Royal Family

Prince Harry has made the trek to England, but not to make peace with his family ... he's there to wage war with a media org, and Elton John is joining him on the front lines.

The Duke of Sussex arrived Monday at London's High Court ... flashing a smile as he went inside to begin legal proceedings in his ongoing lawsuit against Associated Newspapers, which distributes The DailyMail and other UK tabloids.

He wasn't the only one there ... the Rocket Man himself was on hand. Harry and Elton have company ... EJ's husband, David Furnish, actress Sadie Frost, Baroness Doreen Lawrence and Elizabeth Hurley. SF showed face as well on Monday, joining in the lawsuit.

Harry has already taken Associated Newspapers to court with his wife, Meghan Markle, and settled.

This time around ... Harry and the gang claim the publisher violated privacy laws, including allegedly bugging their cars and homes, tapping their phones, paying off cops for inside info, among other damning accusations that they say have crossed the line big time.

Associated Newspapers has denied the allegations ... so now, everyone's gonna make some preliminary arguments in front of a judge to see if this case can move forward.

Harry's already involved in a separate legal case with these folks. In addition to what Meghan sued them over a couple years back, he's sued them again for libel over articles they ran about his security arrangements.

The battle goes on.

You'd think Andrew Lloyd Webber would be feeling the pressure of having to craft King Charles' coronation music -- but the dude is pretty relaxed ... hilariously so, in fact.

The Broadway legend -- responsible for the numbers heard in "Cats," "The Phantom of the Opera" and others -- dished to WaPo about the Royal assignment he agreed to about a month ago ... namely, composing THE musical piece that'll be playing while KC gets crowned in May.

It's quite the task, and yet ... ALW sounds super chill about it. His interview here makes it seem like the gig is just another day in the office. He says, "I have written quite a lot of choral music. [M]y father was a very distinguished church organist and choirmaster and the choral tradition is not something that is new to me in a way, because it’s been there all my life." In other words, he's been there ... done that. Now, he's just doing it for the King.

As WaPo notes, Lloyd Webber's actually somewhat familiar with Charles -- having met and visited with him on a handful of occasions in the past. He tells this funny anecdote, kinda poking fun at the King's vanilla demeanor/interests ... and what HRH is passionate about.

ALW says, "The great thing about Charles is that he has a great love of really quite a lot of causes that are a little bit unfashionable. He cares very deeply about all sorts of quite interesting things."

The guy adds this ... "I mean, like, three or four years before lockdown, I got a call from him saying could I come around to meet him at Lancaster House quite urgently, because he’d had an idea. What it was that he was worried about was the fact that there wasn’t enough access for young people to go and learn how to play the church organ."

As for the actual music itself that he's putting together ... the deets are out. It's a three-minute tune set to the melody of Psalm 98, which will include the lyrics/refrain that reads, "O sing to the Lord a new song." Lloyd Webber's expected to put his own spin on it, though.

ALW's heading to London soon to test the audio at Westminster Abbey, where the ceremony will go down. Charles may be struggling with pop acts, but he's got the classics locked down.

"The Crown" is returning for its sixth and final season ... and we've now got a visual of how they'll portray Prince William's first meeting with his future wife Kate Middleton.

Ed McVey, who portrays the prince during his late teen/college years, and Meg Bellamy, who plays Kate, were fully into character in a series of photos taken on set in St. Andrews, Scotland earlier this week.

In the photos, the younger "royals" recreate William and Kate's first encounter at St. Andrews University in Scotland in 2001 ... giving fans a glimpse into their romance in its earlier years. And, we gotta say, casting for the two appears to be spot on.

As you know, the Prince and Princess of Wales started dating back in 2001 ... building on their legacy ever since.

The Netflix hit series chronicles the royal family in the wake of Princess Diana's death in 1997. And, the show is expected to take fans along a royal ride well into the late '90s and early 2000s.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's kids' Royal titles have been up in the air for months, but the Sussexes have now made their heart's desire clear -- they want their kids to be recognized as tied to the throne, which King Charles is now officially honoring.

H and M revealed Wednesday they christened their daughter, Lilibet, last week here in California ... during an intimate, private ceremony in Montecito. In the announcement, the couple noted Lilibet was blessed, and will henceforth be known, as "Princess Lilibet" -- a new update to how she's been referred to, publicly, up until now.

The young princess was christened by Rev. John Taylor, the Archbishop of Los Angeles as revealed by People Mag. Another interesting nugget ... apparently, Charles, Camilla, William and Kate were invited, but did not attend.

It's unclear when the invite was extended, but it was sent.

In light of Meghan and Harry now using their daughter's birthright title -- something she was legally afforded when Charles ascended to the throne -- Buckingham Palace has responded ... and says its website will also be updated with those titles for Lilibet and Archie.

While Harry and Meghan haven't said anything about their son, specifically, it seems BP is taking this move as clear evidence they want both their kids to enjoy their Royal titles ... so instead of calling them Master Archie and Miss Lilibet, they're now Prince/Princess, officially.

Charles hadn't said much about the titles -- there were reports he was eager to slim down the number of titles and to keep them inside the family (the working family, it seems) ... and that he was supposedly considering stripping Archie and Lilibet of their status. But, he never did it.

In fact, one could argue Charles has been playing things by ear as Harry and Meg have rolled out project after project -- culminating with him inviting them to his coronation, despite them bashing him and the institution. In response, they've played their own hand.

Looks like the Royals are trying to play nice ... at least from the outside looking in.

For more royal drama, tune into our podcast "Spilling Royal Tea," dropping every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

Rebel Wilson had some less than kind things to say about Meghan Markle -- like she's cold as ice -- and now fans have dug deep and discovered why Meghan may have been frosty toward Rebel.

Rebel recently appeared on Andy Cohen's "Watch What Happens Live" ... recounting a meeting she had in Santa Barbara with Harry and Meghan. She says Harry was cool, but Meghan was "not naturally warm."

There may be a reason why Meghan didn't welcome Rebel with open arms, because last year at the BAFTA Awards, Rebel was presenting an award and said, "Our next package is for Outstanding British Film. From drama to horror to fantasy. Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah had it all."

Fans jumped on Rebel's confusion, saying she should know full well why Meghan was bent out of shape.

Chris Rock and now Rebel ... jokes can be a dangerous thing.

King Charles has officially extended an olive branch to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle -- asking them to be among his guests at the Coronation, but the couple's saying ... eh, maybe.

His Royal Highness fired off the invite Saturday ... this according to the Times of London, which broke the story. It appears Buckingham Palace got word to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex shortly after Harry's televised sitdown with Dr. Gabor Mate earlier in the day.

No word on what exactly the invitation said, but the message was clear ... roll through!

Here's the kicker, though -- Harry and Meghan are holding their cards close to the vest on their plans. Their rep says ... "I can confirm The Duke has recently received email correspondence from His Majesty's office regarding the coronation. An immediate decision on whether The Duke and Duchess will attend will not be disclosed by us at this time."

In other words, it sounds like they have to think about it ... as there's been a lot of updates since their Netflix doc and Harry's book. Of course, they recently got word that they were getting evicted from Frogmore Cottage (although there are reports Charles is offering a full-blown flat on the palace grounds as a replacement). Plus, Harry just spilled more of his guts.

Harry took some roundabout shots at his family in the Mate interview ... saying he didn't receive enough love and affection as a child, and that he now suffers from PTSD. He also said that Meghan had "saved" him from his Royal life ... and suggested his family was out of touch and insensitive. Plus, Harry clearly said Royal life was inherently inauthentic.

PH didn't address the Coronation or where things stand between him and his brother/father ... but it was clear he feels the relationship is strained. Despite this, he also made sure to note that he felt what he was doing (sharing his story/problems) was worth it big picture.

In spite of all that, Charles sent the invite anyway -- right in the mix of more headlines and drama. It's fascinating timing ... and kind of a power move, no? Ball's in their court!

Prince Harry has broken open the cookie jar of his life -- even more so than he already had -- and let a doctor dig in deep during an hour-plus sit-down ... who even diagnosed him.

The Duke of Sussex had a long convo with Dr. Gabor Maté Saturday, where they dove into his book, "Spare," and the benefits of Harry living his true, authentic life ... while breaking away from the Royal Family, which he says was holding him back from this for years.

During the chat, they talked at length about trauma, vulnerability, healing and why Harry was opening up as much as he is. For that last bit, PH actually calls all this (the book/press run) a service to others ... because he genuinely believes it'll help folks better themselves.

There were a lot of standout moments -- including the fact Harry insists he's not a victim, nor is he seeking sympathy here -- but one that truly flashed was when Dr. Maté diagnosed him right on the spot ... handing down disorders that he says he perceived from reading about Harry and talking to him too. Among them ... ADD, PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Much of it, DGM explained, stems from his childhood -- with the death of his mother being a main factor, of course. Harry seemed to accept Dr. Mate's diagnoses at face value ... even acknowledging that he'd been diagnosed with PTSD by his own personal therapist.

Another interesting tidbit ... Harry talking about his past substance use. He distanced himself from cocaine -- saying he felt no benefit from it -- but he did praise marijuana and psychedelics ... explaining that he felt both of those had helped him become more clear.

At one point, Harry also addressed the flak he continues to catch from the media and others for speaking up about his private life/woes -- in his mind, he actually thinks the criticism hurts more than it helps, because he says it discourages normies from opening up.

Harry also talked about his wife, Meghan Markle, and his kids. In terms of MM, he praised her as saving his life and helping him break free from what he essentially calls shackles of the Royal institution ... and when it comes to his kids, he says he's trying to heap on as much love and affection as he can, to compensate for what he says he lacked as a child.

Frankly, much of the conversation focused on mental health ... not so much on Harry's father or brother or any other particular Royal. But, there was a noteworthy revelation PH dropped -- he says when he was first getting into therapy, he actually encouraged his "family" to do the same ... presumably, that means he approached Will/Charles with the prospect. It doesn't sound like they took him up on it, though, and Harry says he believes it actually widened the divide between them. As he put it, therapy was both a blessing and a hindrance.

Toward the end, Harry fielded Qs from people who were watching ... none of them were all that profound or pointed -- most simply asked how/why Harry thought it was important to seek help ... and some of the most effective ways he thought folks could do that.

The takeaway ... Harry very much believes in his work to bring mental health awareness to the forefront -- and one of the vehicles he's using to do that is to put his own life and story on the dissection table for all to see. Not everyone may love it, but he thinks it's ultimately a good thing to lay it all out there ... even at the risk of further pissing off the Royals.

A few things that were NOT discussed here ... Harry and Meghan getting evicted from Frogmore Cottage (which they confirmed was happening this past week), King Charles' coronation, South Park making fun of them ... or next steps with the Royals at large.

Dr. Maté did somewhat allude to a controversy surrounding himself -- where he was accused of being antisemitic by some for his defense of Palestine -- and the guy made clear ... he comes from Jewish heritage and had family that lived through Nazi-occupied Europe. Without directly saying it, he seemed to suggest he wasn't antisemitic ... far from it, in fact.

All in all, it was insightful. And it's obvious Harry might keep on talking from here on out.

Prince Harry is ready to unpack his emotional baggage with a controversial trauma expert at a virtual conference ... and now he's getting some serious pushback.

The Duke Of Sussex will sit down Saturday with Dr. Gabor Maté for an "intimate conversation" about "living with loss and the importance of personal healing," according to Harry's website. After the discussion, viewers can ask the men questions during a live Q&A set up by Random House -- the publisher of Harry's new book, "Spare."

Problem is ... Maté has previously compared Hamas to heroic Jews who fought the Nazis in Warsaw, Poland, during WWII. Maté has also labeled Israel's leaders as terrorists.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre blasted Harry for his affiliation with Maté. Cooper told the Jewish Chronicle: "Whoever made the arrangements to have this individual appear with Prince Harry, did him no favors. If Prince Harry knew this man's record and still chose him for the interview, our Centre would criticize the prince for such an inappropriate choice."

As we reported, Harry has been hocking his book about his life struggles. His memoir covers his deteriorating relationship with the Royal Family over their treatment of his wife, Meghan Markle. Harry and Meghan, as you know, moved out of Buckingham Palace and now live in a mansion in Oprah country -- AKA Montecito.

The Royal Family reportedly plans to watch Harry's convo with Maté, who has his own disturbing story growing up in Nazi-occupied Budapest in 1944. When Maté was just five months old, his maternal grandparents were among the Jews murdered in Auschwitz. He was also ripped away from his mother and turned over to his aunt, who kept him hidden until the war ended.

Harry and Meghan were seen out together for the first time since the release of "Spare" at hot spot San Vicente Bungalows, a members-only club for date night.

For more royal drama, tune into our podcast "Spilling Royal Tea," dropping every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are pushing through any public pressure to avoid the spotlight -- they were all smiles as they went out for the first time since the release of Harry's infamous memoir.

The couple went out in L.A. Tuesday night ... as Page Six reported, hitting up celeb hot spot San Vicente Bungalows for a date night and they didn't seem bothered by the pouring rain or all the recent pushback they've gotten over his book "Spare."

BTW, the restaurant is part of a very private members-only club so perhaps the night out was an ease back into the public scene.

As you know, Harry's memoir sent shockwaves all over the world as he took direct jabs at members of the royal family.

You'll recall, he opened up about a ton of things ... at one point, he accused his brother Prince William of physically attacking him and at another point, he got candid about his frostbitten penis. Of course, the book didn't sit well with everyone -- especially folks across the pond.

Perhaps coincidentally, King Charles is reportedly booting his son and daughter-in-law from Frogmore Cottage, formerly the couple's UK home. Adding insult to Harry and Meghan's injury ... the British reports say disgraced Prince Andrew will be moving into the cottage. 😬

As we reported, there's been so much fallout Harry now will be chatting with renowned trauma expert Dr. Gabor Maté this weekend and the whole thing will be live streamed.

Remember, the creators of the show "South Park"  even mocked the couple in a recent episode.

Regardless of it all, seems like Meghan and Harry aren't letting all the drama keep them down and out.

William and Kate are in serious need of some Lululemon ... because they look ridiculous in their business attire as they peddle furiously at a fitness center.

The Prince and Princess hit up the Aberavon Leisure & Fitness Centre for a worthy purpose -- showing how exercise can benefit mental health.

That said, they both hopped on bikes during a spinning class and showed what they got ... for a grand total of 45 seconds. They both looked like they were going to pass out.

Kate was dressed in a jumper and skirt, choosing heels over tennis shoes.  William was in his go-to suit and tie.

William looked exhausted at the end of the ride, as others in the class ignored the obvious and gave them a hearty round of applause.

The couple competed against each other, and in the end, Kate was the victor ... winning a tiny gold trophy. 🏆

Prince Harry is gearing up to get even more of his chest -- yes, there's more, apparently -- by sitting down with a renowned trauma expert, and the whole thing will be live streamed.

The Duke of Sussex has an appointment with Dr. Gabor Maté this Saturday, and royal watchers can pay to get a front-row seat to what's billed as an "intimate conversation," and can even ask questions in real-time according to "Spare" publisher Random House. The event tickets come with a copy of Harry's memoir.

Maté says the stream will dive deep into the importance of personal healing and touch on the impact of emotional loss. The doctor hopes the session with Harry can spark an open discussion about mental health for everyone.

Harry's spoken at length about his mental health in his book, and in "The Me You Can't See," the Apple TV+ series he co-produced with Oprah Winfrey.

FYI -- Maté's background is in dealing with childhood development, trauma and its potential lifelong impacts on physical and mental health. So, right up Prince Harry's alley ... considering the tragic loss of his mother, Princess Diana.

The doctor's also been a big promoter of the plant-based psychedelic ayahuasca as an alternative way to treat addiction, although he's faced some backlash due to it being an illegal practice in Canada.

King Charles might have to get on the mic and croon a tune at his own coronation if Buckingham Palace can't find big-name talent ... which they're reportedly struggling to do.

According to multiple British media outlets that say they're in the know on this, Charles and co. have whiffed on some major players that could've potentially been booked for the May ceremony ... where KC will be officially crowned as the new sovereign in all his glory.

The Sun reports that 3 HUGE stars apparently told the Royals, of late, that they're unable to attend and/or perform ... including The Spice Girls, Harry Styles and Sir Elton John (who's a knight, no less). The reason for preemptively getting out of it ... conflicting schedules.

In Elton's case, he's on his farewell tour ATM ... and around early May (when the coronation goes down) he's actually scheduled to do a slate of shows in Germany before and after the ceremony. Per the Sun, going to and from in that short window isn't feasible.

As for Harry -- who's also touring, and never seems to really stop -- he technically has availability in early May to potentially squeeze in a BP gig ... but the Sun says it's going to be too hard for him to get bandmates together for that, and that they need "downtime."

And, when it comes to the Spice Girls ... apparently, it's too many schedules for too many ladies. That's about all the Sun has to say about that -- so, they ain't performing either.

Of course, there's also Ed Sheeran and Adele ... whom the Palace also reportedly approached, only to be shot down. DM reports both told the King they couldn't do it -- with Ed citing touring conflicts, and Adele apparently not offering (or having) a specific reason.

So, who's actually going to do the gig? At this point, the British media seems to be in agreement that Lionel Richie, Take That (minus Robbie Williams), Olly Murs and a handful of other not-as-famous music acts are in line to step up and carry the torch for HRH.

Legendary BBC football (soccer) commentator John Motson, one of the most well-known voices in the sport, has sadly passed away, his family announced Thursday. He was 77.

Motson's family released a statement about his passing, writing ... "It is with great sadness we announce that John Motson OBE died peacefully in his sleep today."

Motson -- also referred to as "Motty" -- started calling games for Britain's national broadcaster in 1968 ... and his stellar career spanned 50 years.

The BBC said John covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships, and 29 FA Cup finals ... before calling his final match in 2018.

John -- best known for his signature sheepskin coats -- also covered more than 200 England matches and commentated on over 2,500 televised games.

Tributes came pouring in after John's death had been announced ... with the Prince of Wales sending his regards to Motson's family for their tragic loss.

"Very sad to hear about the passing of John Motson - a legend whose voice was football. My thoughts are with his family and friends," Prince William and Kate Middleton tweeted from their official Prince and Princess of Wales Twitter account.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are getting the "South Park" treatment ... the show rips Harry's new book, labels Meghan an "Instagram-loving bitch" and calls them out as hypocrites.

The latest "South Park" episode aired Wednesday night on Comedy Central and it rips Harry and Meghan to shreds ... starting out by accusing them of not caring much about the death of Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

It only gets worse from there ... the skit features Harry and Meghan going on a Canadian talk show, walking out with picket signs demanding privacy before telling the host they're thrilled to be on TV.

Harry's called out for his new memoir, "Spare" ... the "South Park" version is dubbed "Waaagh" and the joke is Harry's whining about growing up in the United Kingdom as a prince.

Meghan's spoof cuts in to say the book was her idea because the Royal Family is "stupid" and so are journalists ... and then Harry's called out for essentially being a journalist with his book.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone also take aim at Harry and Meghan's privacy demands ... pointing out she has no problem doing TV shows, magazine covers and running in celebrity circles ... landing more punches by having Harry say "My Instagram-loving bitch wife has always wanted her privacy."

The skit ends with the couple storming off the set, saying they're leaving to find some quiet place to live like normal folks ... before cutting to a private jet.

Meghan Markle's legal team went to court Wednesday, gunning to convince a judge to toss a defamation lawsuit filed by her sister Samantha, and the arguments left the judge scratching her head but leaning in Meghan's favor.

Samantha Markle claimed Meghan was peddling lies about her in both the Oprah interview and a 2020 bio, "Finding Freedom." Specifically, Samantha claims her half-sis lied when she allegedly said she was an only child, causing her humiliation and shame. Meghan's lawyers fired back ... their client never said she was an only child. She told Oprah she grew up as an only child.

Samantha claimed Meghan lied about her upbringing, and when she got caught in lies, she turned Samantha into a sacrificial lamb and attacked her to cover up her own alleged misdeeds.

As for the alleged lies ... Samantha points to what she says is Meghan's rags-to-riches narrative, growing up in poverty when she had a middle-class background. She says their dad, Thomas, paid for all sorts of things for Meghan, including elite private schools, tuition at Northwestern as well as dance and acting classes.

MM's lawyers asked the judge to boot the case, calling the claims "offensive" and "inappropriate." Her lawyers say Meghan merely stated her impressions about her life growing up.

Judge Charlene Edwards Honeywell said she was "struggling" to see how Meghan's statements were defamatory. The judge took the case under advisement.

Prince Harry suggested he'd lost his virginity to an esteemed older woman in the U.K.'s countryside -- but, according to the alleged V-card-taker, she was just a couple years older.

A woman named Sasha Walpole has come forward to claim she was the one who first slept with PH in the summer of 2001 ... when she says she was just about to turn 19, while Harry was 16 (going on 17). What's more, she says it was Harry who put the moves on her.

Walpole -- who used to work as a stable girl for then-Prince, Charles at his Gloucestershire estate, Highgrove House, and now makes a living as an industrial plow digger -- says she was pals with Harry at the time, and had known him for years.

On July 21, 2001 ... she says she invited Harry to the Vine Tree pub to celebrate her 19th birthday -- during which, she claims he invited her out back to have a smoke ... she says they then got it on in the adjacent field just like he described in his memoir, 'Spare.'

Here's how Walpole describes it ... "He started to kiss me. It was passionate, intense. We both knew. It went from a kiss on to the floor pretty quickly."

She adds, "It was instant, fiery, wham bam, between two friends. It was sparky because we shouldn't have been doing it. He wasn't 'Prince Harry' to me, this was Harry, my friend, and the situation had got a little bit out of control. It felt naughty, I suppose, in the sense that it shouldn't be happening." Walpole also says he didn't do it like a virgin ... and she had no idea he was one at the time. The whole thing, she claims, lasted about 5 minutes total.

Afterward, Walpole says she did indeed smack his ass like he wrote in the book -- saying it was just a cheeky joke, seeing as how she worked with horses and found it funny.

It's interesting ... Walpole had been photographed with Harry around that time although, in these pics -- he looks to be flirting and fooling around with other girls ... not so much her.

You'll recall, when this tidbit about his first roll in the hay first surfaced -- as excerpts of his book started leak -- there was wide speculation he may have banged the legendary Elizabeth Hurley, even though she totally denied it.

Now, Walpole is spilling her guts to the British media ... doing an interview with the Daily Mail, and saying she was actually bothered by Harry's revelation about their brief tryst. She says she'd kept his secret for years, and is embarrassed he put their business out there.