informant."

Lack of detail aside, the certificate says Elizabeth Alexandra Mary -- her full given name -- was the widowed daughter of King George VI and Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon ... aka The Queen Mother.

Queen Elizabeth's funeral doesn't hold a candle to Princess Diana's when it comes to TV ratings -- in the U.S. and the UK -- but the reality is it's kinda hard to compare the events.

Indeed ... the TV ratings for QE2's burial ceremony Monday are in, and they pale in comparison to how many folks watched Diana's service in 1997 ... drastically so when it comes to us Yankees.

The Nielsen numbers are striking ... an average of 11.4 million viewers watched the Queen's state funeral -- this next to the 33.2 million people who watched Diana's funeral more than 2 decades ago in the States.

It was a little closer among the British -- about 27 million British people watched the monarch's final send-off, slightly less than the 32 million who tuned in for Di.

The one thing that's not accounted for here with the Queen's figures is that her procession was being live streamed across various digital platforms, and those numbers don't count in the Nielsen ratings. So, it's quite possible she did have a bigger raw number of worldwide viewers.

It's also unfair to compare just about ANY TV program today to one from 25 years ago ... the advent of streaming services has dramatically lowered TV ratings for even the biggest shows. And, ya can't ignore the facts surrounding both women's deaths -- Diana died in the prime of her life in a tragic car accident, as compared to the Queen ... who, while being widely beloved, was also 96 years old.