Royal Family

Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle may have something in common ... they've both gotten vaccinated.

You'd think Kate would be fully vaccinated by now, but nope ... she got her first shot Friday at the London Science Museum. Seems London's a little behind the U.S. of A. in the vaccine department ... Kate, who's under 40, just became eligible.

Kate said after getting poked, "Yesterday, I received my first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine ... I'm hugely grateful to everyone who is playing a part in the rollout. Thank you for everything you are doing," adding she's "hugely grateful."

Her hubby, Prince William, got his shot a few days before at the same site.

It's unclear which vaccine they both received. They'd be entitled to either Pfizer or AstraZeneca.

Prince Harry got a phone call recently with some tragic news, but he never answered the phone and cops ended up at his door.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... back on April 9, someone from the U.S. Embassy began calling Harry just before 3 AM to inform him his grandfather, Prince Philip, had died.

It's unclear if Harry's ringer was turned off or whether he and Meghan were just sound sleepers, but no one answered. After repeated attempts, the Embassy rep called the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Dept. and asked if an officer could go to Harry's Montecito estate to inform him the Embassy was urgently trying to reach him.

The Sheriff's Dept. obliged and an officer rolled up to the gates of Harry and Meghan's estate and made contact with someone who went and told Harry he needed to call the Embassy STAT, and that's how Harry was informed Prince Philip had died.

As you know ... Prince Philip died the morning of April 9 at Windsor Castle in England, which is 8 time zones ahead of California.

There's some interesting subtext to this story ... the Royals are extremely upset that Harry and Meghan have gone public with their grievances over their treatment by the Royal Family, including allegations of racism. You gotta think they did not want Harry to learn of Philip's death through the media ... it would make the Royals look kinda heartless, so the scramble to get to Harry ahead of the death announcement is understandable.

Martin Bashir -- the journalist who infamously interviewed Princess Diana and just got trashed for it -- says he didn't do anything wrong or deceitful in nabbing the sit-down ... despite what an independent report has concluded.

Bashir made his first public comments about the scandal to the Sunday Times ... denying any nefarious behavior he and the BBC are alleged to have engaged in back in '95, when Diana agreed to talk to him on camera about her relationship with Prince Charles.

It almost sounds like an apology, but it ain't ... because Bashir straight up says he played no part coming up with alleged fake docs and/or bogus phone calls placed to Diana. He says, "Even in the early 1990s, there were stories and secretly recorded phone calls. I wasn’t the source of any of that."

He goes on to say the idea the interview was somehow something Diana didn't want, or that it was framed in a way that harmed her afterward is simply not true ... regardless of what her boys, Prince William and Prince Harry, might be saying now ... nearly 30 years later.

Bashir says, "Everything we did in terms of the interview was as she wanted, from when she wanted to alert the palace, to when it was broadcast, to its contents," while going on to say he and his family loved the Princess, and they remained close even after the interview aired.

MB goes on to say this, "I don’t feel I can be held responsible for many of the other things that were going on in her life, and the complex issues surrounding those decisions." He went on to say Diana's brother, Charles Spencer, squarely putting the blame of Diana's death on his shoulders was "unreasonable and unfair" -- while also explaining he gets the grief.

After the report came out affirming the BBC had, in fact, undertaken deceptive methods -- including made-up bank statements purportedly showing Palace staffers accepting payment for stories about her -- PC and PH both slammed the outlet, and Bashir by extension.

Prince Harry's still dealing with the trauma of his mother, Princess Diana's fatal car crash when he was 12 -- but says therapy's brought him a long way since his days of partying hard to mask his pain.

The Duke of Sussex opens up about his own mental health battle in the series he co-created with Oprah -- "The Me You Can't See -- and he takes viewers back to 1997 when he and his brother, Prince William, were in shock after their mother's death.

Prince Harry says he felt "outside of my body" and struggled processing what happened, but his feelings turned to anger over Di getting no justice. He says, "Nothing came from that. The same people who chased her into the tunnel, photographed her dying on the backseat of that car."

Though he was having a very hard time, Harry claims his calls for help within the Royal Family were met with "total silence" ... and he was expected to carry on. Eventually, he says he just stopped thinking about it because it only made him sad.

Remember, Harry's already said Prince Charles' parenting caused him serious trauma -- and, as a result, royal aides have reportedly suggested Harry should be stripped of all his titles.

This all led to a period of hard-partying from the ages of 28 to 32, which Harry calls "a nightmare time in my life." He tells Oprah he was drinking a week's worth of alcohol on some nights to mask his pain, and was willing to take drugs to make him feel less like he was feeling.

Harry also talks about his relationship with Meghan Markle, who he says first encouraged him to seek therapy about 4 years ago. He says, "I knew that if I didn't do therapy and fix myself, that I was going to lose this woman who I could see spending the rest of my life with."

Meghan, of course, has detailed her own mental health struggles, and Harry talks about the scary night she expressed suicidal thoughts to him while pregnant with Archie ... something they first revealed during their CBS interview with Oprah.

Prince William and his brother Prince Harry are finally on the same page about something -- condemning the BBC for the way it treated their mother ... specifically regarding her now infamous 1995 TV interview.

The Royal bros both made strong comments Thursday after an independent investigation into Princess Diana's explosive sit-down with BBC journalist Martin Bashir nearly 3 decades ago determined he and the network engaged in "deceitful behavior" and dishonest tactics to persuade her to do it.

William blasted the BBC, saying ... "the deceitful way the interview was obtained substantially influenced what my mother said," and he blames it for his parents' relationship falling apart.

He also added, "BBC’s failures contributed significantly to her fear, paranoia and isolation that I remember from those final years with her."

During the interview -- a huge get for Bashir and the BBC -- Diana notoriously stated that "there were three of us in this marriage" ... referring to Prince Charles’ relationship with Camilla Parker-Bowles, and her account of the marriage failing was watched by millions.

Prince Harry went further than his big bro, ripping not just the BBC, but British media in general and laying her death at their feet -- "The ripple effect of a culture of exploitation and unethical practices ultimately took her life."

He adds that he's deeply concerned that the practices used in 1995 are even worse, and more widespread, today.

As for what sparked the BBC inquiry -- Diana’s brother, Charles Spencer, recently accused Bashir of using false documents and trickery to gain access to the princess, and the retired judge who was appointed to handle the investigation confirmed those allegations were true.

Prince Harry and Oprah just dropped the first trailer for their mental health documentary ... and it shows them opening up about their own pain, alongside other famous and non-famous people.

The preview of "The Me You Can't See" starts with the project's executive producers chatting about the mental health crisis around the world ... partially due to the pandemic -- but both Oprah and Prince Harry get emotional, talking about their mental health battles.

As Oprah puts it, "The telling of the story ... being able to say, 'This is what happened to me,' is crucial." The Apple TV+ series features other celebs, like NBA star DeMar DeRozan, Glenn Close and Lady Gaga ... who's using her real name, Stefani, for the project.

The trailer also features several images of Robin Williams, so it appears his battles with depression will also be discussed when the series premieres this Friday.

While promoting the show, Harry's been talking a lot about his own mental health issues ... including criticizing Prince Charles for his parenting skills, or lack thereof.

The Royal Family reportedly has had it up to HERE with Prince Harry trashing them publicly, and they think he's not acting like a prince, so he shouldn't have that title.

Royal aides are angry Harry's been lashing out, most recently at his dad ... this according to Daily Mail sources. The report came out after Harry went on Dax Shepard's podcast and said his dad caused him great pain and suffering. He does go on to say Prince Charles endured the same trauma because it's "genetic" in the Royal Family, but vowed he would break that cycle with his own kids.

Harry is speaking out on mental health issues -- he's got a new doc about it with Oprah -- but apparently, his message has fallen on deaf ears over at the Palace.

DM sources said, "The Duke of Sussex has now spent a significant amount of time emphasizing that he's no different to anyone else and attacking the institution which he says caused him so much pain.  There is a growing feeling that if you dislike the institution that much, you shouldn't have the titles."

As for the "genetic" abuse, the Royal aide lashed out, saying, “People are appalled that he could do this to the Queen when the Duke of Edinburgh is barely in his grave."

As you know, Harry and Meghan Markle also accused the family of racism, with someone (or multiple people) worrying Archie's skin might be "too dark." They didn't name names, but by eliminating the Queen, lots of folks believe they were accusing Philip, William and/or Charles of making the comment.

Prince Harry went to extreme lengths to keep his relationship with Meghan Markle on the DL -- like going on a secret supermarket run to meet her while pretending he didn't know her.

The Duke of Sussex made the revelation on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast when Dax asked if he'd ever been able to do any mundane things ... like going to the supermarket. His answer was yes, but he had to go way back to 2016 when Meghan first stayed at Kensington Palace.

He said, "The first time Meghan and I met up for her to come and stay with me, we met up in a supermarket in London, pretending we didn't know each other, texting each other from the other side of the aisles. There's people looking at me, giving me all these weird looks and coming up to me and saying hi."

He didn't reveal which supermarket ... but there's a Whole Foods a mere 100 yards away from the Palace. Harry said he stayed in such true "incognito" character ... he wore a baseball cap and kept looking down to avoid being recognized. Obviously, he needs better costumes, since people were spotting him.

But, since leaving his Royal duties and moving to L.A. ... Harry says he feels free. And, he feels like he can walk with his head held high. He compared living the Royal life between a mix of being on "The Truman Show" and living in a zoo with all eyes on him.

Harry chatted about a ton of other subjects ... including Joe Rogan's recent controversial remarks about the vaccine. The Prince called out Joe for initially saying healthy, young people don't need the vaxx.

Joe, of course, later called himself a "f***ing moron" for the remark but that didn't stop Harry from ripping Joe and essentially telling him to stay in his lane because "if you have a platform, with a platform comes responsibility."

Prince Philip died of nothing more than just being an old-timer ... that's how his official longtime palace doctor is putting it anyway.

The Duke of Edinburgh's official cause of death has reportedly surfaced, and it's simply stated as "old age" ... this according to the Daily Telegraph, which says it obtained his death certificate.

Now, we know what you're thinking ... what the hell does that even mean??? Welp, according to experts from across the pond -- citing old age is acceptable for someone over 80 who had one doctor look over his care for years ... and if there's no other identifiable disease or injury responsible for the death.

So, the obvious issue is Queen Elizabeth's husband had a number of ailments in his later years ... including a heart scare just months before he passed. Still, "old age" is what Buckingham Palace is going with and they kinda make the rules.

As they say ... it's good to be the Queen.

Seriously, though, in the U.S. ... it seems like the kind of thing we'd list as "natural causes."

As we reported ... 99-year-old Philip died last month, and the Royal Family held a grand funeral procession for him. Prince Harry flew in from the States for the ceremony and got some face time in with his brother and father ... the first time he'd seen them since his and Meghan's bombshell interview with Oprah.

One last thing about Phil's death cert -- it lists his full name, which is a mouthful ... even for a Royal. It reads ... His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh formerly known as Prince Philippos of Greece and Denmark formerly known as Philip Mountbatten.

His occupations were Naval Officer, and Prince of the United Kingdom.

Nothing says things are getting back to normal in the U.S. like a packed concert in Los Angeles ... where Prince Harry helped drive home the point of the night: ending the worldwide pandemic.

The visual is a little jarring at first -- thousands of people, all fully vaccinated, gathered Sunday night at SoFi Stadium for Global Citizen’s "Vax LIVE: The Concert to Reunite the World" charity show. The Duke of Sussex got a huge ovation as he delivered an impassioned speech about everyone working together in this "defining moment" to end wipe out COVID-19.

Harry and Meghan Markle are serving as campaign chairs for Vax Live, and teamed up with some huge musical acts to put on the free charity concert for 47,000. Some of the performers included Foo Fighters, Eddie Vedder, J Balvin, H.E.R. and Jennifer Lopez ... who was joined on stage by her fully-vaxxed mom for a loving embrace.

Harry, making his first appearance back in America since Prince Philip's funeral in England -- told the crowd, "Tonight is a celebration of each of you here, the vaccinated frontline workers in the audience and the millions of frontline heroes around the world."

President Biden also addressed the audience -- via recorded message -- and other special guest speakers included Ben Affleck, Chrissy Teigen, Jimmy Kimmel, Sean Penn and David Letterman.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and late husband of Queen Elizabeth II, is being laid to rest in an emotional farewell, with clear signs of Royal Family tension.

The ceremony was held against the backdrop of a bright and early Saturday morning across the pond at Windsor Castle ... where Philip's life, service and loyalty to the Queen is being celebrated. As expected, Harry and William were separated as they walked into the church.

QE2's husband of 73 years has been lying in repose at the castle's private chapel -- and today his coffin will be transported to St. George’s Chapel, where he'll be laid to rest in the Royal Vault.

The coffin was flanked by 9 members of the Royal family, including his grandsons Prince William and Prince Harry.

Of course, all eyes were on Harry to see how he interacted with his brother, his father, Prince Charles, and others because this is their first public interaction since Harry and Meghan Markle's Oprah interview ... where they accused members of the Royal family of racism.

After the ceremony, the brothers were spotted chatting and walking around the grounds of Windsor Castle.

While Harry flew in from California for the ceremony, Meghan did not get medical clearance to travel as she's pregnant with their second child.

As for Prince Philip, his coffin will be loaded into the back of a Land Rover he himself customized into a hearse, and the procession will pass by roads lined with military personnel saluting his naval service.

Bill Maher told Sharon Osbourne Friday night ... it's ironic her show is called "The Talk" ... because talking can get you canned.

Sharon was Bill's guest on 'Real Time' and he, more than she, trashed people on the show who suggested Sharon was racist for siding with Piers Morgan, who took aim at Meghan Markle and accused her of lying in the Oprah interview.

Maher's take ... you have to agree with what Meghan said or you're a racist.

Again, Bill was more agitated than Sharon, as he mocked her former talkers who suggested, by siding with Piers, Sharon was denying Meghan her voice. Bill said that was just plain stupid on its face.

Sharon Osbourne's walking the walk when it comes to "The Talk" ... she's so done with the show she did NOT watch the show's return on the air, and she's not spoken a word to Sheryl Underwood since their on-air explosion.

Sources close to Sharon tell TMZ ... the ex-'Talk' co-host was otherwise engaged when the show returned to the air Monday following a 3-week hiatus. As you know ... the show went dark after Sharon and Sheryl got into a heated argument over Piers Morgan.

You'll recall things got superheated during the March 10 episode when Sharon defended her good friend Piers ... this after Piers branded Meghan Markle a liar over her claims of Royal Family racism.

What's more ... our sources say Sharon and Sheryl have still not spoken privately since the on-air blowup. It's unclear if Sharon will soon reach out to Sheryl, but one thing's for sure ... our sources say Sharon's putting "The Talk" in her rearview.

For Sheryl's part ... she opened Monday's show from backstage and said the panel would openly discuss what went down on March 10 and how it'll move forward. When asked whether she could remain friends with Sharon ... Sheryl said, "People have asked me, 'Well, if you see Sharon, what would you do?' If she greeted me warmly and sincerely, I would give her back the same, because we've been on this show for 10 years."

Prince Harry's returning to Britain for the first time in a year following the death of Prince Philip ... and he's flying solo.

The Duke of Sussex is making the trip to the UK to attend his grandfather's funeral, but Meghan Markle -- who's pregnant with their second child -- did not receive medical clearance from her doctor to travel.

Harry will be following COVID-19 protocols for travel to and from the U.K. as well as during his time in his homeland, and the timing will work out for him to be at Prince Philip's funeral ... which will be held April 17 at Windsor Castle.

The funeral will be a family service closed to the public, and the Palace says Philip took part in planning it and asked for a private ceremony.

It goes without saying -- Prince Harry's return home will be very interesting ... as it will be his first face-to-face with the Royal Family since his and Meghan's bombshell TV interview with Oprah. Our sources say the Royal Family is not happy (understatement) with Meghan and Harry's interview, which some view as an attack and should have been handled privately.

It's also the first time Prince William's little brother will be back to see Queen Elizabeth II since he and Meghan stepped down as senior Royals in early 2020 and began their new lives in North America.  As you know, Harry and William are all but estranged, and the Oprah interview further drove a wedge between the two.

As we reported ... the Duke of Edinburgh, the Queen's husband of nearly 73 years, died Friday at Windsor Castle. His death came after some major health issues recently ... he was hospitalized back in February due to heart problems.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle have made their own statement about the passing of Prince Philip ... with a loving tribute on their website.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's Archewell site just updated so that it's only displaying a message honoring Queen Elizabeth's husband -- and Harry's grandfather -- who died Friday at Windsor Castle.

It reads ... "In Loving Memory of His Royal Highness, The Duke of Edinburgh, 1921-2021."

Harry and Meghan add ... "Thank you for your service...You will be greatly missed."

As we reported ... Buckingham Palace released a statement from The Queen announcing Prince Philip's death, and that was it from the Royal Family until the Archewell post.

It's still unclear what Prince Harry and Meghan's plans are now, but there are reports that at least Harry will be heading to the UK for his grandfather's funeral ... setting up what could be an awkward family reunion.

Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh and Queen Elizabeth II's husband of nearly 73 years, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Buckingham Palace released this statement ... "It is with deep sorrow that Her Majesty The Queen announces the death of her beloved husband, His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh."

The statement goes on ... "His Royal Highness passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle. Further announcements will be made in due course. The Royal Family join with people around the world in mourning his loss."

Prince Philip has had major health issues recently ... he was hospitalized back in February with heart issues.

The Prince had mostly been secluded as of late -- along with the Queen -- not necessarily for direct health issues ... but due to the recent safety precautions regarding the coronavirus pandemic. Philip was at-risk as a very old man with pre-existing conditions.

He was even hospitalized briefly in December to treat one of those conditions, but was released to join the Queen in time for Christmas.

Of course, in January 2019 he was also involved in an alarming car crash in which he was the driver. He was unhurt but decided to voluntarily turn in his driving license afterward ... at the age of 97.

Philip married Elizabeth in 1947 ... she became Queen in 1952, and he was dubbed a Prince of the UK in 1957.

Philip was born in Greece into the royal families of that country and Denmark. He was raised all over Europe, but joined the British Royal Navy at the age of 18. He served in WWII, and eventually rose to rank of commander until he retired from military service.

He retired from his official royal duties in August 2017 at the age of 96 after 65 years of service.

Philip is survived by QEII, their 4 children (Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward), 8 grandchildren (including Prince William and Prince Harry), and 8 great-grandchildren ... including the youngest heir to the throne, Prince George.

He was the oldest-ever male British Royal at 99.