Royal Family

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may no longer be in the good graces of the Royal Family, but they still give their dog the royal treatment ... even when they're busy.

The couple's dog -- a black Lab rescue named Pula -- got to enjoy a lovely stroll near the beach in Santa Barbara Friday ... courtesy of her professional walker.

It's unclear who the heavily tatted, dog-walkin' bro is, but he made sure Harry and Meghan's pup was nice and clean before she hopped back into their Land Rover and headed home to Montecito.

While the dog walker's 15 minutes of fame may have just begun, Pula's pretty popular already. She was featured in some photo spreads earlier this year frolicking with Harry at the beach ... and she also made an appearance during the couple's bombshell interview with Oprah earlier that month.

Prince Harry got a taste of New York he's never experienced before ... in the form of chicken and waffles ... and a lot more.

Harry and Meghan Markle took a trip Friday to chow down at Melba's ... the famed soul food restaurant in Harlem.

Melba rolled out the red carpet, serving them Southern fried chicken, eggnog waffles, spring rolls, catfish, collard greens and yams.

They chatted with Melba about City Harvest, a charitable org that delivers food that would otherwise go in the trash to various groups that help feed folks in need. H&M pledged $25k ... unclear if it's to support Melba's, which was hit hard by the pandemic, or City Harvest.

Prince Andrew's old friend, Alan Dershowitz, is trying to get him out of a jam with his sexual assault lawsuit ... by asking a judge to unseal some old legal docs involving Jeffrey Epstein.

As you'll recall ... Queen Elizabeth's son was sued last month by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was a victim of Epstein's sex-trafficking scheme for powerful men, including guys like Prince Andrew and Dershowitz.

Giuffre also sued Dershowitz in 2019 and made similar accusations, but she recently dropped her battery claim against him. He says she dropped it because an old settlement she reached with Epstein in 2009 released him and others from certain liability ... meaning they can't be sued by her for the sexual claims.

According to new legal docs filed by Dershowitz ... this confidential settlement is the reason she had to drop the battery claim against him, and he believes it should apply to Prince Andrew too.

However, according to legal docs, Giuffre's lawyers claim they can't undo the confidentiality of the settlement because other parties were involved ... and Epstein's estate won't undo it either. So, Dershowitz is asking the judge to step in.

Dershowitz wants the judge to unseal the 2009 settlement with Giuffre -- or at least a redacted version of it -- so Prince Andrew can try to use it to get the sexual assault claims against him dropped.

Prince Andrew is accused of sexually abusing Giuffre in NYC when she was 17 as part of the alleged sex trafficking by Epstein and his accused co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Andrew was not cooperative with FBI and federal prosecutors in 2019 and 2020 -- when they wanted to talk to him about Epstein -- and in wake of Epstein's arrest and death in his jail cell, the Prince claimed he couldn't remember meeting Giuffre ... despite a 2001 photograph where he's apparently posing with her.

Prince Andrew sexually abused a teenage girl he met through Jeffrey Epstein ... this according to a new lawsuit.

Queen Elizabeth's son is being sued for sexual assault in federal court by Virginia Roberts Giuffre, who claims she was a victim of Epstein's sex trafficking scheme for powerful men, including Prince Andrew.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Andrew is accused of sexually abusing Giuffre in NYC when she was a minor ... at the invitation of Epstein and his alleged co-conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell.

Giuffre claims she was only 17 years old when Prince Andrew committed sexual assault and battery against her ... and she says the alleged abuse left her with severe and lasting emotional distress.

As we reported ... Prince Andrew was not cooperative with FBI and federal prosecutors in 2019 and 2020, when law enforcement was looking to talk to him about Epstein.

In the wake of Epstein's arrest and death in his jail cell, Prince Andrew went on "BBC Newsnight" and claimed he couldn't remember meeting Giuffre, despite a 2001 photograph where he's apparently posing with her.

Prince Andrew resigned from all public roles in May 2020 over his ties to Epstein.

Meghan Markle got a birthday gift from her father, a bouquet of roses, but it doesn't seem to be thawing their icy relationship.

Thomas Markle tells TMZ … he sent Meghan flowers for her 40th birthday, along with a personalized card that simply said, "Wishing you a happy birthday and brighter days."

We're told the bouquet featured a dozen red roses with 2 yellow roses in the middle, signifying Meghan and Prince Harry's 2 children.

Thomas says he specifically wanted to incorporate his grandchildren, Archie and Lilibet, in Meghan's birthday flower arrangement ... telling us he wants to be a part of their lives because it seems to him the kids don't have enough family around them in Montecito.

As you know ... Meghan and her father have a testy relationship, and Thomas doesn't get along with Harry either.

Meghan and Harry also have a huge rift with the Royal family, and as we reported, the royals tweeted her happy birthday from their official accounts in what came off like calculated moves meant to keep up appearances.

Thomas says he didn't hear a peep from Meghan after he sent the gift, but he says that's fine and he's just hoping she likes the flowers.

Meghan Markle is waking up to tweets from the Royal family -- and nice ones -- wishing her a happy 40th birthday ... which, unfortunately, come off like calculated moves meant to keep up appearances.

The official Twitter accounts for Queen Elizabeth, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince Charles and Camilla all fired off birthday wishes to the Duchess of Sussex ... accompanied by flattering photos of her and single emojis -- either the red balloon or birthday cake.

The Queen's official account fired off first with 3 pics of Meghan with the Queen in 2018, and 2 other photos of her and Prince Harry with their son, Archie, during their 2019 South Africa visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's account tweeted 4 minutes later with more pretty shots of Meghan from her Senior Royal days touring the world with Harry. And, because we know there are Royals fanatics counting these things -- both tweets ended with a single exclamation point.

Both tweets were straight to the point, without any flowery gushing or anything. Hey, they're British. Baby steps.

Now, Meg's father-in-law, Prince Charles and Camilla's tweet was a little different -- they went with a single close-up portrait of Meghan, and they ended with a boring-ass period. No exclamation, so they lose some style points.

Of course, the elephant in the room -- to which none of the messages referred -- is the giant rift between Meghan and Harry and the rest of the Royal family.

As we reported ... the Sussexes accused the Royals of racism earlier this year during their sit down with Oprah. -- including their claim multiple people in the fam were worried Archie's skin might be too dark.

Not that anyone's expecting them to squash all that over Twitter, but that's the painful reality for the whole Royal Family right now.

The Royal family's the subject of a new animated series called "The Prince," and the British are up in arms over it -- calling it less satire, and more mockery and disgrace.

The HBO Max series, created by Family Guy co-executive producer Gary Janetti, is a humorous take on the Royal family. It's been a few days now since the show started streaming, and some hater-fueled reviews are in -- many angry viewers took to social media to decry the show as "wrong" and "disgusting" for portraying the family as a dysfunctional family with egotistical tendencies.

The show, starring Orlando Bloom as Prince Harry, also centers around 8-year-old Prince George ... who is portrayed as a spoiled brat who orders staff around and forces kids to join his lavish play dates.

Queen Elizabeth is portrayed as a mafia boss while Prince Charles gets the mommy-boy label who -- behind closed doors -- bitches about having already waited so long to take the throne. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are also depicted living in L.A. from the "smallest palace" Harry has ever been in.

The animators also pushed the envelope when it came to the caricatures. Prince William's head, for example, is massive. Prince Philip has a protruding back and looks all but lifeless.

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.