Royal Family

Someone's about to fork over good money for decades-old cake ... which shows you how much of an event Princess Diana and Prince Charles' wedding was way back in the day.

The 28-ounce slice, preserved in plastic wrap and stored in a decorative tin for 40 years, is going up for sale August 11 -- and the winning bid is expected to come in at a cool $700. Not a huge amount of money in terms of celeb memorabilia, but ... for old cake???

As you can see ... the slice still has the royal coat of arms decoration ... and it looks like no one's managed to sneak a bite -- if anyone even would, after all these years.

The sale announcement comes on the very day marking what would've been Charles and Diana's 40th anniversary. The royal wedding -- aka "Wedding of the Century" -- went down July 29, 1981 at St. Paul's Cathedral in London with 3,500 guests attending in person. Another estimated 750 million people tuned in across the world.

The slice of wedding cake going up for sale was given from the Queen Mother (Queen Elizabeth's mom) to Moyra Smith, whose family sold the cake in 2008 to a collector.

Nearly 2 months after the birth of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's daughter ... she's still MIA from the official Royal line of succession.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor was born June 4 and would seem to make her 8th in line for the throne ... but the Palace has not listed her as such on its official website.

Prince Andrew is still listed as #8. Lilibet's name is nowhere to be found.

Interesting contrast ... when Lilibet's big brother, Archie, was born, his name appeared on the website 15 days after his birth. But, that was 2019 and this is now ... post Oprah.

For more context ... William and Kate's second child, Prince Louis, appeared on the Royal website 12 days after his birth.

Harry and Meghan want Lilibet to get the Royal treatment, as in a royal christening ... this according to The Daily Mail. Archie was christened in St. George's Chapel in Windsor and the Queen was present. They reportedly want the same for Lilibet.

Prince Harry reportedly waited until the last minute to let the Royal Family know he's writing a memoir ... one for which he's getting a big fat 8-figure check.

Penguin Random House -- the publisher Harry's partnered with for this -- made the announcement Monday, saying the Duke of Sussex's book is due out sometime late next year, and which will essentially be the "definitive account of the experiences, adventures, losses, and life lessons that have helped shape him."

So, essentially ... it's Harry's story in his own words. Well, sorta -- he's rumored to be using a ghostwriter, who's apparently getting a small cut of Harry's reported $20 million advance. Harry's reps say whatever profit the book makes will go to charity.

As for Harry, he put the news about his memoir this way ... "I'm writing this not as the prince I was born but as the man I have become." He adds, "I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity to share what I've learned over the course of my life so far and excited for people to read a firsthand account of my life that's accurate and wholly truthful."

PH's rep told British outlets he is not expected to get formal permission from Buckingham Palace or Queen Elizabeth to move forward -- and it's unclear if he's even going to run the final thing by them for accuracy. Word is he's almost completed the first draft.

Of course, there are reports the Royals are kinda pissed, as Harry supposedly didn't loop them in on his plans until very recently -- and, of course, they see it as yet another opportunity for him to bash them -- a la the Oprah interview.

It's interesting ... especially since Harry's had some facetime with his fam since the Oprah sit-down, including earlier this month with his bro, Prince William, at an unveiling of a statue honoring their mother, Princess Diana.

Jessie J is glad Prince William spoke out against racists targeting Black players on England's soccer team after their championship loss -- she says it's a sign of great progress.

We got the English singer Tuesday leaving Crossroads Kitchen in L.A. and asked her if William's comments show the Royal Family learned from the recent racism scandal with Meghan Markle.

Jessie says Prince William calling the disgusting comments "totally unacceptable" is a big step in the right direction.

As we reported ... England's soccer officials also condemned the racial abuse directed at their players after missed opportunities during England's penalty shootout with Italy in Sunday's Euro 2020 championship match.

Prince George is just like any other English person around the world right now -- cheering on his national team at the UEFA 2020 Final ... and freaking out when they scored early.

The 7-year-old son of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge was shoulder-to-shoulder Sunday at Wembley Stadium in London ... where England was facing off against Italy for the last match of the tournament, in which all the European national teams competed for the gold.

His pops, Prince William, was seen showing his boy the ins and outs of the game ... at one point crouching down to Georgie's level and pointing out what was down on the pitch below.

George seemed quite attentive throughout -- but when England scored first in the opening few minutes of the match ... and he and his old man celebrated together in what made for an awesome (and viral) moment that most of the UK noticed with glee.

So, yeah ... the kid's a big fan of the game. And, although he probably has his folks (and entire national heritage) to thank for that ... some are also giving big ups to his great-grandfather, the late Prince Philip -- who was a HUGE sports fan, especially for English football.

The Duke of Edinburgh -- who died earlier this year at the age of 99 -- famously visited Wembley himself waaay back in the day ... and actually greeted the national England team in person, shaking the players' hands on the field, and no doubt enjoying himself too.

Some are joking that Prince George might just be Prince Philip reincarnated -- and by the looks of how excited he is right now watching this ... they may just be right.

Sweet moment for the Royal Family. BTW, it's 1-1 now -- Italy tied it up, and there's only a few minutes left in regulation. Don't let George down, Team England!!!

Kate Middleton is in isolation after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for COVID.

Apparently, Kate interacted with someone last week who had the virus. According to British rules, people who come in contact with someone with COVID should self-isolate for 10 days.

It doesn't seem to have affected her health, at least so far. A Kensington Palace rep said, "Her Royal Highness is not experiencing any symptoms, but is following all relevant government guidelines and is self-isolating at home."

Here's how tricky this becomes ... Kate showed up at Wimbledon Friday and met with the staff at the All England Club kitchens. She also interacted with people as she ambled through the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum.

She also attended the England Euro 2020 match at Wembley Stadium with Princes William and George on June 29.

Kate was vaccinated in May, so the worst-case scenario if she contracts COVID is probably flu-like symptoms.

The unveiling of a Princess Diana statue at Kensington Palace should be cause for a royal celebration, but instead, the tension leading up to the event between Prince William and Prince Harry caused it to be a much smaller, somber affair ... so claims a famous photographer.

If you hadn't heard ... Diana would have turned 60 today, and her 2 sons just unveiled a statue in her honor in the gardens of Diana's home ... the home where Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement.

The ceremony was originally planned as a large gathering, but the royal brothers recently decided to cut the guest list down to a handful of close relatives ... blaming the change on renewed COVID concerns.

But, Arthur Edwards, Royal Photographer for "The Sun," is calling BS -- he says the ongoing friction between the princes is the real reason for the scaled-down event.

Edwards says the garden area is quite large, so if they wanted to have a nice-sized crowd that could still socially distance ... they could have easily figured that out.

The photog points out that 40,000 people were packed into Wembley Stadium recently to watch England beat Germany in the Euro ... so he says it's sad so many people who were close to Diana -- including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Edwards himself -- can't attend the unveiling.

Elton John reportedly was also axed from the guest list ... but there are plans for a later tribute for Diana in September.

Prince Harry left the Royal Family and is having babies with Meghan Markle in America ... but he's still getting his royal due, at least in California.

Harry's making sure to note his royalty on the birth certificate for the couple's second child, Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor ... the doc, obtained by TMZ, lists the father as "The Duke of Sussex" and "His Royal Highness."

As we reported ... Prince Harry and Meghan welcomed their first daughter into the world earlier this month, and the baby's name honors Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, and his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

As you know, Harry and Meghan previously called out the Royal Family for racism ... telling Oprah Winfrey some royals expressed concern their first kid, Archie, would have too dark of skin.

Prince Charles has reportedly drawn a line in the sand in the brewing war between him and Prince Harry ... by allegedly refusing to make his grandson, Archie, a prince once Charles ascends to the throne.

The son of Harry and Meghan Markle is now 7th in line to the throne, but according to the Daily Mail, the inside word is Charles wants to limit the number of critical royals, partly because it's an expensive proposition and the public wants a more streamlined monarchy.

Daily Mail notes members with titles such as Prince or Princess are entitled to financial support and security ... all paid for by commoners. As you know, Harry and Meghan have said publicly Buckingham Palace already refused to pay for Archie's security.

Although this sounds on the surface like a belt-tightening move, there's way more to the story.

As we reported, the Royals are angry at Harry and Meghan for torching them ... even accusing them of racism. Although they didn't say who made the comments about Archie's skin color, the finger seems pointed at either Charles or William, both of whom are reportedly estranged from Harry and Meghan.

President Biden and the First Lady met with the Queen of the U.K. this weekend to break bread and throw back some high-quality H20 -- and by that ... we mean tea and biscuits.

Joe and Jill swung by Windsor Castle Sunday for a late afternoon powwow with Queen Elizabeth II -- who was ready and waiting for them with her entire Guard of Honour standing by as well ... dressed in their red coats, and tall hats and standing as straight as ever.

When the mister and missus pulled up ... they got out greeted QE2 on a platform she was chillin' on -- and then remained upright as the crew there started playing "The Star-Spangled Banner," to which the Bidens saluted with hand over heart salutes. Liz didn't do it, though.

Anyway, after the American National Anthem was played -- Joe undertook what's considered tradition when world leaders pay a visit ... and that would be inspecting the troops. He did a lap and then circled back with Jill and the Queen, proceeding to go inside for tea time.

One last thing we should note here ... Joe remembered to do something that his predecessor infamously forgot to do, and that would be -- do NOT get ahead of the Her Majesty. Literally.

You might recall ... when Trump went for a little face time with the woman herself back in 2018 -- doing much of what Biden's doing today -- he pulled a major snafu and walked in FRONT of the Queen at one point, which is a major no-no -- and seen as poor etiquette.

Watch the clip toward the end when they start making their way in ... JB minded his manners here, and let Liz take the lead, no matter how long it took.

T.M. appeared on Australia's "60 Minutes" and claimed Oprah took advantaged of a "weakened" Prince Harry to build her own network. He said, "I have things to say. Oprah Winfrey, for one, I think is playing Harry and Meghan," adding, "I think she is using them to build her network and build her new shows and I think she's taken advantage of a very weakened man and has got him to say things that you just shouldn't be saying on television."

In case you didn't know ... Oprah already has a network -- OWN. She's also just launched her brand on Discovery. It is true, however, ... the interview was massive and got attention few interviews get.

And then, Thomas threw down ... "She [Oprah] will disagree of course, and she may even sue me.  I don't care. But, the bottom line is she is working with Harry."

Markle says he learned of the birth of Lilibet from Harry and Meghan's public statement ... and he found that disappointing. Given his attacks ... no surprise.

Queen Elizabeth II isn't blind ... something she reminded an aide of when they tried giving her another option for cake-cutting ... other than the 3-foot sword she ended up using.

Her Majesty celebrated her "official" birthday Saturday -- which is actually different than her real DOB, April 21 -- but the day prior, Liz cut a ceremonial slice of a cake that had been trotted out to her at the Eden Project in Cornwall ... where she was on hand for G7 duties, among other world leaders -- including Joe Biden, Boris Johnson and others.

Camilla Bowles was actually there too, as was Kate Middleton ... who watched QE2 attempt to cut her bday cake with a super long blade which we guess is ... tradition??? Who the hell knows -- point is, the Queen seemed dead-set on getting it done, despite her vocal hesitations.

At one point, someone on her staff made a quick note as HRH seemed to struggle a bit with the awkward feat -- noting there was a knife there too, if that was easier for her.

Watch what happens ... Elizabeth shot the aide a WTF look, and told her straight ... "I know there is." Her quick wit and sharp tongue got a huge chuckle from everyone around her. No harm, no foul obviously -- but we must say ... her putting the aide in her place is hilarious.

BTW, the jokes from the Queen didn't end there ... she got even more laughs that same day when she was posing on stage with the shot-callers of the free world -- openly asking if they were just supposed to sit there and seem like they were enjoying themselves. Great delivery!

Oh, and we should also mention ... QE2 got a proper celebration at Windsor to kick off her weekend on Saturday itself -- with a giant procession that was full of pomp and circumstance ... and rightly so. She's a ripe 95 years old now -- and still going strong even at this age.

Dr. Jill Biden and Kate Middleton met for the first time ever ... and everything looked rosy, including their elegant outfits.

The First Lady and Duchess of Cambridge met Friday in Cornwall, England ... not too far from where President Biden is attending the G7 Summit.  Meanwhile, Kate and Jill are focusing on education and kiddos.

They toured the Connor Downs Academy and visited a classroom for 4- and 5-year-olds ... who were reading the book, "Greta and the Giant." Both women wore masks indoors while chatting with the kids about the book.

They later headed outside and visited some of the animals on the premises. The kids look after some rabbits there ... which explains why Jill was carrying a huge plate of carrots.

They also took part in a roundtable discussion on early childhood education. Jill, of course, has spent decades as an educator. She's currently a college professor ... so this trip and the discussion itself are, no doubt, especially meaningful to her.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have welcomed their second child -- a baby girl who's been named to honor Harry's late mother, Princess Diana, as well as his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex just announced their daughter's arrival Sunday morning, but they say Meghan actually gave birth on Friday at 11:40 AM at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital. The little girl's name -- Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor.

They've already given her the nickname, Lili, and say she tipped the scales at 7 lbs. 11 oz.

Lili's got some big shoes to fill with that name -- her first is the Queen's family nickname, and then there's Princess Di ... Lili's grandmother. Giving her Diana's name is momentous for Harry, who -- along with Prince William -- is scheduled to unveil a statue of his mother in the UK this summer to mark what would have been her 60th birthday.

The Sussexes say Meghan and Lili are both healthy and settling in at their home in Montecito. The couple announced in February that they were expecting, and Lili's birth comes at a stressful time in the royal family.

As you know, earlier this year Meghan and Harry called out the royals for racism ... telling Oprah Winfrey, multiple family members had expressed concern their first child, Archie, would be too dark-skinned.

It will be interesting to see if a new baby, and Princess Di's statue ceremony, can help the House of Windsor mend fences.

Harry and Meghan now have a full set -- a boy and girl. Lili's big bro, Archie is 2.

Congrats!

Prince Harry is feeling the effects of his break with the Royals, because his title was removed at the Princess Diana Wedding Dress Exhibition at Kensington Palace.

There's a panel under the wedding dress with the following engraving ... “Lent by HRH [his royal highness] the Duke of Cambridge and HRH the Duke of Sussex.”

The HRH title was quickly 86'd ... officials cited an "administrative error." Administrative ... really? Harry and Meghan were allowed to retain their HRH status, but they agreed not to use it. It makes the removal from the exhibition all the more revealing.

The exhibition -- Royal Style in the Making -- includes Diana's 1981 bridal gown. Hard to forget the 25-foot train which followed her as she entered St. Paul's Cathedral.

Diana's dresses are actually the property of Harry and William ... they loaned it out for the exhibition.

Millennia-old human remains have been discovered mere feet from Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's estate ... and all signs point to them being early inhabitants of the area -- we mean the bones, not Meghan and Harry.

The Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office confirmed some veeeeerrrrry old bones were recently found buried on a neighboring property next to the couple's Montecito home ... this while construction crews were busy working on a landscaping gig.

The bones were buried three feet under the earth, and at this point ... it's suspected they might belong to a young indigenous person, perhaps someone from the Chumash tribe -- which has ties to the Santa Barbara area dating back thousands of years.

Authorities actually think the remains may be 11,000 years old. So yeah, we're talking way before any Euros came washing up onshore and wreaking havoc.

The Sheriff's Dept. notes they're consulting forensic anthropologists to make sure what they think it is is actually right ... which, if true, could potentially turn into a good old-fashioned fossil dig. The Chumash people are also being looped in, it seems, but have yet to comment.