Royal Wedding 2018

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry might think they got hitched before their elaborate public wedding date -- but on paper, they're down as saying "I do" on the day the world watched 'em on TV.

The Duke and Duchess' official marriage certificate was obtained by The Sun, which lists their nuptials as having taken place on May 19, 2018 -- the day of the big wedding at Windsor Castle. There's no mention of anything formal happening anytime prior, as Meghan suggested.

The doc reportedly lists Prince Charles and Meg's mom, Doria, as the 2 witnesses present. It also has Harry's occupation down as Prince of the United Kingdom and "single" as far as marital status -- as for Meghan, it's reported she's marked as a "divorced" actor.

Remember, Meghan told Oprah during the big interview that they'd actually walked down the aisle 3 days before the formal ceremony -- even going so far as to say they'd exchanged vows in front of the Archbishop of Canterbury in their backyard. The archbishop hasn't commented.

While it's certainly possible they did exchange vows -- probably in a rehearsal -- it doesn't look like anyone in the UK recognizes that private event as anything other than a sweet gesture. According to the law of the land, they were married on the day the world has come to recognize it.

Of course, there were already clues Meghan's claim was a bit of a stretch. As we reported ... the Church of England's own rules contradict what Meghan had said -- their doctrine states the couple must do the deed (their vows) in a place of worship (unless otherwise accounted for with a special license) and in the presence of 2 witnesses.

So, unless Harry and Meghan are holding onto some other marriage certificate ... it doesn't seem like they got married the way she remembers it.

Meghan Markle’s friend is calling BS on the Royal Family's claim it didn't fully understand the challenges Meghan and Prince Harry were going through ... and she says she has receipts.

"The Morning Show" actress, Janina Gavankar, has been friends with Meghan for almost 2 decades, and she spoke out earlier this week to support her pal and call out Buckingham Palace for essentially playing dumb about her mental health struggles.

Janina says she has emails and texts proving the Queen's family and staff were all fully aware of what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were going through ... which contradicts Buckingham Palace saying they didn't know the "full extent."

Though Janina says she's happy Queen Elizabeth's people are finally publicly acknowledging Meghan and Harry's issues, she adds ... "Though their recollections may vary, ours don’t because we lived through it with them."

The Black choir that sang at Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's wedding has a hard time believing Prince Charles is racist, because he personally invited them to perform.

Ms. Karen Gibson, founder and conductor of the Kingdom's Choir, tells TMZ ... Charles came off as very sincere in his invitation, and he's gone out of his way to personally congratulate them on their success since the wedding.

As you know, there's widespread speculation Charles or Prince William is the Royal Family member Harry and Meghan claim was worried Archie's skin might be too dark. Harry told Oprah it wasn't Queen Elizabeth or Prince Philip.

But, Karen tells us every interaction between her Black choir and Prince Charles has been gracious. So, she's finding it hard to believe he would have said such a thing about Meghan and Harry's firstborn.

Plus, the fact Charles invited the choir certainly makes it seem like he made an effort to make Meghan feel included.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry may think they officially tied the knot in a secret wedding 3 days before their televised one -- but we've learned the church doesn't see it that way.

A source within the church tells TMZ ... a marriage must be solemnized by a member of the clergy in a church or in a place specified in a special license -- be it a cathedral, chapel or hospital -- AND in the presence of 2 witnesses.

That last part is key, because Meghan told Oprah she and Harry got married prior to the big royal wedding we all saw -- in their backyard with only the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby. So, they'd be one witness short of a real marriage.

Remember, during the explosive chat, Meghan referred to their big TV wedding as a "spectacle" for the world, but she and Harry wanted "our union between us."

We reached out to a rep at the Archbishop's office and the rep said they don't comment on "personal or pastoral matters" -- but the church's wedding rules are spelled out pretty clearly in black and white.

Prince Harry told Oprah ... the member or members of the Royal Family who made racist comments about the color of Archie's skin was NOT the Queen or Prince Philip, so the list of suspects is narrowing.

There were many headlines from Oprah's stunning interview, but the biggest was that Harry was told by a member/members of the Royal Fam ... Archie could not be a Prince because his skin tone would probably be too dark.

They made it clear ... this was not just one conversation, but several while Meghan was pregnant. They also made the stunning claim Archie would not get security since he was not a Prince, despite the death threats Harry and his family were enduring. Indeed, they said all security was pulled once they moved to Canada.

They would not say who made the racist comments, but they made it clear it was a member of the Family.

That said ... Harry has plenty of grievances with his dad, Prince Charles, saying when they moved to Canada, Charles stopped taking Harry's calls. He essentially accused his dad of being heartless ... especially given the fact Charles knew the difficulties Harry faced because he had been through something similar with Diana.

Harry also made it clear ... he's estranged from his brother, William. It's interesting, Harry intimated to Oprah William feels trapped but he can't leave given his position.

Harry says the entire family survives in a "toxic environment," although he says Charles has made peace with it.

For Meghan's part, she says hatred from social media was the game changer ... fueled by racism, she says it became so impossible she contemplated suicide.

Meghan Markle's memory of a phone call from Oprah in 2018 makes it sound like the then duchess-to-be was being held captive by the Royal Family.

O just released another clip from her highly anticipated interview with Meghan and Prince Harry ... where Oprah recalls calling Meghan months before her royal wedding to request an interview and being politely turned down. Back then, Meghan said the timing wasn't right, but now she says that was an excuse forced on her.

The reality was, according to Meghan ... "I wasn't even allowed to have that conversation with you personally, right? There had to be people from the comm., sitting there."

Meghan says the timing is right now, though, because she and Harry finally have the ability to make their own choices.

She also suggests that people can't imagine what it was like to leave her independent life and enter the "construct" of the monarchy.

As we reported ... the Duke and Duchess' interview with Oprah has promised to be "shocking," and the couple's essentially declared war against Queen Elizabeth and Buckingham Palace by accusing them of spreading "falsehoods" about them.

Get your popcorn ready!

Thomas Markle is giving Lifetime's new movie on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry a scathing review -- calling it awful and chock full of made up crap.

Meghan's dad tells TMZ ... he's incredibly disappointed in how the Lifetime TV flick portrayed the Markle family drama leading up to last year's Royal Wedding, and feels personally attacked by the network.

"Harry & Meghan: Becoming Royal" premiered on Lifetime over the Memorial Day weekend, and Thomas was NOT a fan.

Thomas insists he never bailed on the Royal Wedding -- contrary to how he thinks Lifetime made it look in the film -- and he's doubling down on his stance that he couldn't possibly attend the ceremony and walk Meghan down the aisle because of his heart surgery.

One of Thomas' biggest gripes is with the assertion he never told Meghan and Harry he couldn't make it to their wedding. He tells us that's simply not true, and he feels the movie is littered with tons of "dumb fiction."

Bottom line on Lifetime's movie, for Thomas, anyway -- it's light on facts, and heavy on fiction.

Pretty sure that's 2 thumbs down from him.

2:45 PM PT -- Looks like the party's over, or at least this stage of it. We got Meghan's friends -- including Amal Clooney and Gayle King -- pouring out of the Mark Hotel where they held the baby shower.

They walked out into some crappy winter weather, but still ... smiles all around.

Priyanka Chopra couldn't make it to Meghan Markle's baby shower -- a sure sign there's trouble in paradise for close pals ... normally, anyway, but these 2 are a different breed o' BFF.

Sources close to Priyanka tell TMZ ... the actress did NOT make it to Meghan's NYC baby shower -- despite reports to the contrary -- and it's because she was stuck working in Los Angeles.

We're told Priyanka was bogged down on the left coast with meetings for a book she's writing.

Although, Meghan's pal Serena Williams made it to NYC ... it's been a while since she and Priyanka and have been able to find time for each other.

Priyanka crossed the pond for Meghan and Prince Harry's wedding last summer, but Meghan wasn't there when Priyanka and Nick Jonas tied the knot in India.

We're told Meghan's December schedule simply didn't align with Priyanka and Nick's nearly endless stream of wedding receptions. The Duchess of Sussex has a ton of obligations ... and being pregnant further complicates her social schedule.

Despite the missed connections ... we're told Priyanka and Meghan's friendship hasn't changed, and they still talk regularly. No issues here!

Princess Eugenie tied the royal knot Friday and, while her wedding might not have all the shine of her cousins, Harry and William ... it's got as many celebs and better booze!

Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank's walk down the aisle was naturally attended by the Princes and their brides, Kate and Meghan, her parents Fergie and Prince Andrew ... as well as Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip -- but Eugenie's Hollywood pals also came out in force.

Demi Moore, Naomi Campbell and Robbie Williams put on their finest gowns, fascinators and suits. The most talked-about outfit though was Cara Delevingne's ... since she said screw tradition and went top hat and tails.

Brooksbank and Eugenie's celeb game is strong for good reason -- not only is she a big-time socialite, but he's the European brand ambassador for Casamigos!

No, George Clooney and Rande Gerber weren't there ... but they were well represented. We're told Casamigos is flowing freely at the reception and several other events surrounding the royal wedding.

If you wondered how Prince Harry and Meghan spent their first day married ... the looks on their faces Monday should answer any questions.

The royal newlyweds had a certain glow about 'em as they arrived back at their home at Kensington Palace in London -- the first sighting since Saturday's festivities. They've done away with all the pomp and circumstance ... no chauffeur, as Harry drove his bride.

No immediate honeymoon for Megs and Harry ... they've postponed it for Prince Charles' 70th birthday Patronage Celebration. There's a public celebration for the future King of England on Tuesday.

Meghan Markle's haute couture Givenchy wedding dress wasn't the showstopper of the Royal Wedding, it was her 16-foot veil, according to Paris Hilton.

We got Paris at LAX over the weekend fresh off the plane from the Cannes Film Festival where she raised a ton of cash for charity and asked her what she thought of the Royal Wedding. Paris, who got engaged to fiance Chris Zylka over New Years, didn't have anything to say about the dress, but the veil was a different story.

Markle wore a tiara from Queen Elizabeth with the veil which was decorated with flowers from all 53 countries in the British Commonwealth along the trim. Markle also added the California Poppy, the State flower of California. The veil reportedly took hundreds of hours to make.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are on their way to the more private evening reception following their Royal Wedding, and they're heading there in style ... James Bond style.

Meghan Markle changed out of her wedding dress into a white sleeveless, high-neck gown by Stella McCartney ... while Prince Harry put on a classic black and white tux that screams 007. The newlyweds left Windsor Castle to head to their second reception, hosted by Prince Charles at Frogmore House.

To top it all off ... the 2 hopped in Prince Charles' silver blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero -- which also gives off some strong Bond vibes -- and Harry drove them to the party.

As we reported ... Meghan and Harry got hitched Saturday morning in a wedding that was dramatic and kind of an awesome break from Royal tradition.

The big day has finally come for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ... Meghan is now a Duchess and the wedding was a dramatic and kinda awesome break from Royal tradition.

Meghan and Harry chose the song "Stand By Me," as an anthem to their nuptials. A Black American Bishop stole the show and she walked half way down the aisle herself as a show of independence.

Meghan is now the Duchess of Sussex ... Harry is the Duke.

Lots of celebs were on hand, including Oprah, George and Amal Clooney as well as David and Victoria Beckham.

Meghan's dad, Thomas Markle, tells TMZ, "My baby looks beautiful and she looks very happy. I wish I were there and I wish them all my love and all happiness." Thomas is in California, recovering from heart surgery. He says watching the ceremony was "emotional and joyful."

Meghan's mom was a big hit ... clearly moved by the ceremony as she sat front and center.

Meghan wore a Givenchy wedding gown, designed by Clare Waight Keller, the first female artistic director of the French company.

Meghan Markle's dad is bursting with pride over his daughter's marriage to Prince Harry, frustrated he couldn't be there, and has a warning to relatives who can't keep their traps shut.

Thomas Markle tells TMZ ... "The service was beautiful and it's history. I will always regret not being able to be there and not being able to hold my daughter's hand."

Thomas goes on, "My baby girl is a duchess and I love her so much." He tells us watching the ceremony made him super nostalgic, saying, "When you watch your child get married, every thought goes through your mind, every memory from the first day she was born, the first time I held her."

Meghan's father tells us he texted her today, telling her he loves her. He says he watched the ceremony on TV from his bed, where he's recuperating from heart surgery.

And get this ... he says, "Now I pray that Harry and Meghan can go on a nice honeymoon and rest and relax, and all of my relatives will just shut up about everything."

Thomas says because of his health problems he hasn't been able to get Meghan and Harry a wedding gift, but he hopes to do it soon.

Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle were front and center -- obviously -- at their wedding, but the surprise star turned out to be an American Bishop who gave a stirring sermon about love.

The Bishop's presence is significant for a bunch of reasons ... notably, an American took to the pulpit at a Royal Wedding. Bishop Curry is the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church in the U.S. and 16 other countries. Also, not lost is the fact he's African American, as is Meghan. It's especially poignant given what happened several months ago, when Princess Michael of Kent wore a racist Blackamoor brooch when she met Meghan.

Bishop Curry gave a rousing speech about love ... which had Meghan and Harry smiling.