Royal Family

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry accused members of the Royal Family of shocking racism ... with Oprah's interview delivering the goods -- a stunning attack on the Royals.

Perhaps the biggest moment was when Meghan told Oprah that she'd been informed her and Harry's son, Archie, would not get the title of prince, and as a result, would get no security either.

Meghan then fired the shot, saying people had conversations with her while she was still pregnant, saying Archie's skin might be too dark for the role. Oprah was speechless and stunned, and when she asked Meghan who made such a comment ... Meghan clammed up.

But, it seems almost inadvertent that a minute later ... she said these were convos with the "family."

Meghan says it got so bad that she contemplated suicide. She says she went to human resources begging to get professional help, but she claims they turned her down flat.

Meghan also threw Kate Middleton under the bus by saying stories that she made Kate cry in the lead-up to the wedding simply weren't true. Meghan said it was the reverse -- Kate made her cry, but she apologized later and Meghan forgave her.

Meghan also said she was silenced by the Firm, which manages Royal business, but given assurances she would be protected. Meghan then said they never protected her, saying ... "They were willing to lie to protect other members, but not willing to tell the truth about me."

Prince Harry eventually came on and corroborated Meg's claim that somebody brought up race as it pertained to their child, Archie, and even elaborated ... saying it was brought up early and often.

Oprah grilled Harry for details, but he refused to share any about what exactly was said ... or who allegedly said it. Basically, he's taking that to the grave -- but he did say this ... it was clear from the get-go with Meghan that race was something that was on the Royal Family's mind, and that it was going to be difficult to navigate.

He said things were brought up to him about Meghan, like suggestions that she carry on with her acting career, as the Family supposedly didn't have enough money to support her or offer security for her. He also said the question was asked ... what would their kids look like?

Another takeaway ... Harry said he and his father, Prince Charles, became estranged during 'Megxit' ... claiming Charles stopped taking his calls and pretty much went cold on him after Harry made it clear he wanted out, with PC apparently being pissed Harry was trying to change up the sitch.

One last thing ... Harry and Meghan revealed they're due to have a baby girl, so Archie's got a little sister on the way. Congrats!

Piers Morgan had an on-air shouting match with a Black woman during his morning TV show over her claims Queen Elizabeth is racist toward Meghan Markle.

Dr. Shola Mos-Shogbamimu was one of the panelists who joined Piers Monday on "Good Morning Britain" to discuss Oprah's interview with Prince Harry and Meghan -- and she ripped into the Royal family, calling it an institution rooted in white supremacy and racism.

Piers wasn't having it, though, when the Doctor went after Her Majesty the Queen, saying ... "What kind of grandmother would be so close to her grandson Harry but then not use her power and influence as Queen to protect them from racist media coverage?"

He shouted back at Dr. Mos-Shogbamimu that her comments about QE2 were "disgusting" ... and then she fired right back at him.

Remember, Meghan and Harry said people in his family had conversations with him about their children potentially be too dark-skinned.

Piers made his feelings about the Oprah interview clear, tweeting it was "disgraceful" and a "betrayal".

Bethenny Frankel has done an about-face, expressing sympathy for Meghan Markle and apologizing for going after her hard before she saw the interview.

Hours before Oprah's interview aired, Bethenny went on a tear, saying, "Cry me a river ... the plight of being a game show host, fairly unknown actress, to suffering in a palace with tiaras & 7 figure weddings for TWO WHOLE YEARS to being a household name with @Oprah on speed dial, fetching 7 m for interviews ..."

Well, after the interview, Bethenny's tune changed. She said, "I watched M & H sit down. Emotional distress & racism must feel suffocating & powerless. I'm a polarizing, unfiltered (often to a fault) flawed person w a voice. When I hear of the interview during a pandemic, it felt like a surprising choice. I'm sorry if it hurt or offended you."

Megyn Kelly, however, was unmoved by the interview, saying, "Meghan Markle had no idea the Queen was different than a Hollywood celebrity? And she never googled Harry? Ummm..."

Serena Williams is praising Meghan Markle for her interview with Oprah ... saying MM showed strength and bravery by calling out "malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism."

Williams -- just hours after Markle's stunning revelations about the Royal Family aired Sunday night -- issued a lengthy statement on social media applauding her good friend for the talk.

"I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and the media use to vilify women and people of color to minimize us, to break us down and demonize us," the tennis superstar said.

"We must recognize our obligation to decry malicious, unfounded gossip and tabloid journalism. The mental health consequences of systemic oppression and victimization are devastating, isolating and all too often lethal."

If you missed it ... Markle and Prince Harry accused the Royal Family of racism in a bombshell interview with Oprah -- claiming things got so bad, she contemplated suicide.

Meghan also said in the lead-up to her and Harry's wedding, it was Kate Middleton who made her cry -- not the other way around.

Serena, who became good friends with Markle after they met at a Super Bowl party years ago, said she was "so proud" of the bravery Markle showed by speaking up.

"I know it is never easy," Williams said. "You are strong -- both you and Harry. I love you. I adore you."

Williams and Markle have grown so close over the years, Meghan's attended a bunch of Serena's tennis matches, and even invited the sports icon to her and Harry's wedding.

Meghan Markle's struggles adjusting to Royal life are getting ZERO sympathy from someone in the 'Real Housewives' world ... that'd be Bethenny Frankel, who's got choice words for the Duchess.

The 'RHONY' star absolutely shredded Meghan Sunday just hours before her tell-all interview with Oprah was set to air on CBS ... invoking Justin Timberlake in telling her to take her woe-is-me moment and basically shove it.

Bethenny writes, "Cry me a river...the plight of being a game show host, fairly unknown actress, to suffering in a palace, w tiaras & 7 figure weddings for TWO WHOLE YEARS to being a household name w @Oprah on speed dial, fetching 7 m for interviews, hundreds of millions in media deals. Thinking face #MARRY"

On Saturday, Bethenny aired out even more of her grievances over the coverage the interview was getting ... saying, "Not since @MonicaLewinsky interview, have people been obsessed with a young female interview like this #MARRY interview. Remember the famous lip gloss?"

Someone replied to her with a collage of headlines past about how her staff had reportedly been catty towards her right out the gate ... and that's what set Bethenny off anew.

She continued with her tirade, going on to say she gives Harry a break here -- as she doesn't feel he's the one pulling the strings for all this press the couple is now receiving ... something he's repeatedly said he's not a big fan of in light of what happened to his mother, Diana.

BF ended her thoughts with one last apparent shot at Meghan, writing ... "I chose reality tv, to work towards making $, to be scrutinized & criticized. I took the trappings & the beatings along with it. It’s a rose w petals & thorns. People beg to enter the often toxic institution I signed up for. That WAS the life I chose. You can’t play stupid & smart."

Meghan Markle is taking off the gloves in her highly-anticipated/feared interview with Oprah, but she reportedly is nothing but nice to a Royal with whom she had issues ... Kate Middleton.

Markle has only kind words for her sister-in-law, according to NY Post sources.

The Palace reportedly is overwrought with worry over Sunday's sit-down, and an obvious concern is the now widely-reported rift between Meghan and Kate. There have been numerous stories about Kate being reduced to tears over Meghan's alleged demands revolving around Meghan's wedding.

Nevertheless, The Post says Meghan is nice to both Kate and William. William and Harry have had a fractured relationship for a while now ... when Harry left England we're told the 2 were barely speaking.

The interview, however, justifies cause for concern among the Royal Fam. Meghan goes after The Firm hard, saying she was silenced, lorded over and smeared.

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!

The gloves are off for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who are now flat out accusing Buckingham Palace of spreading lies about them, and insisting they can't be silenced.

In a new clip from their upcoming interview, Oprah asks Meghan if she's worried about the palace hearing "your truth" ... and Meghan responds by directly calling out Buckingham -- aka The Firm.

She said, "I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us."

If it sounds like Harry and Meghan are ready to go to war, it's because they are. Several Royals insiders say it's no coincidence stories came out this week accusing Meghan of bullying her staff when they lived in Kensington Palace.

The insinuation is Queen Elizabeth's team is behind those leaks, and it's a direct response to what Buckingham believes Harry and Meghan are about to say when the Oprah interview airs Sunday on CBS.

Meghan makes it clear ... she and her husband really don't have much to lose by speaking out now, because they've already quit their roles as Senior members of the Royal family.

Prince Philip was way sicker than the Palace led everyone to believe ... because they just revealed he underwent heart surgery.

Queen Elizabeth's 99-year-old husband is recovering from what the Palace describes as a "successful" heart operation for a pre-existing heart condition. They went on to say he'll continue to be hospitalized "for a number of days."

The whole thing is a little Trumpian. In case you forgot, when Trump contracted COVID and went to the hospital, his doctor said he was doing fine, when in reality his condition was so dire he was almost placed on a ventilator.

Well, in Philip's case, the Palace said on 2/17, “The Duke’s admission is a precautionary measure, on the advice of His Royal Highness’s doctor, after feeling unwell." “The Duke is expected to remain in hospital for a few days of observation and rest.”

On 2/19 -- "It is understood he had felt unwell for several days before royal doctors ordered him to hospital as a “precautionary measure."

On 2/22 Prince William said his grandpa was "OK."

The Palace never mentioned a heart issue until 3/1.

It's not unusual to downplay the severity of an illness when it comes to government officials, but the timing here is problematic. The Palace is in a brewing war with Meghan and Harry, and people are going to be taking sides after the Oprah interview this Sunday. If people feel the Palace was misleading on the Philip front, it could create doubt they're fessing up on the Meghan and Harry front.

Meghan Markle says she knows what it's like to experience bullying, but denies dishing it out ... something Kensington Palace staff have accused her of doing.

According to a spokesperson for Meghan and Prince Harry ... "The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself."

The spokesperson says Meghan's "deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma" and is "determined to continue her work building compassion around the world and will keep striving to set an example for doing what is right and doing what is good."

All this comes in response to UK reports Tuesday the Duchess faced a bullying complaint in October 2018 -- made by her former communications secretary, Jason Knauf.

Meghan allegedly drove 2 personal assistants out of her household with her treatment, undermined the confidence of another worker and would occasionally reduce staff to tears ... according to the reports.

A report from The Times also claims that during a trip to Fiji in 2018, Meghan wore earrings that were a wedding gift from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ... the same man who has been accused of allowing the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

A spokesperson for Harry and Meghan called the recent bullying report a "calculated smear campaign" by Buckingham Palace against the couple, and said it was no coincidence the report came out just days before their sit-down with Oprah.

A royal source reportedly told MailOnline the recent allegations were in no way an orchestrated attack, and that aides are currently focused on the declining health of Prince Philip.

Despite what The Palace has said, it's hard not to question the timing of everything -- Meghan and Harry's potentially explosive sit-down interview with Oprah about dealing with the Royal Family and the British media is set to air Sunday.

The Duke and Duchess also recently made it official they will not be returning to their roles as senior royals after stepping back from their duties last year.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle are about to drop some bombshells about their Royal lives ... at least that's how Oprah's teasing her sit-down with the couple.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex apparently allowed O to broach any topic she wanted for their upcoming 2-hour primetime TV special, "Oprah with Meghan & Harry," which hints at some "shocking" revelations ... including a suggestion Meghan's been "silenced" by Queen Elizabeth and the Palace.

As for Harry ... both promo clips show him talking about his late mother, Princess Diana, and expressing his concern that his life would tragically end up like hers if he didn't do something about it.

As we reported, Harry recently confided in James Corden that he stepped away from his senior Royal responsibilities and left the UK with his family to protect them ... and his own mental health.

Prince Harry says he moved his family to L.A. to protect his family like any husband and father would -- and blamed the media for "destroying my mental health."

Harry's episode with James Corden for 'The Late Show' finally aired Thursday night and while riding an open-air double-decker bus -- COVID-safe -- he denied leaving the Royal family.

In his eyes, "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment. As I think a lot of people saw, we all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health. This is toxic. I did what any husband, any father would do. I needed to get my family out of here."

Just last week, Buckingham Palace said Harry and Meghan had "confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family."

James and Harry, who are mates off-camera, also talked about Netflix's "The Crown" ... with Harry saying even though the series is clearly fictional it's loosely based on the truth.

She's gone from "Twilight" to "Charlie's Angels," but now she's taking on her biggest role yet ... and it looks like Kristen Stewart royally nails it.

The actress is in full Princess Diana mode in Germany this week on set of the upcoming film "Spencer" ... rocking a vintage Lady Di look, with glasses and without.

Obviously, Kristen's Adidas kicks are just for getting around on set and not what the Princess of Wales wore back then ... at least we don't think so.

As for the movie ... the title is Diana's maiden name -- for the young'uns not in the know -- and the plot revolves around a weekend she spends with the British Royal Family before deciding to divorce Prince Charles.

Prince Harry & Meghan Markle are not having a change of heart about stepping down as senior royals -- the Palace says they're donezo for good.

According to Buckingham Palace ... "The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family."

Queen Elizabeth's rep added that in stepping away from their Royal work, it's not possible for Harry and Meghan "to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service."

The statement makes it seem like this was a trial separation, but now they will be stripped of their "honorary military appointments and Royal patronages" ... which now go back to the Queen for redistribution to other working royals later. Ouch.

It all sounds pretty harsh and contentious, especially since Buckingham Palace ends by saying ... "While all are saddened by their decision, The Duke and Duchess remain much loved members of the family."

Basically, the British version of "bless their hearts."

The Palace announcement makes it sound like this final parting of ways was all on Harry and Meghan, though they put out their own statement saying they remain committed to their duty and serving the UK "regardless of official role."

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have another bun in the oven ... they're expecting baby #2.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex made the announcement Sunday, saying they are due to have a second child together ... although they didn't reveal how far along Meghan is, or the sex of the baby.

The couple says, "We can confirm that Archie is going to be a big brother. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are overjoyed to be expecting their second child." It looks like they already posed for some maternity shots too -- photo and personal friend Misan Harriman snapped some photos of Meghan and Harry in a lush forest, showing off her baby bump.

Harriman apparently did the photoshoot remotely, adding this ... "Meg, I was there at your wedding to witness this love story begin, and my friend, I am honoured to capture it grow. Congratulations to The Duke and Duchess of Sussex on this joyous news!"

The news comes not too long after Meghan revealed in November she'd suffered a miscarriage this past July, detailing the heartache and agony she and Harry went through ... and in private, no less. Her pregnancy wasn't known until she discussed it in the NYT.

Archie, who was born in 2019, will be turning 2 in May. Not a bad age difference as an older sibling.

Congrats!!!

Prince Harry's left his quiet home in Montecito to spend some QT with his pal James Corden ... but this bro hang is all about work, instead of play.

We got this vid of the famous mates chilling on an open-air double-decker tour bus Friday in Hollywood -- and they were rolling pretty deep. As they pulled out of the CBS lot around noon, they were surrounded by a full crew, including 3 cameras and also got a police escort!

No word what they were shooting, but it has all the makings of a pretty epic Carpool Karaoke ... especially because Harry's not exactly known for his pipes.

James and Harry have been tight for years -- the 'Late Late Show' host attended Harry and Meghan's wedding. It is February Sweeps, so looks like James is pulling out the big guns for ratings.

Of course, Harry & Meghan left the big city last year when they spent $14 mil on a mansion up in Montecito -- but good to see he'll fight through SoCal traffic to help a friend in need.