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Princess Lilibet celebrates 3rd birthday with no public messages from Palace

 

Princess Lilibet celebrated her third birthday an entire ocean away from the Windsors and did not receive any public wishes from them on Tuesday, June 4.

 

 

The youngest child to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Lilibet celebrated her birthday with a star-studded party at the Sussexes’ $14 million mansion in Montecito, California, over the weekend. Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, and other celebrities are believed to have attended the birthday bash.

Lilibet Diana Mountbatten-Windsor, or Lili, was named using one of the nicknames for the late Queen Elizabeth II. She also made history by being the first senior royal baby to be born in the U.S.

It was only about a year after her birth when Lilibet traveled to the UK to physically meet her father’s side of the family. At the time, Prince Harry and his wife traveled with their two children to attend Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee festivities in June 2022. Interestingly, the trip coincided with the little one’s first birthday, which allowed the royal family to celebrate the day together at Frogmore Cottage.

“Wishing Lilibet a very Happy 1st Birthday!” read a tweet from the late queen’s official account that year.

Real reason Prince Harry and Meghan Markle invited celebs over royals to Lilibet birthday

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle reportedly chose to invite celebrity friends over to their home in Montecito for their daughter Princess Lilibet’s birthday, rather than the Royal Family.

As well as it being thousands of miles away, one royal author believes the feud between the two families explains the lack of invites.

Tom Quinn told The Mirror: “Shockingly, no invitations to Lilibet’s party were issued to members of the Royal Family.

“One of Harry’s old army friends said: ‘Harry knew they wouldn’t come anyway and he was pretty sure he would not have wanted them there.

“But he is really sad that Archie and Lilibet cannot have any kind of relationship with their cousins while his feud with his family continues’.”

Meghan Markle’s ex-husband’s blunt comment about Duchess: ‘I have zero to say’

MEGHAN MARKLE’s ex-husband Trevor Engelson made a very blunt comment about her, according to a royal biographer.

Meghan Markle’s ex-husband Trevor Engelson remarries

When Meghan shot to royal fame by dating and then marrying Prince Harry, there was significant interest bubbling up about her previous marriage. However, Hollywood producer and talent agent Trevor has been remarkably tight-lipped about his ex-wife, never speaking to the media about her. According to Andrew Morton’s book ‘Meghan: A Hollywood Princess’, Trevor was still angry about how things ended between him and Meghan.

It was reportedly for this reason that he told inquirers: “I have zero to say about her.”

In fact, Trevor was so hurt and taken aback by Meghan’s sudden decision to end their marriage, it is said he does not even like to hear her name anymore.

Mr Morton wrote: “It was such a surprise for Trevor that even at a distance of five years, he can barely contain his anger.

“The normally laid back New Yorker switching gear from his usual ‘hi bro, how’s it going?’ to a cold fury when her name comes into the conversation.”

Meghan Markle’s ex-husband Trevor Engelson made a blunt comment about her (Image: GETTY)

Thomas Markle Jnr said he spoke to Trevor after the break-up (Image: YouTube (Sunrise))

This claim is backed up by a comment made by Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jnr.

In an interview with Express.co.uk this year, Thomas Jnr said he has spoken to Trevor on the phone since the break-up, but that he warned him not to mention Meghan or he would hang up.

Thomas Jnr claimed: “I talked to Trevor a couple of times on a project that I was trying to put together.

“And he said, ‘I’ll talk to you, but just don’t ever mention her name because I will hang up on you. I don’t want to hear her name, period.’”

Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson in 2006 (Image: GETTY)

Meghan’s friend Ninaki has also been rather blunt about Meghan.

Ninaki, who was friends with the Duchess for over two decades and was maid of honour at her first wedding, decided after her break-up with Trevor that she no longer wanted to be associated with her.

While Ninaki has not explained what exactly happened that made her come to this decision, she has made some comments about Meghan that seem to call into question her former friend’s intentions.

Ninaki told the Daily Mail: “All I can say now is that I think Meghan was very calculated, very calculated in the way she handled people and relationships.

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry and their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor (Image: GETTY)

“She is very strategic in the way she cultivates her friends.

“Once she decides you’re not part of her life, she can be very cold. It’s this shutdown mechanism she has.

“There’s nothing to negotiate, she’s made her decision and that’s it. The way she handled it, Trevor definitely had the rug pulled out from under him. He was hurt.”

However, another friend of Meghan’s, fellow actor Abby Wathen, was more sympathetic to Meghan’s side of the story.

Meghan Markle and Harry ‘nowhere near’ Queen says Levin

She said the pair of them bonded over the fact they went through divorce and she defended Meghan’s decision.

She said: “She took her power back. It wasn’t the right relationship for her, so she moved on.”

Meghan and Trevor first met in 2004 and lived together in Los Angeles for several years.

Trevor Engelson and his new wife Tracey Kurland (Image: GETTY)

They tied the knot in Jamaica in 2011, but finalised their divorce in 2013, citing irreconcilable differences.

Three years later Meghan met Prince Harry, and a year after that Trevor met his now-wife, dietician Tracey Kurland.

Prince Harry just loves being a dad!

The Duke of Sussex, 39, gave an inside look at being a parent to kids Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2, in a new interview with Good Morning America released on Friday.

The Invictus Games founder was asked about what he is like as a father, to which he joked: “I can’t tell you. That’s classified. It’s top secret!”

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Harry and Meghan are parents to daughter Lilibet, 2, and son Archie, 4.Netflix
“No, the kids are doing great,” he quipped. “The kids are growing up like all kids do, very, very fast.”

Harry continued: “They’ve both got an incredible sense of humor and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. I’m just grateful to be a dad.”

Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, 42, are currently having some fun in the snow in Vancouver.

The Duke had just visited his cancer-stricken father, King Charles, in London earlier this month.

He also opened up to “GMA” about the monarch, 75, and the Firm, saying: “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane, go and see him, and spend any time with him — I’m grateful for that.”

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The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have spent the last few days in snowy Vancouver.WireImage
“I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” the “Spare” author went on, adding that he has “other trips planned that would take me to the UK or back to the UK, so I’ll stop in and see my family again.”

It was announced on Feb. 5 that Charles was diagnosed with a form of cancer, shortly after he went to the hospital for prostate surgery.

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The couple currently live in Montecito, Calif., with their kids.Netflix
Harry, who moved to Montecito, Calif., with the former “Suits” star in 2020 after they took a step back as senior members of the royal family, even dished if he would ever obtain US citizenship.

He noted: “The American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but certainly is not something that is a high priority for me right now.”

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The Invictus Games founder was asked what he is like as father, to which he joked: “I can’t tell you. That’s classified. It’s top secret!”Netflix
The Windsor clan is reportedly unhappy with Harry discussing his father’s health issues on the ABC morning show.

Former royal butler Grant Harrold told The Post on Friday that the Firm is “not thrilled” that Harry spilled the tea on Charles.

“If Harry is going into great discussion about anything, it’s possible that the royals won’t be over the moon,” Harrold explained. “I have no idea why Harry feels the need to speak out, that’s what I don’t understand. Let’s say if it does annoy the royal family, then Harry doing that is only going to annoy them more.”

Harry is reportedly open to a return to the UK as he hopes his children can build a relationship with the Royal Family.

Harry is ‘really sad’ Archie and Lilibet cannot bond with their UK family (Image: Getty)

Prince Harry’s friend has claimed that the Duke is “really sad” because his children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet are not able to have a relationship with their cousins.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex recently held a birthday party for Lilibet as she turned three on Tuesday.

According to reports, the party was comprised of close friends and family at Harry and Meghan’s Montecito mansion.

Royal expert Tom Quinn provided some insight, claiming that Hollywood heavyweight Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom were in attendance with their daughter Daisy.

Speaking to The Mirror, Mr Quinn also shed light on how Prince Harry is rueing the fact that Archie and Lilibet are unable to bond with their family in the UK.

Lilibet celebrated her birthday on Tuesday (Image: PA)

He said of the party: “Rather than go for a low-key celebration Harry and Meghan have spent the past weekend enjoying a pre-birthday bash for their daughter Lillibet’s third birthday – hugely expensive presents have been ruled out but the couple’s mansion in California was awash with celebrities including Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom and their daughter Daisy who is just a few months older than Lilibet.

“Shockingly no invitations to Lilibet’s party were issued to members of the Royal Family.

“One of Harry’s old army friends said: ‘Harry knew they wouldn’t come anyway and he was pretty sure he would not have wanted them there.

“But he is really sad that Archie and Lilibet cannot have any kind of relationship with their cousins while his feud with his family continues’.”

Royal experts have claimed that, while Harry would be open to a return to the UK, Meghan is certain she wants to remain elsewhere.

Speaking to The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show, expert Phil Dampier said a recent event showed just how determined Meghan was to leave the UK in her past.

Meghan traveled to the UK to meet with Harry before they headed off to Nigeria for their tour in May.

 

Harry is reportedly more open to a return to the UK (Image: Getty)

Mr Dampier said: “He had the opportunity to recently, didn’t he, on his way to the Invictus Games event and Nigeria, Meghan didn’t want to know.

“That’s twice now that she’s just stopped off at the airport at Heathrow, I think in the lounge there.

“She clearly thinks that she’s unpopular in this country.

“I don’t think she wants to come back to this country.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if she never came back to this country, to be honest.

“And I think that’s where we are, it’s very, very sad.”

Meghan Markle ex-husband working on TV show about American man whose ex marries a PRINCE

MEGHAN Markle’s former husband Trevor Engelson is hard at work on – guess what? – a TV series about an American man whose ex marries a British prince.

GETTY

Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson married in September 2011 but divorced a year and a half later

As a sell for a TV drama it certainly has pizzazz. “Divorce is hard. Sharing custody is harder. Sharing custody with the British Royal Family in the unforgiving spotlight of London’s tabloid media is next level.”

So far, so exciting. But when you learn that the man behind the show in question is Trevor Engelson, former husband of Prince Harry’s fiancée Meghan Markle, the whole thing becomes… well, next level, as the Americans say.

The film industry website Deadline Hollywood broke the news that the former Mr Markle has been commissioned by TV giant Fox to produce a pilot comedy drama – with the potential to be expanded into a full series – based on the idea of a recently divorced man whose ex-wife marries into the Royal Family and the custody battles for their children that ensue to, presumably, hilarious effect.

All concerned are anxious to point out that naturally the whole project will be a work of fiction, that the lead characters are in no way based on Meghan or Trevor (who have no children together) and that Meghan herself has no involvement in it whatsoever.

If that sounds disingenuous, it may be because it is.

According to Deadline Hollywood: “The comedy originated with Engelson and fellow producer Dan Farah who, in a conversation, mused about what would have been if Engelson and Markle had had kids and he had to share custody with the British Royal Family one day. The two liked the idea as a potential TV series.”

They were not the only ones. After pitching the idea to American TV networks, Fox bought it up “on the spot, with what is believed to be the biggest commitment for a comedy pitch at the network so far this season.”

They have also attached some impressive names to the project – most notably Danny Zuker, one of the key writers and producers of Modern Family, winner of 22 Emmy awards and widely recognised as the biggest comedy show in the world.

GETTY

Meghan Markle and Trevor Engelson were described as having a ‘difficult’ start to married life

I guess they just decided to go their separate ways

Thomas Markle Jr

Although the pilot was commissioned before the announcement of Harry and Meghan’s engagement this week, the timing could hardly be better – and is set to shine a spotlight on Engelson, a man who has, until now, remained firmly tight-lipped on his ex-wife’s prospects as a princess.

But, perhaps ironically, the idea of Engelson turning his and Meghan’s post-divorce lives into a television show may not be as outlandish as it first appears. TV has defined their relationship.

The 41-year-old has forged a Hollywood career, starting as a production assistant and working his way up to produce films starring Robin Williams, Sandra Bullock and Robert Pattinson.

He is also credited as producer on the drama Snowfall, about the 1980s crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles, which is being shown on BBC Two. It was very different when he and Meghan first met in 2004.

She was 23 years old and he 28, and they were both struggling to gain a foothold in Tinseltown.

He took whatever work he could, she likewise landed bit parts in TV dramas, and even appeared as a “briefcase girl” on the American version of Deal Or No Deal, in which she was required to do little more than hold an attache case while looking beautiful.

Meghan Markle’s ex makes sly reference to Royal engagement

GETTY

Trevor Engelson is working on a TV series about an American man whose ex marries a British prince

They dated for six years before marrying in Jamaica in 2011, with one guest describing the ceremony as “over very quickly, in about 15 minutes. Then everyone hit the dancefloor. It seemed they all just wanted to party”.

The wedding coincided with Meghan’s big break, as she landed the role of Rachel Zane on the hit TV show Suits. It seems that it was this change in fortunes that spelled the end of their relationship.

A source close to the couple was quoted in American magazine Woman’s Day as saying: “Meghan landed her role in Suits just a few months before they were married.

And despite being together for six years before getting hitched, things started to fall apart not long after the wedding. They really battled with long distances.

Trevor was based in LA while Meghan was in Toronto [where Suits is filmed], a five-hour flight away. It was a very difficult way to start married life.”

Just two years after their wedding the couple separated and their divorce was finalised in August 2013 – the official reason cited as “irreconcilable differences”.

GETTY

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement this week

Although it is understood to have been Meghan’s decision, Engelson has, to his credit, remained loyal to her, refusing to discuss either the breakdown of their marriage or her engagement to Prince Harry.

Meghan’s half-brother Thomas Markle Jr claimed “Hollywood” tore the couple apart. “He was a nice guy,” he said. “I’m not sure what happened with them.

“They were together for a few years but I’m not quite sure what their falling out was. I guess they just decided to go their separate ways. It’s a Hollywood thing I guess.”

As she briefly dated Canadian celebrity chef Cory Vitiello before meeting Harry at a drinks party in London’s exclusive Soho House club last year, Engelson embarked on a romance with Baywatch star Charlotte McKinney, and is now believed to be dating dietician Tracey Kurland.

GETTY

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle will marry next year

And until now, it seems, he has kept any lingering regret, remorse or rancour about his ex-wife to himself, with a friend recently revealing: “The split with Meghan hit Trevor pretty hard.

“He went through a rough time during the break-up and that was only made worse when Meghan got together with Harry last year.

“He had to relive it all again – this time in public. It wasn’t the most amicable of divorces and there were hurt feelings on both sides.

“Now he has bounced back and things are looking great for him. He has a new woman and his career is going from strength to strength.”

But with his latest project set to draw parallels with the love triangle between himself, Meghan and Prince Harry, it seems that Trevor Engelson may not be quite ready to put the past behind him just yet. Or maybe it’s just that, as an experienced Hollywood producer, he knows a ratings smash when he sees one.

Inside Meghan and Harry’s cost of living crisis as they struggle to upkeep lavish lifestyle

The Sussexes’ have built up a very luxurious life for themselves since moving to the States but are facing “financial challenges” as they are struggling to make a success out of their careers.

Harry and Meghan are said to be facing “financial issues” as they struggle to make a name for themselves in Hollywood (Image: TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry are said to be struggling after an expert suggested that they are facing “financial challenges”.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were becoming financially independent when they made their shock exit from the Royal Family back in 2020.

The couple signed a number of lucrative deals to help pave their way in their new Hollywood lifestyle but their eye watering $25m contract with Spotify came to an abrupt end last year after their Archetypes podcast was axed.

There were also rumours that Harry and Meghan’s Netflix deal was at risk as it was reported that they were asked to come up with “more great ideas” after their Netflix deal if they wanted to be paid £40m in outstanding fees.

However, a Netflix spokesperson has confirmed that the couple’s deal isn’t ending “anytime soon”, the Mirror reports.

The Sussexes’ were dropped from their Spotify deal in June last year (Image: Chris Jackson – Pool/Getty Images)

They said: “The bond with Archewell Productions is one we deeply value. Harry & Meghan launched as Netflix’s most spectacular documentary debut to date. Our exciting journey with them isn’t ending anytime soon.”

Royal author Tom Bower does not seem convinced however as he said the Sussexes have “no new income streams, no new companies”.

Speaking to Closer magazine, he added: “Everything they’ve attempted to do to relaunch themselves I think in the end has been utterly unsuccessful and has failed.”

Tom believes the couple’s “desperation” to find their new career path could continue into 2024 if they fail to make any announcements soon as he believes their names were unfortunately “tarnished” after being slammed by Spotify executive Bill Simmons who branded them as “grifters”.

The Sussexes’ have some pretty high outgoing that they will need to consider when planning out their next career move.

For example, their $14.6m mansion in Montecito, California which they bought when they left the Firm will not pay for itself.

The Sussexes secured the nine-bedroom pad just months after stepping down as senior royals which boasts chandeliers and marble coffee tables.

The former Suits star previously admitted that they weren’t going to view the home as they didn’t have jobs as she said the thought of them living there “wasn’t possible”.

However, Meghan and Harry fell in love with the mansion and did “everything they could” to buy it.

They also splash a lot of cash on security for themselves and their two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.

It’s been reported that the bill for security is around $2m (£1.5m).

Speaking to Page Six, a source said Meghan and Harry were forced to fork out the money after the Royal Family took away their bodyguards.

Meghan and Harry currently reside in a nine bedroom mansion in Montecito, California (Image: Google Earth)

As well as security, the Sussexes’ pay their own private travel.

Back in November, they were seen boarding a private jet to travel from California to Nevada for Katy Perry’s Las Vegas residency show.

The Sussexes’ travelled onboard a 2009 Gulfstream jet that belongs to one of their friends, oil company heir Michael Herd.

The former royal couple also travelled on a private jet to the Caribbean last year for a family trip.

Meghan also enjoys her designer clothing and has some high-end pieces in her wardrobe with the duchess showing off a wardrobe worth £86,612,16 last year alone.

It’s not known whether the mum-of-two pays full price for her clothes, or if she receives discounts from designers for wearing their fashion.

Meghan Markle is said to be struggling and experiencing ‘sadness’ as her two babies grow up, which comes after she spent Mother’s Day last month without them

Meghan Markle is said to be struggling and experiencing ‘sadness’

Meghan Markle is said to be experiencing “sadness” over baby heartbreak, with the Duchess reportedly “struggling” as she faces the end of an era.

The Duchess of Sussex is a doting mother to her two children. Meghan and her husband Prince Harry welcomed their first child, Prince Archie, in 2019. And in 2021, the couple welcomed their second child, Princess Lilibet.

Just last month, for Mother’s Day in the United States, which is where the couple and their young family reside, Meghan was not with her children on the special day. During the Sussexes’ recent visit to Nigeria, which fell on Mother’s Day in the US, the former Suits actress shared her grief when she spoke of how she was not with her kids.

Meghan is a hands-on mum to two adorable children ( 
Image:
Netflix)
She said at the time: “Today is Mother’s Day. So it feels appropriate that although of course we are missing our children, I’m missing my babies, it feels very appropriate to be in the motherland and amongst family.”

And now a source has told OK! Magazine that Meghan struggles to be apart from her two young children. The source told the publication: “Meghan doesn’t like being away from her children as she doesn’t want to miss a thing with them growing up so fast. With Lili turning three, it’s really got Meghan and Harry thinking about their future and how quickly the children are growing up. Meghan especially feels that her babies are no longer babies and like most mums, it makes her slightly sad and wistful that the baby years have come to an end.”

The Sussexes’ daughter turned three on June 4, which is why Meghan could be struggling with the end of an era. The magazine reports that parenting expert Amanda Jenner explains: “For many parents, it really is a mix of emotions when you think your children are growing up so fast; it can leave parents feeling anxious about how fast time is going but it is completely natural.

“It’s perfectly normal that Meghan is feeling that sudden sadness and it’s important to find the positive. This can also be a time for parents to find themselves again as a person.”

The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry has been given the green light to appeal against a High Court ruling dismissing his challenge over a decision to change the level of his personal security when he visits the UK by a Court of Appeal judge.

The Court of Appeal has now said it will listen to his challenge following a direct application from Harry’s lawyers, who said the prince had been granted permission to appeal. Harry first began the action after the Home Office, the ministry responsible for policing, in February 2020 cut off his right to automatic personal police security while in the UK.

Harry, in addition to other senior royals, had received full publicly-funded security protection until he chose to step back from his royal duties and moved to California with Meghan Markle back in March 2020. It was after this that the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) decided In April not to allow Harry the same amount of protection as he previously had been given after he stopped being a “full-time working member of the royal family”.

Ravec was entitled to come to this conclusion, according to judge Sir Peter Lane, who then also ordered that Harry should pay 90% of the Home Office’s “reasonable costs” in defending the case. The government’s total outlay was not stated, however.

Judge David Bean, when granting permission for an appeal, said he was persuaded “not without hesitation”, that Harry’s challenge on the grounds that Ravec had not followed its own stated policy had a real prospect of success. The court also found that Sir Peter may have been mistaken in concluding that Harry was not in a position comparable to those in an “Other VIP Category”, who do receive state security.

At a previous hearing of the case in a written statement, Harry described the UK as his “home” and a place “central” to his children’s heritage. “It was with great sadness for both of us that my wife and I felt forced to step back from this role and leave the country in 2020. The UK is my home.

“The UK is central to the heritage of my children and a place I want them to feel at home, as much as where they live at the moment in the United States. That cannot happen if it’s not possible to keep them safe when they are on UK soil. I cannot put my wife in danger like that and, given my experiences in life, I am reluctant to unnecessarily put myself in harm’s way too,” he said.

A spokesman for Harry at the time of the earlier ruling indicated that he intended to appeal, noting: “The duke is not asking for preferential treatment, but for a fair and lawful application of Ravec’s own rules, ensuring that he receives the same consideration as others in accordance with Ravec’s own written policy.

“In February 2020, Ravec failed to apply its written policy to the Duke of Sussex and excluded him from a particular risk analysis. The Duke of Sussex hopes he will obtain justice from the Court of Appeal, and makes no further comment while the case is ongoing. The duke’s case is that the so-called ‘bespoke process’ that applies to him is no substitute for that risk analysis.”

Prince Harry’s sweet gesture to wife Meghan Markle during their trip to Nigeria has been noted by fans of the couple.

Whilst in Nigeria on behalf of the Invictus Games, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex met with veterans, public figures and many members of the public. On one occasion at an evening reception in the capital city of Abuja, a touching moment between Prince Harry and his wife was briefly caught on camera and fans have not missed it.

As Harry took to the stage at the event, he reached out for Meghan’s hand and guided her on stage next to him. The fleeting moment has already been widely shared on social media and online, as many praise the moment between the couple.

The moment fans spotted the sweet gesture was as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle attended an evening reception during their Nigeria trip ( 
Image:
Getty Images for The Archewell Foundation)
The clip was shared to tikTok with one user captioning the clip: “I NEED HIM.” Comments from others who are equally gushing over the moment include one person commenting: “He helps her up and she stops at the top to wait for him to continue leading.” Another added: “Notice the way he reached for her, then she reached back for him. Love is a union.” A third shared: “H&M choose each other and we love that for them.” Another put: “They were destined for each other.” “You can tell they are so caring with each other behind the scenes. It’s like even their bodies are in sync. Natural with each other,” added another.

The successful three-day trip to Nigeria last month for Harry and Meghan has been likened by many to a royal tour for Harry and Meghan. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have also hinted that there could be future trips for the couple, as in a message thanking the people of Nigeria following their return home, they described it as “the first of many trips”.

Harry was seen helping Meghan to join him on stage ( 
Image:
Getty Images for The Archewell Foundation)

Meghan has vowed to return to Nigeria after she visited the West African country with her husband. According to reports, the Duchess of Sussex penned a letter to a Nigerian King, with the former Suits star thanking him for his country’s hospitality during her recent trip where she was grateful to get the opportunity to understand her heritage after she discovered through a DNA test that she has 43% Nigerian ancestry.

Meghan wrote to the Oluwu of Iso, Oba Abdulrosheed Akanbi, saying: “Your Imperial Majesty, Thank you for your warm welcome to Nigeria… Our visit to Nigeria was important for many reasons, but not least because it gave us an opportunity to explore and understand my heritage, which extends to our children. We look forward to coming back home one day.”

MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry are said to have an “in-house marriage counsellor” who they can trust if they need advice.

Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland has reportedly moved into the guesthouse of their £11.4million mansion in California and is proving to be a big hit.

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are said to have a live-in ‘marriage counsellor’Credit: Mega

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Meghan’s mum Doria Ragland is said to have moved into the guesthouse of their Californian mansionCredit: AFP
A source told Closer: “Harry always jokes that Doria’s their ‘in-house guru’ but it’s not far off.

“Any time they’re having trouble making a decision or arguing about something, she’s the first person they turn to.”

Yoga instructor Doria was the only member of Meghan’s family to attend her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

Meghan is currently estranged from her lighting director dad, Thomas Markle.

While it was initially announced that Thomas would walk his daughter down the aisle when she married Prince Harry, he pulled out after he had a heart attack and had to undergo surgery..

After the Duke and Duchess of Sussex stepped down from royal duties in 2020 and relocated to Santa Barbara, they were closer to LA-based Doria – but she was still a couple of hours away.

It’s recently been claimed that she has now taken up residence in their guesthouse to be closer to the couple, and their kids, Archie, four, and Lilibet, two.

The source added: “Doria is so much more than a mother-in-law. Harry looks to her for advice and support whenever he’s struggling.

“If he’s had a disagreement with Meghan, instead of wading in head-on, he’ll ask Doria for her take on it first.”

Doria is said to be good at being “neutral” and a “mediator” and while most people would be hesitant about living with their mum-in-law, she is proving to be a “marriage counsellor and loving granny all rolled into one.”

The support is no doubt welcome with Prince Harry, who lost his own mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.

He’s since had strained relationships with his dad King Charles, and brother Prince William, which he detailed in his bombshell Spare memoir.

Last month, relations between Charles and Harry were said to be fractured beyond repair amid the fallout of the royal race row, where a family member was said to have raised “concerns” about their baby Archie’s skin colour.

Hopes of a reconciliation had been raised after Harry called Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday in November 2023 and sent a video of the King’s US-based grandkids.

But the family rift, years in the making now, appears not to be easing with time.

King Charles is said to have been left deeply hurt by Harry’s actions, according to royal expert Robert Hardman’s new biography: ‘Charles III: New King, New Court. The Inside Story’.

While the King reportedly feels “exasperated” by Harry, he is too preoccupied with Royal duties to dwell on it, according to a friend.

Of Harry’s relationship with his father, Hardman claims a pal said: “Of course the King is extremely sad about Harry and Meghan but there is a sense of exasperation, that he has done what he can and now he is King, there are many more things to think about.”

The new book, serialised in the Daily Mail – offers a number of illuminating insights into the thoughts and feelings of senior members of the Royal family.

The book claimed The King needed to have “discreet discussions” with William before being expected to “console the whole country”.

Author Hardman claims one of the new monarch’s first decisions was to sit down with his eldest son hours after Queen Elizabeth passed away.

He wrote that in previous years, Harry would have also been involved with tensions high, so it was decided it was for the best he sat out the conversation.

It claims neither King Charles or William have read Prince Harry’s explosive autobiography Spare, but they’ve been briefed on key points.

Prince William is understood to be “mortified” by Harry’s “casual betrayal” of shared secrets in the explosive memoir.

Harry wrote that William “attacked” him and ripped his necklace after calling Meghan “difficult”.

And in Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary series Harry claimed Royal men marry look to marry someone who “would fit the mould”.

Prince William, interpreting him as referring to his wife Kate, slammed the statement as the “lowest of the low”, according to Hardman’s book.

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Doria is said to be a good ‘mediator’ for the coupleCredit: Getty – Contributor

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Doria is said to help with their kids, Archie and LilibetCredit: Alexi Lubomirski

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Harry currently has a strained relationship with his own family, including King Charles and Prince WilliamCredit: AFP