Royal Family

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry beat "the media's out to get us" drum repeatedly in their new Netflix docuseries, but a royal expert says that's kinda rich ... considering how much they need media coverage.

Kinsey Schofield tells TMZ ... Harry and Meghan's claims about the aggressive press surrounding their life came as a shock to her, and sees a clear contrast between them and Princess Diana.

Kinsey sees the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as entertainers, more than members of the royal family at this point ... and thinks all they're doing is trying to deflect hate and get the public on their side.

While Kinsey doesn't think it's working, the jury's still out -- because after volume 1 of "Harry & Meghan" dropped this week, many viewers see the couple's version of their story as pretty charming.

As you know, a big point in the series is about the media's negative takes on the couple ... with Meghan saying, "No matter what I did they were still going to find a way to destroy me."

BBC's Nicholas Witchell called that claim "absurd," despite the countless racist and slanted British tabloid headlines shown in the docuseries.

Kinsey really takes Meghan to task, though, over one controversial moment from the doc -- Meghan's reenactment of her curtsy to Queen Elizabeth.

She saw it as disrespectful, in light of the Queen's death in September, and a scene that should've been left on the cutting room floor.

To invite or disinvite -- that's the question facing King Charles as it pertains to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attending his coronation next year ... and there's a lot of opinions.

Now that the couple's Netflix doc is out (at least in part), many have wondered what'll become of the King's big ceremony next Spring -- namely, are the Duke and Duchess going to be asked to come, or on the flip side ... explicitly told they're not welcome?

Several so-called Royal experts have weighed in over the past few days -- and the consensus seems to be ... it depends on what else comes out in their series.

So far, there hasn't really been any real bombshell accusations hurled toward the Royal family that we weren't already aware of. In the first three episodes of 'Harry & Meghan,' the couple has mostly recounted how they met and navigating the U.K. press/Royal life early on.

While the first official trailer seemed to promise some harsh criticism of the senior members -- including Prince William and Charles -- the doc's been relatively mild of late. The second half, which is set to air on Dec. 15, is sure to include more incendiary content ... that is, after they cover Meghan and Harry's first wedding dance, which Netflix teased with a new clip.

Now, if Harry and Meghan go into further detail about their racism allegations relating to their son, Archie, it could easily blow up their chances at being invited to the coronation in May ... which, as of now, is actually scheduled on the kid's 4th birthday to the date.

Unclear whether that was intentional or not, but it certainly seems fishy. At any rate, neither party has officially commented on any plans for Harry and Meg to attend or not ... but some insiders have claimed that Charles' wife, Camilla, has expressed wanting them there.

Thomas Markle is steering clear of his daughter's docuseries, "Harry & Meghan" ... according to Meghan's half sister, who says their father's more focused on his health than the project she calls "disrespectful."

Samantha Markle tells TMZ ... she's protecting her dad by telling him not to watch the new doc, saying Meghan's kicked Thomas while he was down in the past, and a series like this just further disrespects their fam.

Samantha says Thomas doesn't know what's in the series, and doesn't need to find out.

She doesn't think he'd even want to watch, because the royal family ordeal has been damaging to his health for a while. Most importantly, he's still recovering from the stroke he suffered earlier this year.

If you haven't seen it, the Netflix series is essentially the Duke and Duchess' side of everything they've been through -- from their first date to leaving the royal family to dealing with racist British headlines.

It also includes their viewpoint of the drama with Thomas leading up to their wedding, which he famously did not attend. Harry even says how "incredibly sad" it is for his wife to have lost her dad.

Some UK reporters are firing back at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry ... specifically about them claiming their royal engagement interview was rehearsed, and the media was out to destroy her.

BBC Radio 4 presenter Mishal Husain, who sat down with the couple in 2017 for their official engagement interview, responded to the staged claims with a bit of shade, saying ... "Recollections may vary."

Husain further explained she was "asked to do an interview and do said interview."

In their Netflix documentary, Meghan says the whole day -- including a photo session and the interview -- was like an "orchestrated reality show."

Lord Hall, the director general of BBC at the time of the couple's engagement, responded to the documentary noise, too ... saying Meghan's beliefs are "simply untrue."

BBC's Nicholas Witchell also shot down Meghan's most biting claim about the media: "No matter what I did they were still going to find a way to destroy me."

He says while part of her anger was pointed toward the royal fam, he believes some was aimed at the media, too. Witchell calls it an "absurd" claim, though ... adding it "simply does not stand up to proper and reasonable scrutiny."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell Netflix documentary isn't just a shot at the royal family over racism -- it also reveals her perspective, as she says, people didn't treat me like a 'Black woman' before moving to England.

In episode 2 of "Harry & Meghan" ... she says she never thought race would play such a big part in her marriage with Harry -- because growing up in L.A. as a mixed-race woman, being different had not been an issue for her.

Meghan says, "Now people are very aware of my race because they made it such an issue in the UK."

She added that before that, "most people didn't treat me like a Black woman," and as a result, she and her parents never had "the talk" about racism in America ... as most Black parents do.

The couple also got candid about their engagement in November 2017 ... saying the proposal was anything but natural, with Meghan laughing about the "orchestrated reality show."

On a much more serious note, Harry addresses his infamous costume -- he dressed up as a Nazi for a 2005 party -- and calls it the "biggest mistake in my life.”

He details the steps he took to learn from that moment, but admits there was a chance he could've mistakenly ignored all the criticism.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are only days away from dropping what promises to be an explosive documentary about their time inside the royal family, but still made time to accept an honor for their efforts battling racism.

The pair was all smiles as they pulled up to the Ripple of Hope Gala in NYC Tuesday. During the event, put on by the Robert. F. Kennedy Human Rights Foundation, Harry and Meghan received the 'anti-racism' award. 

The gala highlights leaders who have shown a commitment to social change. According to the official site, "This year's laureates [honorees] have prioritized equity, inclusivity, and sustainability in the workplace and the world."

Past recipients include ... Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton to name a few.

The honor comes just one day after Netflix dropped the trailer for “Harry & Meghan." In the preview, Harry calls out the "hierarchy of the family," alleging they leaked stories about his life with Meghan to support the family's "war against Meghan."

Remember, Meghan and Harry first came for the royal family during an interview with Oprah ... accusing unnamed members of the family of racism.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle seem to be in strictly business mode ahead of their controversial Netflix doc's premiere -- a project that has a former friend of the family saying they should lose any trace of royalty they have left.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex landed in NYC Monday, where they stepped off their private jet shoulder-to-shoulder and met with a group of friends on the tarmac before they were on to their next destination.

The trip comes directly on the heels of the latest trailer for "Harry & Meghan" -- in which they appear to take a scorched-earth approach toward his family while describing their experience trying to bring MM into the royal fold.

Harry's got a pretty serious face on here, as does Meghan -- who's wearing shades, but flashing the slightest of smirks too. No doubt, they've heard the waves of criticism for the documentary ... particularly across the pond, as they say.

Princess Diana's ex-butler, Paul Burrell, turned on his late boss's son publicly Monday night as he told Piers Morgan ... Harry and Meghan should be stripped of their remaining Royal titles.

Speaking out on the UK's Talk TV, he said Diana would be horrified by Harry's approach to disconnecting himself from the monarchy -- even if she could, in principle, support his move to America.

Burrell claims she would not have approved of what he describes as a route laced with "commercialism."

Burrell says the Duke and Duchess crossed a line, just from what he's seen in the trailer ... and he believes the actual series will be even worse.

He says King Charles should take a stand and turn them into true Average Joes.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming documentary lays out new allegations about his family's attacks on her -- but at least one expert isn't buying their claims of racism, because she says King Charles III has lots of "Black friends."

Angela Levin authored "Harry: A Biography of a Prince" back in 2018, and joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to break down the new trailer for "Harry & Meghan." Her take is it's total BS from the Sussexes.

She finds it suspect that the couple keeps playing the racism card without pointing the finger at anyone specific in the royal family ... and, without hard evidence. So, as far as she's concerned, it's a lie.

As we've reported, Netflix released a new trailer for the doc ... where Harry calls out the "hierarchy of the family," alleging they leaked stories about Meghan and him to support the family's "war against Meghan."

You'll recall, Meghan and Harry first raised the racism claim during the Oprah interview ... accusing unnamed members of the royal family of racism. Angela, for one, is convinced it's not Harry's father.

She told us King Charles has "loads of Black and Chinese friends." No joke, that's exactly how she said it.

The author didn't try to hide her distaste for Meghan, either -- flat out blaming the Duchess for bringing out the worst in Harry.

A new trailer for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's documentary has dropped, and it's clear the couple isn't holding back in taking some serious shots at the royal family.

Netflix released the new preview for "Harry & Meghan" Monday morning, showing more of the drama that'll be unveiled starting this week ... and Harry's calling out the "hierarchy of the family" -- claiming people inside his camp were leaking stories about him and Meghan.

Meghan claims everything changed after she married into the fam ... with one person talking about "a war against Meghan" -- while another claiming the drama was all rooted in hatred and racism.

Harry even talks about not wanting "history to repeat itself," while flashes of paparazzi swarm their car -- before showing shots of Princess Diana dealing with the same thing.

As we reported, Harry and Meghan -- who now live in the U.S. -- were stripped of their private security during visits to the U.K. back in July ... Harry claimed it wasn't safe for him, Meghan or their 2 kids because it's just too dangerous without security help.

Harry ends the trailer, saying no one knows the "full truth" except for them ... and we're only days away from finding out what that is.

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.