Royal Family

It's been Friday the 13th nonstop at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's house -- at least that's how the couple is viewing their recent misfortunes ... according to a new report.

The Daily Mail says it's hearing from "insiders" that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex feel like they've been hit with a lot of bad luck over the past few years after they left the Royal Family/institution ... and it's because of this, apparently, that things haven't worked out.

If this report is to be believed ... it would seem they're pointing the finger elsewhere, and not at themselves. Specifically, Meg and Harry are reportedly blaming COVID, the death of the Queen and the death of Prince Philip for overshadowing their achievements -- which they supposedly think would've made bigger splashes under a different set of circumstances.

As far as the pandemic's concerned, DM says their sources claim H&M believe it generally screwed 'em on getting stuff out in an efficient/consistent manner ... not to mention setting them back time-wise, as it did for basically everyone else in the entertainment industry.

When it comes to why they're (reportedly) holding QE2 indirectly responsible ... DM's sources claim they felt like her death coincided with the launch of MM's podcast, 'Archetypes,' and essentially stole all her thunder ... as the world focused more on that a week or so later.

Ditto for the Queen's late husband, Prince Philip, who died about a month after their interview with Oprah aired. Apparently, they think that should've had longer legs than it did ... and that the Duke of Edinburgh's passing overshadowed their big moment.

Speaking of that interview, a separate report from The Times (UK) has some juicy new gossip that they're pedaling ... including the alleged notion that Kate Middleton and Prince William were actually the ones behind that "recollections may vary" line that Buckingham Palace released in their official statement responding to Harry and Meghan's racism claims.

The word is ... that statement was a lot more mild than how it finally came out, and that Will and Kate wanted to toughen it up to push back on H&M's characterization of things.

In other words, things are still icy between Harry and his family -- and not just that, but it appears Hollywood isn't all that interested in his other ideas either ... a double-whammy.

Lump in the fact Harry and Meg were finally booted from their Frogmore Cottage home just earlier this week, and it sure sounds like they're finally out here on their own now without a lifeline -- and clearly no further connection to the Royals ... besides blood, we suppose.

Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, went into surgery after learning she had an early form of breast cancer.

The Duchess, the ex-wife to Prince Andrew, went under the knife after a routine mammogram revealed her diagnosis. She was released from the hospital Sunday and is receiving ongoing medical care while recovering with her family. She still lives with Andrew.

Sarah's doctors told her the prognosis is good. The surgery was described as successful, thanks to the early catch. A friend told The Sun Sarah's extremely thankful for the medical staff.

She was missing from last week's Royal Ascot event at the Ascot Racecourse, and now we know why. Sarah took to social media Monday ... thanking everyone for their support.

Sarah -- or "Fergie" -- was once married to King Charles' brother, Andrew ... but they divorced in 1996 after a decade of marriage.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are being put over a barrel at Netflix -- 'cause they're apparently on the verge of losing millions unless they pivot ... so says a new report.

According to The Sun, Netflix honchos have recently had a convo with the ex-Royal couple ... supposedly telling them to make better, must-see content -- or risk not getting the rest of their $100-million-plus contract ... which they've already gotten about half of at this point.

Indeed ... the reported conditions have been set -- namely, Meg and Harry must produce higher quality shows, docs, and/or movies to claim the rest of their bag ... and if they don't, Netflix is apparently prepared to cut their deal short and refuse to pay 'em out in full.

The Sun goes on to say -- citing an unnamed source claiming to be plugged in -- Netflix was happy with the results for their bombshell doc ... but have been disappointed about everything after that, which presumably includes PH's forthcoming Invictus docuseries (which is still happening and coming out around August). Anything else though is nowhere to be found.

The report notes Meghan pitched an idea for an animated series about a girl inspired by historical female figures -- but that got dropped by Netflix. It would seem they didn't think it was compelling ... a recurring theme we're now hearing about them as creatives.

Now, on the prospect of potentially cutting 'em loose unless they deliver ... The Sun's source says the streaming giant wouldn't do it as publicly/humiliatingly as Spotify did. However, they do concede it would grab big headlines in and of itself ... and probably be a bad look.

No word on a timetable for them to make good on their deal, but it sounds like the clock is ticking for them. Gotta say ... this is not great news for Harry and Meghan. It would seem that wherever they've inked big-time deals ... the companies have been unsatisfied.

They're already filthy rich as is -- but if their Hollywood prospects are cut short ... that could seriously impact their financial futures in the long run. So, they kinda gotta get with it on ideas.

Meghan Markle shot for the stars trying to book guests for her soon-to-be-extinct podcast, but maybe the biggest one in the U.S. wasn't impressed enough to bite the bait.

Taylor Swift politely declined Meghan's request to have a chit-chat on her "Archetypes" podcast ... according to the Wall Street Journal.

The M.O. of the podcast was to discuss challenges and stereotypes facing women ... something Taylor has addressed in the past ... but Meghan's venue clearly wasn't enticing enough.

Mind you Meghan did get good guests -- Serena Williams, Mariah Carey, and Paris Hilton -- but the current, reigning queen of entertainment wasn't gonna be reeled in.

Prince Harry apparently had high hopes for his failed Spotify endeavors ... notably, trying to get Trump and Putin to talk about their childhood traumas. It's an interesting pie-in-the-sky play, but it was clearly a no-go. Besides, can you imagine Putin saying, "I became a ruthless dictator because my pops didn't love me."

Prince Harry had high aspirations for his now-defunct Spotify podcast ... he reportedly wanted to interview Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin about what he claims was their traumatic upbringings -- but nothing ever materialized.

Harry had convos with several producers about potential guests to appear on his "Archetypes" podcast with wife/host Meghan Markle ... according to Bloomberg.

The outlet says Harry floated a bunch of ideas for shows -- one of which was about childhood trauma -- and the Prince thought he could get Trump, Putin and Mark Zuckerberg to sit down with him for separate chats on that topic.

Harry's goal, according to Bloomberg, was to discuss their lives growing up and how their experiences molded them into the people they are today.

The Duke of Sussex also believed he could land Pope Francis as a guest for another podcast episode about religion.

Of course, none of Harry's ideas ever materialized ... and the producers reportedly thought his concepts were impractical, especially the ones about Putin and Zuckerberg since the two almost never speak about their childhoods.

Queen Camilla might be shading Meghan Markle ... after word a potential Dior deal isn't happening for the Duchess, HRH just so happens to be proudly wearing that very brand. 🤔

The Queen was out and about Tuesday in Berkshire, England with King Charles for the opening of the Royal Ascot (a famed British horse race) ... which went down with a full-blown Royal procession -- complete with carriages and fancy outfits galore.

The King was suited and booted in a top hat, but all eyes were on wifey and her resplendent white coat, because it's a custom Dior design!

The timing's interesting ... coming one day after rumors were swirling that Meghan was on the verge of signing a mega-deal to become a new face of the design house.

However, on Tuesday, Dior distanced themselves from that report ... saying there was no truth to it. Meghan and her team, likewise, also stamped it out -- although it's unclear who denied it first.

Look, we have no idea if Queen Camilla's wardrobe choice was intentional, but you can't overlook the timing.

We did some digging, and Camilla isn't known as a regular Dior consumer -- meaning, she doesn't tend to wear it all that often. Sooo ... subtle jab?

As you know, Meghan's relationship with the Royals has been rocky since she and Prince Harry left the institution and came to the U.S. ... eventually trashing Harry's fam over and over again.

One last thing ... we've spoken to some Dior sources on the ground, and they tell us what Camilla was sporting Tuesday is actually a custom suit, and won't be available to commoners, just in case you got it like that.

Sounds like Meghan Markle's rumored megadeal with Dior might be a 'lil more fiction than fact ... because new reports say the previous claims are just bogus.

According to a spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry, who spoke to The Telegraph, the "Duchess of Dior" isn't getting to any finish line with the fashion line -- and a similar denial came from Dior itself after this weekend's alleged news.

One of The Telegraph's sources claims they were "nonplussed as to how the story came about."

For what it's worth, Page Six sources say MM's hoping to work out a deal with a luxury brand at some point ... but she's allegedly eyeing Cartier as the business of choice -- a company that's got its own ties to the royal family, ironically.

For those unaware, Caroline Graham of the Daily Mail cited her sources this weekend, saying Meghan was on the brink of inking a huge deal with Dior ... claiming, "If she pulls that off, then no one will remember that her silly little podcast got canceled after one season."

The brand made sense -- she's been spotted in Dior quite a bit over the years, as has Harry ... and with the news coming just days after their podcast deal with Spotify fell apart, the move sounded legit.

Maybe that rumor mill's just workin' overtime.

Meghan Markle may be on the outs with Spotify, but she's supposedly about to be in with Dior -- that is, if you buy what a British columnist has to say about it.

Caroline Graham of the Daily Mail reported this weekend that the Duchess of Sussex might just be on the verge of signing a massive deal with the famed French couture house ... at least that's the buzz around Hollywood, as she cites her sources as saying in her piece.

Here's how one of the sources puts it ... "There have been rumors for weeks that she's about to sign a deal with Dior which has put the gossip mill into overdrive. If she pulls that off, then no one will remember that her silly little podcast got canceled after one season."

Not just that, but per the report ... MM's management team at WME has apparently been working overtime toward a major rebrand for their Royal client, with one source saying the Spotify news was a surprise to some ... but small potatoes to them based on what's coming.

As far as what sort of partnership this might be ... DM says sources are claiming Dior wants Meghan to be the "face" of the company -- similar to Charlize Theron and Jennifer Lawrence.

Of course, another recognizable face of Dior is none other than Johnny Depp -- but he's heading up the men's fragrance department ... so kinda at arm's length from anything Meg would presumably be involved in. No word on a dollar amount for this would-be signing ... but just for reference, JLaw's Dior deal is said to be around $15M, and JD's was $20M.

Considering how big a name Meghan is ... ya gotta figure hers would be well north of that.

While this news is unconfirmed, it is certainly interesting. The reason being ... Meg actually low-key wears Dior all the freakin' time -- or at the very least, a lot of the time. She's been pictured in Dior outfits several different times over the years ... as has Prince Harry.

The dude was actually rockin' Dior at King Charles' coronation last month -- so perhaps they've been telegraphing something this whole time. The brand makes sense for them.

Now, as far as podcast stuff ... DM also reports other platforms are blowing up Meg's people for a bite at the apple. And, of course, they still have their Netflix deal intact -- although, there've been rumblings that the streaming giant ain't quite happy with that either.

In any case, it sounds like Meg and Harry are far from strapped. They've cleaned up well since leaving the Royal family -- and while some deals are falling through, other doors seem to be opening at the exact same time. We'll see if this Dior thing comes to pass.

President Biden ended some remarks he gave this week on a strange note -- wishing health and prosperity on the Queen of England ... even though she's already kicked the bucket.

Joe was at the University of Hartford in Connecticut Friday, where he was giving a keynote speech for the National Safer Communities Summit ... where he was in front of a crowd featuring a ton of gun control activists. All was going well -- until the very end.

Watch ... JB starts to joke around with the crowd, and right before he leaves the podium -- he says, "Alright. God save the Queen, man." The crowd, weirdly enough, loved it.

Unclear why POTUS ended his speech this way -- for 2 reasons. One, he wasn't in England or across the pond, and definitely wasn't talking to a UK crowd. These were just regular old Americans. Of course, more importantly ... Queen Eliabeth II has been dead for months.

A lot of folks are circulating this clip/roasting Joe for it. On its face, it's just another gaffe.

While the Prez had kind words for the late monarch, her son probably would've appreciated Joe's well-wishes ... especially heading into the weekend, where he celebrated his first Trooping the Colour parade -- which is a celebration of his first year as the new King.

Charles was out there in his red military uniform, and even rode on horseback with one of those tall funny hats that cover your eyes. Indeed, he looked very Royal and prestigious.

The people of London packed the streets to see their new King, but in the end ... the spotlight wasn't totally on him the whole time -- thanks in large part to his grandson, Prince Louis. The kid goes viral from time to time for silly poses he does on the balcony.

As the people of Great Britain came to see on Saturday, he was at it again ... soaking in the glory. The little guy was having the time of his life -- and striking a lot of different poses.

Bill Simmons called Meghan Markle and Prince Harry de facto charlatans amid their Spotify exit -- and he clearly believes they brought little to nothing to the table there.

The longtime sports media personality and Ringer founder -- who made a boatload of cash in a mega-sale to Spotify a few years back, and who oversees a sea of podcasts under The Ringer brand there at Spotify as well -- trashed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in one of his latest podcast episodes ... where he did not mince words on how he felt about 'em.

BS launched into a quick and mini tirade about the Royal couple ... jokingly saying he wished he was part of their deal to leave Spotify, and then proceeded to call them "grifters."

Check it out yourself ... not only does Bill call them virtual phonies in the podcast game, but he actually drops what sounds like an F-bomb too. Adding insult to injury, he teases a story he says he has about trying to pitch PH a podcast idea over Zoom once upon a time.

Doesn't sound like that went well ... 'cause Bill obviously isn't a fan of them or their content.

Speaking of that content, reports have suggested that Meg and co. simply weren't cranking out enough of it to meet their end of the $20 million bargain. As such, some media outlets are saying they won't get paid out in full on their contract -- which is ... not great.

BTW, Harry and Meghan aren't the only people at Spotify getting kicked to the curb. It appears there's a lot of fat-trimming going on for pods that aren't producing -- Jemele Hill's losing her Spotify deal, and the Obamas lost theirs as well in the not-too-distant past.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are calling it quits on their deal with Spotify to produce their "Archetypes" podcast after one season.

In a joint statement ... the Duke and Duchess of Sussex (citing their production company, Archewell Audio) and Spotify -- a music/podcast digital service -- said they have "mutually agreed to part ways and are proud of the series we made together."

The New York Post reported Meghan/Harry failed to generate enough content for Spotify to payout their $20 million contract in full.

But WME, the talent agency that reps Meghan, told the Wall Street Journal ... the Duchess is continuing to crank out more podcasts for her "Archetypes" fans on a different platform. No word though on where and when we can listen to the new episodes.

King Charles will celebrate his 75th birthday this year, which, if you're in the Royal Family, calls for a massive parade ... but it's the guards dressed in uniform that are paying the price for the bash.

Rehearsals were underway Saturday for Charles' Bday bash -- complete with a massive band who was forced to perform in sweltering temps of around 86°F ... about 20 degrees warmer than usual for this time of year across the pond.

It wasn't long before band members started dropping like flies, passing out from the heat ... and forcing medics to carry them off on stretchers like in a war zone.

At one point, a trombonist, dressed head to toe in a wool uniform went down, attempting to get back up and play before he was whisked away by medical reps.

Prince William, obviously aware to what had happened, tweeted out a thank you to all involved and noted the crazy temps for the area.

If you're familiar, you might know Charles' actual birthday isn't until November, but Palace officials decided it would be too cold to celebrate with a parade during that time of year.

Obviously, that decision makes Saturday's disastrous rehearsal that much more cringe ... but other than the few fainting episodes, everything else seemed to go off without issue.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle shunning the royal family isn't stopping their firstborn from getting a little royal treatment -- turns out Prince Archie's got a sweet gift for his 4th birthday, simply because of his bloodline.

Archie's big surprise arrived on the doorstep of his parents' Montecito home ... a brand-spanking new bike complete with training wheels.

The little prince's birthday was May 6, and he loved the bicycle so much, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex decided to send thanks to the Montecito shop that sent it to him.

Their assistant, Harrison Colcord, typed a letter on behalf of Harry and Meghan and mailed it to the owners of Mad Dogs & Englishmen Bike Shop. If the name doesn't make it obvious ... yes, the owners are British.

It read, "On behalf of Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke, and Duchess of Sussex, please accept their sincere thanks for the thoughtful gift you sent to Prince Archie for his fourth birthday. The bike has brought much joy and is most appreciated by the family."

Archie's 4th birthday was not without drama. You might recall, Harry was treated like less-than-royalty when he attended last month's coronation of King Charles and Queen Camilla in London amid his ongoing feud with the Royal Family. Harry hightailed out of town to get back to California for Archie's birthday.

According to People ... the bike shop owner told Harry and Meghan's security he's "just a British business in town that wanted to give Archie a gift."

Things are really heating up for Prince Harry on the stand in his tabloid privacy case, getting grilled by the opposing attorney for failing to show actual proof of his claims.

The Duke of Sussex's cross-examination continued Wednesday ... where his lengthy witness statement was picked apart -- namely, pointing to the fact the guy hasn't brought any actual evidence of phone hacking, including alleged data Harry has cited.

Harry's explanation for this, so far, has been his suspicion that the Daily Mirror journos he alleges were spying on him/hacking his phone were probably using burners to cover their tracks ... plus the fact all this stuff happened so long ago, well over a decade at this point.

Then, some nitty gritty ... the opposing attorney, Andrew Green, went through several different stories that are at the center of the case -- and he broke down, one by one, why Harry thought phone hacking and/or spying was at the center of these gossipy pieces.

For example, a few articles were brought up from the mid-2000s referencing his relationship with his ex-GF Chelsy Davy -- details of which the Mirror reported on back then, including break-ups/ ups and down they'd gone through, which PH believes were reported on via illegal news-gathering tactics.

However, when pressed on why he thought that, he revealed that the unnamed "palace" sources cited in the stories couldn't have known about those things ... because he says he never discussed those things with any palace officials. There are also details from phone calls the two had that were reported on -- which cited friends as the source -- and Harry said he thought those were hacked from his voice mails.

What Green pointed out, however, is that a lot of these stories the Mirror did were actually out in other outlets too -- and sometimes even originated from other outlets, including American gossip mags -- and that they often cited anonymous sources who claimed to be in the know. What Green was getting at ... perhaps people in Harry's inner circle and/or people who worked for or with the palace provided the info, without any hacking whatsoever.

Essentially, Green was making the point that it's quite commonplace for outlets to get what some might consider inside info from well-placed sources ... and that citing anonymous sources is, oftentimes, exactly how a tabloid publication may have gotten the scoop.

Harry pushed back though ... insisting much of the content reported on by DM could've only been obtained by accessing his private records/correspondence. Green said Harry was "living in a land of total speculation" about where the info might've actually come from -- and Harry said he disagreed. They also butted heads at other points in the cross ... at one point, Green interrupted Harry (who kept turning to the judge) to say -- "Could I ask the questions?"

Long story short ... Green was making the case that a lot of what Harry's griping about had either already been out and reported on, usually citing anonymous sources, or that the Daily Mirror's stories were reported on with info that was easily accessible to the public. Harry called BS on that -- but when pressed on deets, he didn't seem to have any smoking gun. Just a lot of conviction and firm belief -- which Green consistently questioned and doubted.

Prince Harry didn't hold back during his first day of testimony in London's High Court, where he trashed the British press as he made his case over years-long alleged privacy breaches.

The Duke of Sussex was on hand, in the flesh, Tuesday ... where he hit the witness box early and reportedly read from a witness statement he'd prepared to discuss the allegations he's levied against the Daily Mirror -- the first tabloid case of his being heard.

His statement was reportedly 55 pages long, touching on everything from former associates/employees of Princess Diana -- including her ex-butler, Paul Burrell, whom he called a "two-faced s***" -- to voice mails of his that he claimed were accessed before he could ever hear them.

There's one compelling line about how he felt during the mid-2000s through the early 2010s ... the period of time at issue in the alleged phone hacking/spying case. Harry said, "Despite the common misconception, I was no more than 5% funded by the taxpayer while I was a working Royal in the UK, yet it felt as though the tabloid press thought that they owned me absolutely, and deserved to know everything there is to know about me, my life, my movements and the lives of those people who came into my orbit."

As for why he felt his phone was being hacked ... he described getting notifications for new voice mails on his phone back then -- but then seeing the notification disappear before he could even hear the audio. He says this happened often.

There's more ... Harry said stories that ran during this time about him possibly having been fathered by James Hewitt were incredibly hurtful to him, and harmed his mental health -- sparking fears he'd be ousted from the Royal Family amid speculation.

And lastly, he took direct shots at Piers Morgan ... whom he alleged was the one signing off on the alleged spying/hacking, as the guy was top dog at Daily Mirror at the time. He also alleges Piers is behind recent Mirror attacks against him and his wife, Meghan Markle.

One final telling quote from Harry ... "How much more blood will stain their typing fingers before someone can put a stop to this madness?" When cross-examined on that remark, PH responded ... "Some of the editors and journalists that are responsible for causing a lot of pain, upset and in some cases, speaking personally, death."

There was further cross-examination, in which attorneys for the Mirror asserted the articles he's suing over had actually already been written by other outlets -- and that the Mirror was simply riding the news cycle at the time with their own versions.

Prince Harry skipped the opening day of a huge trial he's at the center of -- surrounding alleged privacy breaches via UK tabloids -- and, according to the judge, it's not a good look.

The Duke of Sussex was nowhere to be found Monday as day 1 of a trial in London kicked off, where he's the key plaintiff. Remember, this is the case pertaining to the Daily Mirror -- just one of several publications Harry is suing after years of what he claims were illegal tactics used to spy on him as a youth for consistent story fodder.

While Harry was officially expected to take the stand Tuesday, the magistrate in this case -- Judge Timothy Fancourt -- had actually instructed PH to be there from the jump ... just in case they got through opening statements quickly and could get to his testimony sooner than later. Fancourt reportedly said he was quite surprised by the Prince's absence.

As for why Harry bailed, his attorney told the court his travel arrangements were hindered by security requirements ... not to mention his daughter's bday party. Lilibet turned 2 over the weekend, and Harry is said to have hopped on a plane to London right after that.

Despite apparently being in town, Harry's lawyer says he wasn't able to appear in court -- something that the attorneys for the Daily Mirror scoffed at ... as they were prepared to grill him about the articles he claims they ran that allegedly stemmed from dirty journalism.