Royal Wedding 2018

Meghan Markle has the exact same skin color as her fiance, Prince Harry -- at least according to LEGOLAND's special display ahead of the royal wedding.

LEGOLAND's Windsor Resort unveiled a new exhibit this week in honor of Meghan and Harry's big day, which is just over a week away. The problem is LEGO Meghan is pretty whitewashed. We all know the real Prince is very fair-skinned ... so there's no way his bride-to-be's skin tone should match his.

Biracial Meghan -- half black, half white -- obviously has tanner skin than Harry, so LEGOLAND clearly missed the mark. Their explanation? Not enough brown LEGOs. Seriously.

A rep for LEGOLAND tells TMZ ... "Our small LEGOLAND figures are not detailed representations of any of the characters and are all built using a limited range of [primary] brick tones."

That's funny, 'cause their figurines of Mel B and Meghan's mom, Doria Ragland, look a lot more realistic, skin tone-wise than Meghan's character does.

Is it the end of the world? Of course not, but interesting choices made by the LEGO artists. Another way to look at this -- LEGO Harry's way too dark!

Prince Harry is a changed man inside and out thanks to his fiancee, Meghan Markle -- going from full-fledged bachelor life to living on a leash ... lovingly, of course.

We spoke with royal expert Katie Nicholl -- who's familiar with Harry's inner circle -- and she tells us Harry has kicked a lot of his old bad habits since getting with Meghan. We're not just talking food and lifestyle here -- though, that's part of it. It's more big picture.

Nicholl says Harry, for instance, will pass on tequila shots at a wedding now -- and even make excuses to call it an early night. He's also doing yoga with Meghan too, and eats clean with her. In other words ... Meghan's L.A. lifestyle is alive and kicking in London.

As Katie puts it ... Meghan has certainly "tamed" Harry. Nicholl spills even more tea in her new book, "Harry: Life, Loss, and Love."

Andrew Morton, author of the most famous book on Princess Diana, says Meghan Markle holds a very important key for Royal Family's image.

Morton tells us Meghan becoming a Duchess after marrying Prince Harry is a much-needed step forward for the Royals after a checkered past where issues of race are concerned.

He says Meghan won't have to go around "kicking shins" to impart a sense of change at Kensington or Buckingham Palace -- her presence alone will do the trick.

Morton just wrote a new biography, "Meghan: A Hollywood Princess" ... and he'll have much more to say about her in next week's "Spilling Royal Tea" podcast. Meanwhile, check out this week's episode.

Meghan Markle was back in the States this week to take a major step in becoming a permanent UK citizen ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry.

Eyewitnesses tell us Meghan attempted to be as incognito as possible -- with 4 bodyguards in tow -- when she entered the VFS Global UK Visa Application Centre Thursday in Chicago. We're told she was there to finalize her application for a UK visa.

The whole thing only took about 10 minutes, and the entire office was cleared for her. We're told she was friendly with the staff. As for her disguise -- shades and a White Sox cap to blend in with locals.

Meghan forked over about $1,500, maybe a little more, for premium processing -- so she should get her visa within a few days ... according to our sources.

Based on the visa application criteria, she most likely submitted for a family visa, and applied as a partner or spouse. That visa requires her to confirm all previous marriages, and her plans to marry or become a civil partner within 6 months of arriving in the UK.

We can hear her now ... "Maybe you've heard of my fiance."

After 6 months, Meghan can go for permanent citizenship, which Kensington Palace has said she'll do. No fast track, though ... that process can take up to 3 years.

Meghan Markle was destined for London even before she met her fiance Prince Harry -- at least according to her former psychic.

Richard Win, Meghan's longtime psychic, tells us, during his last session with her just months before she met Harry, he forecast Great Britain would loom large in Meghan's life.

Win told her, "I see you in London with a lot of British people" to which Meghan responded, "I love London ... I love British people." We're told Meghan was seeing someone else at the time, and that once she hooked up with Harry ... she emailed Win to tell him she had met someone new .. from England!

Win also says Meghan was highly intelligent and poised, noting she wasn't hungry for fame. He says her engagement to Harry couldn't happen to a nicer person.

The Spice Girls aren't just reuniting, they're becoming a wedding band ... but only for one very special couple.

Mel B went on "The Real" Tuesday and had a very hard time keeping anything secret about the group's involvement with the Royal Wedding -- first disclosing that all 5 girls got the invite from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle ... then really spilling the beans.

Scary Spice kept getting pressed for more deets by the 'Real' ladies, and eventually seemed to confirm the Spice Girls will provide some wedding entertainment, as well.

We broke the story ... the girls have agreed to reunite for a series of concerts in the UK and U.S. beginning in late summer. We've also been told their contracts are signed ... despite Victoria Beckham saying there is no reunion tour.

Mel, btw, confirmed they've ALL signed back with their producer, Simon Fuller, and concerts dates are in the near future.

Meghan Markle's on her way to joining the Royal Family, but before that, she had her sights set on becoming queen ... of the lollipop biz.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Meghan and a friend filed trademark paperwork back in 2012 for the term "Lali" -- with the apparent intention of selling their own line of lollipops and drops.

It evidently never panned out, because a little more than 2 years later they abandoned their trademark application ... and haven't filed anything since.

Good news for Markle, though -- if she ever wants to revive the "Lali" pops ... Royal protocol won't get in her way.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's official engagement photos are out ... but some folks are looking right through 'em ... asking if Meg's outfit is fit for a princess.

Kensington Palace released the royal couple's professional portraits Thursday, taken by celeb fashion photog Alexi Lubomirski at Frogmore House in Windsor.

Lots of people blanched at Meghan's sheer top ... part of a $75k Ralph & Russo gown, which many called inappropriate for a Royal -- especially when sizing her up to Kate Middleton in her 2010 engagement pics with Prince William, where she was fully covered.

Meghan did end up changing into something more cozy/less revealing in another photo -- but that didn't stop the controversy from bubbling.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle DID not choose their wedding date for any historical significance ... that is unless they're both huge fans of the Kennedys or the Buttafuocos. Ya never know.

We did some research, and the May 19 date of the Royal nuptials has a past that could be labeled rather macabre. It's the date Amy Fisher shot and severely wounded Joey Buttafuoco's wife in 1992.

It's also the day the first person died from the bird flu, along with being the death date of T.E. Lawrence and Jackie Kennedy Onassis. And speaking of her -- May 19, 1962 is the date Marilyn Monroe famously performed a sultry version of "Happy Birthday" for JFK ... with the First Lady in attendance.

May 19 also saw an infamous beheading and the jailing of an Italian movie star. You get the picture.

One positive note: Joey Ramone was born that day.Check out more below!!!

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry finally scraped together enough dough to pay their deposit and lock in a wedding date.

The palace announced Friday the couple will do the damn thing on May 19. That's one week earlier than a British tabloid had reported it would be, and means they will NOT tie the knot on a 3-day weekend. Bummer for their guests.

Nothing particularly special about the date in British royal history, anyway.

It is, however, the birth date of Malcolm X, Ho Chi Minh and Kim Zolciak. Sooo ... there's that.

Prince Harry hadn't even finished his proposal when Meghan Markle kept interrupting -- CAN I SAY YES NOW?!

The newly engaged couple dished details about their engagement in an interview with the BBC ... revealing some pretty spectacular details about how it all went down. According to the couple ... the engagement happened a few weeks ago earlier this month at Harry's Nottingham Cottage inside Kensington Palace.

Harry got down on one knee and made his case ... but apparently a way-too-excited Meghan couldn't and wouldn't let him finish before charmingly butting in and asking, "Can I say yes now?" Adorbs.

And check this out ... Harry included 2 diamonds that belonged to his mother, Princess Diana, in Meghan's engagement ring "to make sure that she's with us on this crazy journey together."

Harry and Meghan met about a year and a half ago, but the relationship was turbocharged just 4 weeks into it ... when they headed to Botswana. Turns out, they never went more than 2 weeks without seeing each other. Completely fooled us.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are engaged, and the Royals couldn't be happier.

The couple announced the engagement Monday and say they will marry in the Spring, 2018.

Queen Elizabeth was quick to voice support, saying she's "delighted for the couple."

It's a break from tradition ... Meghan was born and raised in the United States. She's also divorced, but she's not the first Royal who's on her second marriage. Prince Charles' wife, Camilla, is also divorced.

You may know ... the Queen's uncle, Edward VIII, abdicated the throne in 1936 so he could marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson.

Meghan, 36, is 3 years older than Harry. She recently quit her job on the TV show "Suits" as she prepares to move to London.