MEGHAN Markle has opened up about her experience as a senior royal, telling all in her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey.

The Duchess of Sussex did not, however, discuss in the interview her half-brother Thomas Markle Jr , who was previously accused of putting a gun to his girlfriend’s head during a row .

Who is Thomas Markle Jr?

Thomas Markle Jr, 55, shares the same father as Suits actress Meghan, who is married to Prince Harry .

He told Bild the last time he had seen Meghan was in 2011, claiming his family believe she is now a “changed person”.

When Meghan was born in 1981, Thomas Jr was living with his father, sister Samantha Grant, and step-mother Doria, Meghan’s mum.

He lives in Grant’s Pass, Oregon, and works as a window fitter.

Thomas Jr was married for 11 years to Tracy Dooley, with whom he has two sons – Thomas and Tyler.

His ex-wife, Tracy, said he has alcohol issues.

Why was Thomas Markle Jr arrested?

Thomas was arrested on January 12, 2017, in Oregon for allegedly holding a gun to a woman’s head during a drunken argument.

He was later charged with menacing, pointing a firearm at another person and unlawful use of a weapon.

According to court documents, he pointed the gun at girlfriend Darlene Blount in an attempt to get her to leave.

He has since apologised and said he is “seeking help” .

Why was his fiancee Darlene Blount arrested?

Police in Grants Pass, Oregon, arrested Darlene Blount, believed to now be 39 , on Friday, July 20, 2018, on a charge of fourth-degree assault after a “domestic violence call” at her house.

She was reportedly bailed on Saturday after a night at Josephine County Jail.

A source told MailOnline : “Last night there was a domestic violence call at the home of Thomas Markle [Jr] and Darlene Blount. Darlene was arrested on assault charges.”

In January she was booked for the same charge after a boozy fight with Thomas.

Did he attend Meghan’s wedding to Prince Harry?

Thomas Jr was not invited to the wedding, which took place on May 19 at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle.

His sister Samantha Grant also failed to get an invitation to the eagerly anticipated ceremony.

Father-of-two Thomas told The Mirror : “I’m not bitter, just baffled. It’s hurtful given how close we once were.

“I’m confused and a little distraught because here is a person knowing the position she’s in and knowing the scrutiny she’s under and yet she has forgotten her flesh and blood.”

Both Meghan’s half-siblings, Thomas Jr and Samantha, had given interviews to US mag In Touch earlier in 2018.

Thomas Jr is said to have labelled comments his half-sister allegedly made as “harsh” and “a slap in the face”, as well as publishing what he claims to be correspondence between his lawyer and Meghan’s.

In May 2018, he wrote an explosive open letter telling Meghan to call off the upcoming nuptials, blasting it as a “fake fairy tale”.

However, he reportedly later backtracked on the letter , which he said was written in a “moment of madness”.

Thomas Jr told The Mirror that Meghan is “the best thing to happen to the royals” and would be “the perfect modern happiness”, wishing his half-sister every happiness ahead of her big day.

But in a scathing interview with Bild, he claimed his half-sister was a changed person.

He said: “Nobody recognises the Meghan we are seeing right now.

“I have seen her bully people before in the past and get her way, no matter what.”

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Who walked Meghan down the aisle at the royal wedding?

There was intense speculation over who would walk Meghan down the aisle, with her father, both her parents and even Prince William touted as potential candidates.

Her father Thomas Markle was set to walk her down the aisle but a saga unfolded after he admitted he was paid to pose for paparazzi pictures sold to news outlets worldwide.

The 76-year-old initially pulled out, before stating his desire to attend. He eventually conceded he could not attend due to heart surgery .

Instead, Prince Charles took the new Duchess of Sussex down the aisle.

Lucy Mecklenburgh celebrated her son’s lockdown birthday as Roman turned one.

The former TOWIE star, 29, delighted fans with pictures from her gorgeous set up at her home for the birthday boy over the weekend.

In a sweet snap, little Roman clapped while sat in front of the impressive array of balloons and huge teddy bear to match his jumper.

His delicious birthday cake was made especially with a big chocolate teddy bear sat on the creamy topping.

Mother-of-one Lucy gushed over her birthday boy having an “extra special” day.

Dad Ryan, who recently quit acting , stepped in to pose with his little boy in front of the camera.

She wrote: “How is my baby boy 1. Thank you for making Romans day extra special @thedecordistrict @elan_cafe .”

Ryan also shared photographs from their special day as a family unit.

He wrote: “Where has that year gone!!? Happy 1st Birthday king Roman.”

It comes after Ryan opened up about his family life with Lucy and their baby.

Admittedly, the former actor travelling to see his daughter Scarlett in Manchester and how it puts a “strain” on his relationship with Lucy.

Ryan remains close to his daughter Scarlett whom he shares with his ex Tina O’Brien.

He told his brothers Scott and Adam on podcast Mancs on the Mic: “I know I’ve got Scarlett [who] I have to keep going back and forward for… That puts a strain on our relationship because I’m not with her [Lucy] because I’ve gotta get back for Scarlett.

“There is that trying to find a mix of making both work and working out where you’re going to end,” he said.

Ryan expressed his hopes of eventually moving to Manchester to bring both of his children closer together.

Also, Manchester holds a special place in his heart because it’s where his roots are.

“I think eventually I’d like to be in Manchester with both my kids, but at the moment it’s having that help at hand in London it’s just easier, but I think eventually I would love to be back where I started with all my brothers and all our kids.

“I think that’s what’ll happen eventually but we’re just taking it a day at a time. I think that’s what you’ve got to do with this family life.”

Lucy and Ryan’s love story goes back to when they met on Celebrity Island with Bear Grylls.

The couple became parents to Roman in lockdown last year.

They have plans to tie the knot after getting engaged in 2019.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — All eyes are on the court proceedings involving four former Minneapolis police officers, now charged in George Floyd’s death.

The killing sparked outrage around the world, with cries for justice for Floyd.

READ MORE: Protesters March Through Downtown Minneapolis On Eve Of Chauvin Trial

Hennepin County Judge Peter Cahill was assigned to the case. Former Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty appointed Cahill to the bench in 2007. Voters then elected him twice more.

Former law partner Mike Colich called Cahill’s background diverse. They met while Cahill was a law clerk in the mid-80s.

“He’s certainly qualified to be a judge based on all the experience he has,” Colich said.

Cahill has been a public defender and a criminal defense attorney.

READ MORE: Jury Consultant: Picking Jurors In Derek Chauvin Trial Will Be ‘Herculean Task’

“He was a great lawyer. Very, very skilled. Great intuitive sense and how to deal with people and to deal with the facts of a case,” Colich said. “I know jurors liked him, I know judges liked him.”

Judge Peter Cahill (credit: CBS)

Cahill went out on his own in the mid-90s before joining the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office in 1997, where he stayed until being named a judge a decade later. Cahill was also the chief deputy under then-Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar.

Judge Cahill has presided over highly-publicized cases. In November of 2019, Kenneth Lilly pleaded guilty to shooting a school bus driver with a student on board. Cahill sentenced him to more than seven years in prison — on the higher end of the punishment range.

In late 2015, he dismissed charges against organizers of a large Black Lives Matter protest at Mall of America . In Judge Cahill’s lengthy decision he said by management and security allowing it to happen in the first 30 minutes, it was “a tacit decision to allow a brief demonstration.” And he noted protestors made attempts to disperse once ordered.

The trials in front of him are for Chauvin, charged with second-degree murder in Floyd’s death. And aiding-and-abetting charges for Tou Thao, J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane. Colich says Cahill is who you want presiding over the case.

MORE NEWS: George Floyd’s Cause Of Death, Derek Chauvin’s Force Will Be Keys At Trial

This trial marks the first time cameras will be allowed in a Minnesota courtroom for a criminal case.

Lucy Mecklenburgh was left panicking when her baby son Roman choked on an apple.

The former TOWIE star, 29, said Roman, who turns one next month, had managed to bring up the fruit by himself, but spent two hours after that “gagging” and refused any more food or fluids.

She said she took her son, her first child with her fiancé Ryan Thomas , to his GP, who advised taking Roman to A&E if he continued to refuse fluids.

Taking to her Instagram account on Tuesday, Lucy posted a photo of Roman snuggled on her chest as she explained what happened in the terrifying ordeal.

She wrote: “This morning Roman choked on a little piece of apple and he managed to clear it himself but spent two hours gagging, being sick & bringing up thick saliva.”

“He’s just not himself I think it must be the acid irritating his throat & shock.

“He’s not eaten breakfast & lunch he put in his mouth, gagged & spat it all out.”

She later updated her fans, adding: “We did go to the GP and he suggested A&E if he continued to refuse fluids but he has finally had a bottle of water & breastfed just won’t eat solids.”

Later, when Roman was feeling better and Lucy had calmed down, she explained what had happened.

The mum-of-one said: “It was just awful. I think, in my head, I thought choking was when they went completely silent and their airways were completely blocked and you got it out and that was OK.

“Whereas, Roman might have had a moment where he was silent, that I didn’t notice because I was making breakfast for everyone and I think it was almost like it was partially blocked or something.

“And he… it went on for two hours just him bringing up saliva and phlegm and being sick and then being fine and then started gagging again and bringing it up.”

She continued: “Finally, after ages took some water and breast milk down so that made me worry less and I put him down for a nap and have been checking on him every 15 minutes. He’s been napping for ages I think he’s worn out, bless him.

“But, yeah it was scary and I am worried about how he’s gonna eat now because I put lunch in front of him and he had a bit and he just gagged and spat it out – he’s such an amazing eater so I’m just concerned he might be off his food and it might now go through another process in weaning that I didn’t think I would have to worry about because he’s always eaten everything and anything.

“So I am slightly worried but the main thing is he’s OK.

“I’m hoping when he gets back from his nap that he’s back to his old happy self and it’s always the way.

“We got to the doctors, he was sick on the way, he wasn’t himself and as soon as we walked in the doctor’s surgery he smiled at everyone.”

For her final leading role, Cloris Leachman had seven decades of experience on her co-star Thomas Duplessie. “Jump, Darling” was Duplessie’s first film; it was Leachman’s 71st.

In the film, premiering on video-on-demand services on March 9, Leachman plays Margaret, a woman with early-stage dementia struggling to manage daily life while living alone in Ontario’s Prince Edward County. Duplessie, who is from Miramichi, New Brunswick and has lived in Toronto for about 12 years, plays her grandson Russell, an actor who moonlights as the drag queen Fishy Falters. He finds himself staying with his grandma after breaking up with his boyfriend.

Though Leachman was a seasoned veteran, what Duplessie recalls from the weeks shooting with the sharp-witted grand dame in summer 2019 was her playfulness. “She didn’t take herself too seriously but she took the work seriously,” he recalls. “She would throw something new at you every take. It gave you permission to try whatever and she would go along with it.”

The Oscar and Emmy-winning star of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” died Jan. 27 at the age of 94 after suffering a stroke, with complications from COVID-19. Toronto director and screenwriter Phil Connell found out while in a meeting with the film’s distributor.

“I was initially in shock,” he recalls. “We continued on the agenda for a minute and then realized we couldn’t, because it changes everything.”

Connell had been pleasantly surprised by the energy and fearlessness Leachman brought to her role. “A lot of things she wouldn’t have the energy to do as a 93-year-old in real life, she would happily do in a take,” he says.

“She saved all of her energy for the work and you could tell that she loved it. She lived to act.”

Though she grumbled about her character’s wardrobe of bathrobes and nighties, she didn’t blink at some of the challenges the role demanded, including a scene in which her grandson helps her take a shower. “In the back of my head I thought I would have to rewrite that scene,” Connell says.

“Why would an actor of this calibre take this sort of personal and professional risk on a debut feature filmmaker? But it didn’t even come up. She would horse around a lot and test the waters but when it came down to it she was game to do what was required.”

Duplessie faced challenges of his own inhabiting the heels of a drag queen. Though he’d been to “hundreds” of drag shows on Church St., he’d never dressed in drag himself.

He needn’t have worried.

“Drag queens always say once you get into drag your confidence goes through the roof,” he says. “Once I got that wig on and those heels and that makeup, something else takes over.”

To get into character, he worked with Tynomi Banks, a Toronto drag performer who competed on “Canada’s Drag Race” and has a cameo in the film as drag queen Jacqueline O’Nasty. Banks, who also plays Medusa in an ad for Wealthsimple that premiered during the Super Bowl, taught Duplessie some moves for the film, but her instruction was more about an attitude than specific steps.

“When I walk into a room I feel so powerful,” she says. “Sometimes I pretend I don’t see anyone, and I just walk a straight line, like a catwalk. When I feel the eyes on me, it fills me up.”

Banks was part of a group of Toronto drag queens Connell interviewed to capture the working drag queen experience. What Connell learned from drag performer Fay Slift, for example, ultimately shaped a fiery monologue she delivers in a climactic cameo about the presumptions people make about their local queen.

Leachman herself was a fan of the drag world. In an introduction she filmed for its preview screening at the Inside Out LGBT Film Festival in October, she said she’d watched “Canada’s Drag Race” and that Banks, who was eliminated fourth, was “robbed.”

“I was in tears,” Banks says. “It was amazing.”

Though the popularity of the “Drag Race” franchise proves that drag is having a moment, the reality is that a gay indie film is still a hard sell. Though “ Jump, Darling” will be part of a digital edition of the queer British film festival BFI Flare later this month, the festival circuit so crucial to building word of mouth for smaller films has been dramatically scaled back amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Banks applauds Leachman for using her star power to help new audiences discover the film. “It’s such an important thing that this was the last movie that she was in,” she says. “Because it’s a gay film about owning yourself.”

QUEEN OF QUEENS

The artists behind “Jump, Darling” crown their personal drag superstars.

Tynomi Banks: “ Symone is so unapologetic. For a person of her age to exude that confidence and just love being Black, she’s just so inspirational. I love seeing her on (the current season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.”) Her glowing force comes through.”

Thomas Duplessie: “What Sasha Velour does just seems so authentic to her. No movement, no costume piece feels arbitrary. She doesn’t move a finger without asking why she is doing it.”

Phil Connell: “ Alyssa Edwards sticks with me. I just find her incredibly entertaining and hilarious and her looks are off the charts. You can not look away when Alyssa Edwards is around.”