Royal Family

Prince William addressed the elephant in the room during a speech in Jamaica ... calling slavery "abhorrent" and expressing "deep sorrow" over the issue.

As we reported, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are making their way around several Caribbean nations that are part of the British commonwealth. The latest stop is Jamaica, and it came with much backlash because of the obvious -- the Royal family represents the British colonizers who enslaved and traded millions of Africans in Jamaica ... and its other territories.

While the royal couple seemed to have been welcomed with open arms -- as they made PR stops to drum with Rastafarians and play soccer -- many Jamaican leaders were demanding the royals apologize for slavery and pay reparations.

Well, last night, Prince William addressed the issue head-on, at a formal banquet, calling slavery an abhorrent chapter in history that "should never have happened."

He also reiterated the words of his father, Prince Charles ... who, just 4 months ago, said slavery put a "stain on our history." He said that at a ceremony marking Barbados's transition to an independent republic.

William added, "While the pain runs deep, Jamaica continues to forge its future with determination, courage and fortitude."

Prince William and Kate Middleton sitting in the middle of a Rastafarian drum circle and banging away in the birthplace of reggae -- yeah, this is NOT your typical Royal tour!

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge were in Kingston, Jamaica's Trench Town neighborhood Tuesday, and were fully immersed in the culture. Awkward as it might seem, Kate and Will each played a drum in a traditional Nyabinghi drum session. This was just the latest stop on their tour of several Caribbean nations in the British Commonwealth.

The royal couple visited the former home of reggae legend Bob Marley and met with other well-known local musicians.

They also celebrated some of the island's favorite sports -- hopping into a Jamaican bobsled and taking pics with the latest Olympic team. Later, William even played a little pickup soccer match and met national team stars Raheem Sterling and Leon Bailey.

But, not everyone is thrilled about their visit. The royal tour was met with backlash from many folks and Jamaican leaders, who are demanding reparations.

This is kind of a last hurrah for the royals ... in Jamaica, anyway. The country is starting the process of becoming an independent republic, which means removing Queen Elizabeth as its head of state.

The goal is to cut ties by August 6, which is Jamaica's Independence Day.

Queen Elizabeth seems to have bounced back from COVID ... because she hosted Justin Trudeau for her first in-person engagement since beating the virus.

The Queen seemed in good spirits as she welcomed the Canadian PM with a smile Monday at Windsor Castle.

The two shook hands and shared a warm embrace. He's in the UK to meet with PM Boris Johnson, Netherlands PM Mark Rutte and other allies to talk about the war in Ukraine.

The queen and Trudeau have known each other since he was a child and his dad served as the Canadian PM ... so it make sense he would stop to see the longest reigning monarch.

The 95-year-old monarch tested positive for Covid-19 back in February. Her symptoms were mild ... and she even performed light duties as the virus ran its course.

BTW, Queen Elizabeth moved to Windsor Castle at the start of the pandemic, back in 2020. Originally, she lived about an hour away in Buckingham Palace and visited the castle for weekend getaways. But, now she'll likely live permanently at the castle.

Meghan Markle didn't have the crappy childhood she wants the public to believe, according to her half sister ... who is now dragging Meghan to court, suing over that famous Oprah Winfrey interview.

Samantha Markle is suing Meghan for defamation, and she's especially pissed about some of the things she and Prince Harry told Oprah about the Markle fam. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Samantha rips into Meghan for spinning a "rags to royalty" narrative about herself which she claims is simply false.

Samantha claims Meghan is trashing her, and spreading outright lies, in order to bolster the notion she's overcome leeching family members. For example, Sam points out she and Meghan share the same father in Thomas Markle ... yet Meghan told Oprah she was an "only child."

She also claims Meghan dropped another lie when she told Oprah she'd last seen Samantha "at least 18, 19 years ago and before that, 10 years before that."

Those aren't the only alleged disses ... Samantha claims Meghan got it flat out wrong when she told Oprah Samantha only changed her surname to Markle after Meghan started dating Harry.

In the suit, Samantha also claims Meghan's fabricated tales of growing up in "virtual poverty" ... because Thomas paid for her to attend "elite and expensive private schools," and dance and acting classes. She claims dad also covered Meghan's tuition and living expenses when she went to Northwestern University ... something the Duchess told Oprah and Ellen DeGeneres she worked to pay for herself.

As for Meghan's motive -- Samantha claims the alleged lies about her and their father were part of a calculated effort so "they could not interfere with or contradict the false narrative and fairytale life story concocted by" Meghan.

Samantha says Meghan's harsh words have hurt sales of her autobiography, prevented her from getting jobs and caused emotional and mental distress.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle got a taste of what they left behind in the U.K. ... because one of the royals made her way to the U.S. for a little chow and a little conversation.

Princess Eugenie and hubby Jack Brooksbank broke bread with Harry and Meghan in Santa Barbara over the weekend.

It seems Harry and Eugenie have a close connection ... closer than he has with some of the other royals, including his dad and his brother.

Harry took Eugenie to the Super Bowl the weekend before ... so it sure seems the 2 are pretty close.

They certainly have a U.K. connection ... Eugenie and Jack now live in Frogmore Cottage ... the same place Harry and Meghan lived before bolting England.

The dinner came on the heels of a grievance Harry had about the royals protecting his kids.  As we reported, Harry will not take Archie and Lilibet to the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in June because the fam refuses to provide security for the kids.

Queen Elizabeth II has faced lots of challenges over the last year ... and now another -- she has COVID.

The 95-year-old monarch is obviously high risk, but so far she's only experiencing mild symptoms ... a cold and not much more, this according to Buckingham Palace.

Ever the hard worker, Q.E.II is continuing to perform "light duties" at Windsor Castle over the next week.

A Palace spokesperson added, "She will continue to receive medical attention and will follow all the appropriate guidelines."

From all indications and reports, the Queen is fully vaccinated.

The Queen has had a rough go health-wise over the last year ... she's been hospitalized -- although the Palace never said why. She also sprained her back, which sidelined her from attending a big U.N. meeting. A few days ago she was seen with a cane, mildly joking about her health struggles.

The Queen's not the only one in her fam to be hit by COVID ... Prince Charles tested positive a little more than a week ago, and it's his second bout with the virus. Camilla also tested positive.

Prince Harry is putting his children's security first, saying he doesn't feel safe bringing them to the U.K. because they won't get the kind of protection he had before leaving his royal duties.

The Duke of Sussex's attorney, Shaheed Fatima, repped him Friday morning in the High Court in London during a hearing to reinstate Harry's family's protection. She expressed Harry's concern that the security arrangement put in place when he and Meghan Markle left the royal family in 2020 is inadequate for Archie and Lilibet.

When they removed themselves, the family lost their public-funded protection in the U.K ... and have paid out of pocket for their security while in America.

However, they were also told they couldn't buy British police protection with their own money.

Harry now fears his children won't be safe in the place he calls home. His lawyer added, "It should go without saying that he wants to come back: to see family and friends and to continue to support the charities that are so close to his heart."

Harry and Meghan have recently been raking in the cash ... an estimated $100 million deal with Netflix, and a deal with Spotify for somewhere north of $25 million. So, with all that revenue, why not use it to buy a private security force?

One downside of that option would be the lack of government intelligence ... which the U.K. police could offer.

After a sketchy incident went down with Harry last July -- getting chased by photographers while driving through the streets of London -- he began the process of trying to get a legal review of his security arrangements.

Prince Harry got some serious MVP treatment from the L.A. Rams following the team's Super Bowl victory ... even getting to touch the sport's most coveted prize.

The official Rams account just posted these photos of the Duke of Sussex getting an up-close-and-personal look at the Lombardi Trophy after L.A. won the game. The attached caption ... “Feelin’ like royalty.”

In the pics, you see Harry in the Rams locker room, checking out the hardware alongside team owner Stan Kroenke and others, while laughing it up ... sans any face coverings.

We should say, however, while seated in the stands with his cousin, Princess Eugenie, he was indeed wearing a mask. But it seems like when he was behind the scenes and undetected, or so he thought, he ditched the cloth as well ... like countless others were already doing.

Like we told you ... as it stands, the rule in L.A. County is that everyone is supposed to mask up indoors ... even though California at large has already lifted the mandate. Despite this, a good majority of folks at the game -- famous or not -- didn’t give a hoot ... and enjoyed themselves with their mugs set free.

Prince Andrew settled a lawsuit with a woman who claimed the royal had sex with her when she was a minor.

According to new legal docs, the Duke of York and Virginia Giuffre reached an out-of-court settlement after she brought suit against Andrew.

As we reported ... Giuffre claims Andrew had sex with her 3 times when she was still a minor -- in London, New York and the Virgin Islands -- but he categorically denied the allegations.

In the docs, Prince Andrew's legal team says he intends to make a "substantial donation" to Giuffre's charity in support of victims' rights. There are no specific financial details included in the docs.

There's a photo of Prince Andrew, Giuffre and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell ... though Andrew says he doesn't recall taking the pic.

In the docs, Andrew says he regrets his association with Epstein and commends Giuffre and other survivors for their bravery in standing up for themselves and others.

Prince Harry had a mask on at some point during the Super Bowl, but he ditched it at another point and joined a VERY large crowd of celebrities and others who flaunted COVID protocols ... and, real talk, the rules are looking increasingly ridiculous.

As for those who joined Harry in the easy-breathing sections ... Kendall Jenner, Drake, The Rock, LeBron, The Weeknd, Justin and Hailey Bieber, Charlize Theron, Kanye, Kevin Hart, Matt Damon, Floyd Mayweather, Martha Stewart, Michael Strahan, Olivia Rodrigo, Shawn Mendes, Ben and Jen, Joe Jonas, 2 Chainz, Nelly, Ellen DeGeneres & Portia, Rebel Wilson ... we could go on and on.

As we reported, the L.A. County Health Dept. warned everyone who attended ... wear a mask or else. They even said they were going to make sure people didn't pull a popcorn trick ... eating a bucket slowly without a mask.

The reality ... there was no popcorn police, nor should there be. Even L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti -- who ridiculously defended not wearing a mask a few weeks back at the same venue by saying he held his breath -- was out there again without a mask, and this time he was clearly inhaling and exhaling as he chatted up some folks.

California lifted its mask mandate Monday, but L.A. County is not following suit and still requires masks indoors ... something, at this point, has clearly become a joke.

Queen Elizabeth II is as sharp as ever -- this despite laying low publicly due to health concerns -- and she put her famous wit on full display on the eve of a big day.

QE2 was on hand Saturday at her countryside Sandringham Estate with some notable guests, who were there to hang out and watch Her Majesty cut a cake that was done up to celebrate a major anniversary that's happening on Sunday ... namely, her Platinum Jubilee.

It marks 70 years since her ascension to the throne on Feb. 6. 1952 ... so it's a helluva milestone for Liz and the monarchy at large. To usher in the moment, the Queen was given the honors to slice up her own cake -- and per usual, she let the jokes fly.

Check it out ... Queen Elizabeth is brought over to the table where the cake's at, and is then told it's upside down in her direction -- so that the press could see it and get a good shot.

In classic royal timing, QE2 fires back ... "So they can see. I don't matter?" That got a big laugh from just about everyone in the room. But, Lizzie wasn't done quipping just yet!

She made the initial cut into the pastry, and seemed pleased that it went in easy -- but it doesn't sound like she was too keen on finishing the job and dishing out pieces for everyone. She is the freakin' Queen after all ... and she let everyone know by asking that someone else do the deed.

A couple things to note about this -- Queen Elizabeth seems to be in great spirits, and more importantly ... appears relatively healthy too. Her well-being has been in question of late due to her having to skip a number of events and engagements she'd been scheduled to attend in person.

This, of course, was all on the advice of doctors ... but it seems she's doing quite alright for one of the most remarkable times in her life. As they say -- God save the Queen!

Prince Harry is giving the British government an ultimatum when it comes to his security across the pond ... afford me and my family protection one way or another, or else.

The Duke of Sussex's lawyers fired off a "pre-action protocol letter" to the Home Office department of the United Kingdom Government -- think Homeland Security for comparison -- in which they made clear ... if Harry and his family are not offered public security, from police officers and the like, while in the U.K. ... they'll be seeking a judicial review.

The move to essentially threaten the government with legal action reportedly comes after Harry, of late, has offered to pony up the cash for his own police security detail ... which was apparently denied from high-ups in HO, despite Harry insisting it was absolutely necessary.

Harry's reps released a statement explaining why he was doing this, arguing that he has taken on an inherent risk that he acquired from birth ... and which he'll carry for the rest of his life. Now, that he's got a family with Meghan Markle, that risk extends to them as well.

His reps also said this ... even though Harry and Meghan pay for their own private security here in the States -- where they now live since Harry stepped away from his Royal duties -- but unfortunately ... those bodyguards/that intel does not suffice when they visit his native land.

They cite a security breach in July 2021 -- when he was in town for a statue unveiling for his mother -- and once again insist ... he needs to be able to protect himself and his family.

Harry's team goes on to say he wants to bring his children, Archie and Lilibet, to the U.K. to visit ... but because of this ongoing issue -- which has apparently been playing out BTS for at least a couple years now -- he isn't able to, as they say, it's too dangerous.

We now know how much money Jeffrey Epstein paid to the woman who is accusing Prince Andrew of having sex with her when she was a minor.

According to just-released legal docs, Epstein paid Virginia Giuffre $500,000 back in 2009. The money was paid as a settlement of her lawsuit against the now-deceased sexual predator.

The settlement is relevant now because Giuffre is suing Prince Andrew, but he maintains the 2009 settlement in effect blocked her from suing him. Andrew's lawyer points to a clause in the 2009 settlement that extends the release to other, unnamed potential defendants, and Andrew claims that covers him.

Giuffre claims Andrew had sex with her in London, New York and in the Virgin Islands when she was still a minor. He has categorically denied the allegations.

As for the photo of the 2 of them ... he has said he doesn't recall taking it and suggested it might be photoshopped. He says he has no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre.

Prince Andrew's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss Giuffre's lawsuit, claiming, “... Epstein negotiated for [a] broad release, insisting that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of the merit—or lack thereof— to any such claims.”

And, Prince Andrew's lawyers say Giuffre got more than the $500k settlement from Epstein ... they claim she got \even more money in exchange for a full release from all potential defendants.

Buckingham Palace nearly put the kibosh on one of Elton John's most legendary performances to honor his friend Princess Diana ... only allegedly giving him the go-ahead in hopes the display would help turn public opinion in favor of the Royal Family.

According to newly released documents, obtained by SkyNews, the Palace believed lyrics to Elton's "Candle In The Wind" were "too sentimental" to be played at Diana's service in 1997.

The report states it was only after a letter from the Dean of Westminster, who believed giving Elton the chance to sing would be "imaginative and generous" to the public (who was pissed at the Royal Family) that the song got the green-light.

Of course, at the time of her death, Diana had been divorced from Prince Charles for a year ... and many felt the Palace -- including the Queen -- hadn't done enough to mourn her.

Diana had bashed Charles for cheating, saying there were, "Three of us in this marriage," referring to Charles' mistress, Camilla Parker Bowles, who he went on to marry. Many thought the Royal Family's lack of empathy when she died was tied to her public bashing of the Prince.

Meghan Markle's lawsuit with The Mail on Sunday and its publisher is finally over -- especially now that the outlet has acknowledged her victory ... with a bit of sorry, not sorry.

The Associated Newspapers tabloid published a bare post on their homepage this weekend -- simply titled 'The Duchess of Sussex' -- which serves as a court-ordered apology handed down by a judge as a result of MM's lawsuit suit ... which she won.

Their remarks are kept pretty brief, as they write of the matter ... "Following a hearing on 19-20 January 2021, and a further hearing on 5 May 2021, the Court has given judgment for The Duchess of Sussex on her claim for copyright infringement."

They add, "The Court found that Associated Newspapers infringed her copyright by publishing extracts of her handwritten letter to her father in The Mail on Sunday and in Mail Online."

And finally ... "Financial remedies have been agreed. The full judgment following the 19-20 January hearing and the Court’s summary of it can be found here and here." They add, "The full judgment following the 5 May hearing can be found here."

Like we said ... it's not a full-on mea culpa, but it is a nod to the reality. Meghan sued 'em for publishing a five-page letter she'd written to her father, Thomas, which MOS had obtained and cited in a story not too long after marrying Harry.

Kate Middleton kicked off Christmas on the keys and on key ... for the first time ever, she played the piano publicly ... backing up Tom Walker's Xmas performance.

The Duchess of Cambridge showed off some pretty serious skills as she played, "For Those Who Can't Be Here" at Westminster Abbey ... which, BTW, looked awesome.

The vid was released Friday, though it was recorded a few days back at a royal Christmas carol service called "Together at Christmas" -- which Kate hosted. She had tweeted... "I’m so excited to be hosting #TogetheratChristmas here at @wabbey, a place that’s really special to William and me."

She was dressed in red, giving Walker the spotlight, although most eyes were on her. Walker dedicated to those who "can't be at Christmas."

Tom raved about the night they shared the stage ...  "WHAT A NIGHT🤯 I can’t thank enough for being a part of this performance. This is dedicated to those who can't be here this Christmas including my grandad."