Meghan and Harry latest news – Royal BBC doc banned by Queen leaked as couple ‘inundated’ with Netflix-style offers
MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry could get even richer in the coming months after being "inundated" with money-spinning offers, which comes as the royal documentary the Queen banned was leaked online.
The 89-minute TV documentary canned by the Queen nearly 50 years ago was uploaded in full on YouTube – to the embarrassment of Buckingham Palace.
The BBC’s cringeworthy “Royal Family” film – which was later dramatised by Netflix’s The Crown – was locked away in 1972 on Her Majesty’s orders and had never been seen in its entirety.
In contrast, after Meghan and Harry signed multi-million dollar content deals with the likes of Spotify and Netflix within months of leaving the UK, and firms are lining up to see if the royal couple are on the lookout for more opportunities to rake in the cash.
The biggest opportunity appears to be in the live events market, where Harry and Meghan could charge a fortune touring the US and recording A-list heavy live podcasts in front of intimate audiences.
Follow our Meghan and Harry live blog below for the very latest news on the couple and the Royal Family
- Lydia Hawken
MEGHAN WILL 'STAY HOME' WHEN HARRY RETURNS TO THE UK
Meghan Markle is likely to stay at home in the US while Prince Harry visits his family in the UK this summer, it has been reported.
Insiders say the Duke of Sussex is almost certain to visit his family in London for the first time since Megxit this June – but his wife is unlikely to join.
However, they stressed the couple have not yet finalised their summer plans and much will depend on whether coronavirus restrictions allow them to travel.
But they understand Harry, 36, will likely fly to the UK to see the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William along with his niece and nephews.
The Daily Mail reports, however, that Meghan and probably their son Archie, will stay at home.
Sources insist that Meghan’s decision not to join her husband is for "personal and practical" reasons and is in no way a "snub" to senior royals.
- Rebecca Flood
MEG & HARRY 'MODEL THEMSELVES ON THE OBAMAS'
royal expert Katie Nicholl says a book deal could be the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's next project after they signed deals with Spotify and Netflix – which were reportedly worth over £142m.
She said: "The Obamas' Higher Ground [production company] was always going to be the business model for the Sussexes and that's exactly what we're seeing.
Describing the Obama's brand as "high end" and "aspirational", the expert added: "It sits very much with the image that the Sussexes are trying to curate for themselves and it's a successful business model."
- Rebecca Flood
THE QUEEN'S REVIEW OF MEGXIT IS 'CANCELLED AS THE CURRENT SITUATION IS WORKING'
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Megxit review with the Queen has been cancelled as the situation is "working", royal insider has claimed today.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down as working royals in early 2020 with the proviso they would meet with the monarch a year on to discuss how the arrangement was working.
The 12-month review was due for March 31 – a year on from their final engagement as working royals, but it has now been claimed the couple won't discuss Megxit with the Queen as previously expected.
Instead, Vanity Fair royal correspondent Katie Nicholl told True Royalty TV's Royal Beat there had already been communication between the couple and senior members of the Firm.
She said: "My understanding from the Sussexes camp is that there has been communication with the Queen, Prince Charles and with William as well. The general feeling is that this [current situation] is working.
- Rebecca Flood
THESE ARE THE MOST EXPENSIVE WEDDING DRESSES – INCLUDING MEGHAN MARKLE'S
Meghan’s marriage to Prince Harry took place in Windsor on May 19, 2018 and there was a lot of speculation about her wedding dress beforehand.
Meghan stunned onlookers as she arrived at St George’s Chapel in Windsor in a stunning bespoke gown by Givenchy, created by British designer Clare Waight Keller, which is estimated to cost around £110,000.
Meghan and Clare worked closely together on the design, which featured a graphic open bateau neckline that gracefully framed the shoulders and emphasised Meghan’s slender waist.
It had a 16ft train and veil which was adorned with the flowers of the 53 commonwealth countries, and it took an incredible 3,900 hours over the course of four months to create.
It was confirmed she wore Queen Mary’s diamond bandeau, made in 1932.
- Rebecca Flood
ROYAL BBC DOCUMENTARY LEAKED ON YOUTUBE AFTER 50 YEARS
A royal TV documentary banned by the Queen nearly 50 years ago was leaked in full yesterday — to the embarrassment of Buckingham Palace.
The BBC’s cringeworthy “Royal Family” film was locked away in 1972 on Her Majesty’s orders and had never been seen in its entirety.
The fly-on-the-wall doc contains awkward footage which was later dramatised by Netflix’s The Crown.
But tens of thousands saw the 89-minute film on YouTube yesterday before it was deleted after complaints from the BBC and the Palace.
Prince Philip had invited BBC cameras into their home in a bid to prove how normal they were.
- Rebecca Flood
NEW PRINCESS DI STATUE IN JULY
A new statue of the late Princess Diana will be on view at Kensington Palace from next July on what would have been her 60th birthday, an official has said.
Her sons, Princes William and Harry, commissioned a statue in honour of their mother – who died in a Paris car crash more than 20 years ago – to be erected outside the Duke of Cambridge's home at the palace.
But, there has been a delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Diana was killed when the limousine carrying her and her lover Dodi al-Fayed crashed in a Paris tunnel in August 1997.
- Rebecca Flood
ARCHIE AND PRINCESS EUGENIE'S BABY COULD SHARE THIS IN COMMON
Meghan’s son Archie and Princess Eugenie’s baby could have something in common when the tot arrives.
If Eugenie decides to give birth in the same hospital that she was born in back in 1990, then the new royal baby and Archie Harrison will immediately share a similar story.
Meghan welcomed Archie, one, in London's The Portland Hospital back in May 2019.
Meanwhile, Eugenie and her sister, Princess Beatrice, were also born in the American-owned hospital.
In fact, when Sarah Ferguson gave birth to eldest daughter Beatrice in August 1988, it made her the first member of the royal family to give birth in a non-NHS hospital.
- Rebecca Flood
MEG AND HARRY WANT TO RETURN FOR THESE OCCASIONS
Royal biographer Andrew Morton claims, if coronavirus restrictions allow, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would like to return to the UK for three main occasions.
They are the the Queen’s 95th birthday on April 21, the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday in June, and the unveiling of a statue of late Princess Diana on July 1, on what would've been her 60th birthday.
- Rebecca Flood
MEGHAN'S TEXTS TO ROYAL AIDES THAT COULD REVEAL TRUTH DELETED, SAYS HER LAWYERS
Meghan Markle's texts to a royal aide that could reveal the truth about her "painful" letter to her dad have been deleted, her lawyer admitted.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, is suing the Mail on Sunday for privacy copyright and data protection over five articles published in February 2019.
The High Court heard today how the 'Palace Four', who used to work for Meghan, may be asked to give evidence if the trial goes ahead.
This would include whether they helped with the draft of Meghan’s letter to her estranged dad Thomas Markle, which is at the centre of the case.
Among them is Jason Knauf, who at the time was communications secretary to both the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
- Rebecca Flood
PRINCE HARRY WAS LEFT 'HEARTBROKEN AFTER ROYAL RIFT'
Prince Harry has been left heartbroken by the situation with his family after moving to the US, says pal Tom Bradby.
He told Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh, shown on ITV tomorrow: “I think they are content, the things they are doing they are quite excited by.
"I think Harry is heartbroken. You don’t necessarily need to have the knowledge to know that, but I think it is true."
Bradby was a guest at Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding and interviewed them shortly before they quit royal life last year.
- Rebecca Flood
PRINCE HARRY SLAMS 'MOTHERSHIP OF HARASSMENT' SUFFERED BY HIM AND MEGHAN
Prince Harry has hit out at social media as he blasted the "mothership of all the harassment" he and wife Meghan Markle have suffered.
The Duke of Sussex also claimed platforms were responsible for a host of global problems, including the Capitol riots in Washington earlier this month.
His comments followed reports that he and Meghan had quit social media after an "almost unsurvivable" experience of online trolling.
But Harry told the Fast Company podcast on Friday he and his wife had "no social media to quit," insisting they will return "when it's right for us".
He said: "We will revisit social media when it feels right for us—perhaps when we see more meaningful commitments to change or reform—but right now we’ve thrown much of our energy into learning about this space and how we can help."
- Patrick Knox
MARKLE LAWSUIT
Meghan, 39, is suing Associated Newspapers over five articles in February 2019 that reproduced “extensive extracts” from the letter sent to Thomas Markle, 76. The duchess sent the “heartfelt” five-page letter to her father in Mexico “via a trusted contact” in August 2018 to “minimise the risk of interception”, the court has previously been told.
The newspaper’s lawyers have argued that the duchess wrote the letter “with a view to it being disclosed” to “defend her against charges of being an uncaring” daughter, which she denies.
Antony White, QC, said that it was also likely there was further evidence about whether the duchess “directly or indirectly provided private information” to the authors of a book, Finding Freedom, about the couple.
- Patrick Knox
MEGHAN AND HARRY ‘INUNDATED WITH BIG MONEY OFFERS
Meghan and Prince Harry are being offered offers from live agents about touring their new podcast.
It would see the duo, who signed a £30million deal with Spotify, recording live sessions with an intimate audience.
An insider said: “Live agents have been eyeing up Meghan and Harry’s new deal with great interest.
“They have been inundated with offers about the possibility of touring the podcast when the time is right.”
- Patrick Knox
HARRY: TIME TO 'REIMAGINE' TRAVEL INDUSTRY
He said the “acute hardship” of communities in tourist destinations had shown the importance of travel, but had also highlighted the need to reduce its detrimental impact.
“We know that to not travel again is not an option,” the prince, 36, said in a foreword to the annual report of Travalyst, an initiative he launched in 2019 with the objective of making the travel industry more sustainable.
“Right before us, there is an opportunity to do things differently, to do things better. Travel and tourism are no exception. As the industry re-emerges from crisis, there is an urgent need to reset and reimagine.”
- Patrick Knox
MEGHAN COULD HAVE EARNED £500K FROM ZOOM CHAT
Meghan could have earned as much as half a million for her Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Zoom chat last year, an expert has claimed.
PR expert Mark Borkowski says that the Duchess of Sussex could have raked in £33,000 a minute at the 15-minute at the £10k-a-head event.
Speaking exclusively to Fabulous Digital he said: “There is curiosity in anything she does and has to say, her earning potential is very high.
“I would say she would get anywhere in the region of £250,000 to £500,000 for doing something like that.”
- Patrick Knox
EUGENIE ‘TO MOVE BACK INTO FROGMORE AFTER BABY’S BIRTH’
Princess Eugenie might move back to Meghan and Harry’s old house, Frogmore Cottage, in the grounds of Windsor Castle, after she has given birth to her first child, according to a royal expert.
Daily Mirror royal editor Russell Myers suggested on Pod Save the Queen that this could be because it’s suitable amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But he suggested things may change when the baby is born because of support bubble rules.
- Patrick Knox
AND IF EUGENIE’S BABY IS A BOY….
Leading bookmaker Coral has cut the odds on Princess Eugenie naming her baby, Joe, to 16-1 (from 20-1).
The firm is offering 50-1 the baby is named Boris, 100-1 it is Meghan and 250-1 it is Donald.
“After his victory in the United States, US president Joe Biden could be set to share his name with a Royal baby as the odds continue to fall on Princess Eugenie naming her baby after the 46th president,” said Coral’s John Hill.
“The odds suggest Princess Eugenie is unlikely to go for Boris, Meghan or Donald, although the Prime Minister’s name is shorter in the betting than Meghan,” added Hill.
- Ben Hill
BABY NAMES
Victoria is the new favourite at the bookmakers for the name of Princess Eugenie's baby.
The Queen's granddaughter is expecting her first child with husband Jack Brooksbank early in 2021.
Coral has given the regal name – which is one of the princess's middle names – odds of 3-1.
The new addition to the royal family will be the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's ninth great-grandchild when they arrive.
The odds that Eugenie would name a daughter Meghan after the Duchess of Sussex, who quit as a senior working royal last year, are 100-1.
- Ben Hill
BABY NAMES
Victoria is the new favourite at the bookmakers for the name of Princess Eugenie's baby.
The Queen's granddaughter is expecting her first child with husband Jack Brooksbank early in 2021.
Coral has given the regal name – which is one of the princess's middle names – odds of 3-1.
The new addition to the royal family will be the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's ninth great-grandchild when they arrive.
The odds that Eugenie would name a daughter Meghan after the Duchess of Sussex, who quit as a senior working royal last year, are 100-1.
- Ben Hill
MEG'S LEGAL ACTION
The Duchess of Sussex's former closest aides are willing to provide testimony that could lay bare the truth about her handwritten letter to her estranged father, the High Court has been told.
The four former employees of the duke and duchess have evidence that may "shed some light" on the letter at the heart of her legal action against the Mail on Sunday.
Though they worked for the duchess, they have said that they want to remain "strictly neutral" in her dispute with Associated Newspapers, publishers of the Mail on Sunday and MailOnline.
- Patrick Knox
MEGXIT WAS THE BIGGEST SELLOUT IN ROYAL HISTORY, AUTHOR CLAIMS
Former royal correspondent for The Sun Duncan Larcombe appeared on True Royalty TV’s The Royal Beat to mark a year since the couple stepped down from the royal family.
And while the biographer is convinced Harry and Meghan could become a billion-dollar brand vaia business deals, he claims it is at the expense of the Royal Family.
Larcombe tells The Royal Beat: “A year ago they [Harry and Meghan] were saying they want privacy and to bring their child up in peace – codswallop!
“We now know what it is. The evidence is there. It was the biggest royal sellout in the history of the family.”
- Patrick Knox
MEGHAN WARNED DAD HE COULD RISK THEIR CHILD’S PRIVACY WITH PAPARAZZI PICS
Meghan and Prince Harry warned her dad he could risk their child’s privacy if he staged paparazzi shots, a court heard.
The Duchess of Sussex, 39, is suing the Mail on Sunday for privacy copyright and data protection over five articles published in February 2019.
This includes extracts from a handwritten letter she sent to her dad Thomas Markle, 76, in August 2018.
- Patrick Knox
WHEN AND HOW DID PRINCESS DIANA DIE?
Princess Diana — Diana Frances Spencer — died on August 31, 1997, after suffering fatal injuries in a car crash in the Pont de l'Alma road tunnel in Paris.
The tunnel is located in the heart of the French capital next to the River Seine.
Her companion Dodi Fayed and driver and security guard Henri Paul were also killed in the crash.
Diana's bodyguard Trevor Rees-Jones survived with horrific injuries.
- Patrick Knox
NEW ACCURACY ROW BREAKS OUT OVER FILM SPENCER
Royal experts branding the movie, staring tarring Kristen Stewart as Diania, as inaccurate because it's set on a weekend at Sandringham which never happened.
It was revealed in June last year that the Twilight actress, 30, would depict the late royal in a film which dramatises a 'critical' few days at the Norfolk estate in the early 1990s,
But royal biographers Robert Jobson and Ingrid Seward, said Diana had stopped visiting the estate before the period in which the drama is set.
Speaking on True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat, Robert said: “I don't even think she was there that weekend. She wasn't even at Sandringham, on this supposed weekend.
“The film will suggest this is where the decision was made to divorce, but she never made that decision. I didn't think she was at Sandringham after 1990 and this was set in 1991.”
- Patrick Knox
QUEEN'S TOP AIDE DELAYS RETIREMENT
Daily Express royal correspondent Richard Palmer tweeted on Friday: "The Lord Chamberlain, Earl Peel, who heads the Queen’s household, has delayed his retirement because of the coronavirus pandemic.
"Lord Peel, 73, a descendant of the 19th century PM and founder of policing Sir Robert Peel, had been due to retire at the end of 2020."
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