Prince William is reportedly “livid” at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey which could be the “final nail” in the brothers’ relationship. Ahead of its broadcast tonight in the US, Harry has spoken with the Queen and been in regular contact with Prince Charles.
The interview will give viewers a first look inside the lives of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since stepping down from their roles as senior members of the royal family. A friend of the couple says that the interview draws a line under a chapter of their lives and they want to “move on”.
The two-hour special on CBS is expected to explore the rift between the couple and the royals.
Earlier on Sunday, the Queen spoke of “selfless dedication to duty” in her Commonwealth message. Senior royals including the Prince of Wales and the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge appeared together on the BBC One show to mark Commonwealth Day.
The Queen’s words echoed phrasing used by both Buckingham Palace and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in a tense exchange of public statements last month.
For everything from how to watch the interview, to what Harry and Meghan have told Winfrey so far, follow along with our liveblog below.
CBS airs new teaser with Oprah asking Meghan why her son was not made a prince
CBS just aired a teaser clip in which Oprah asked Meghan why her son Archie, a “great-grandson of the Queen” was not made a prince.
Meghan’s answer was not included in the clip.
Oliver O’Connell8 March 2021 00:24
Where was the interview recorded?
The was much speculation over the location for the couple’s interview with Oprah. The teaser video segments show a verdant garden surrounding the terrace on which Harry and Meghan sit with Ms Winfrey.
Oliver O’Connell8 March 2021 00:20
We’re now just an hour away from the interview airing on CBS in the US. UK viewers will be able to watch the programme at 8pm on Monday night on ITV.
Teaser trailers for the interview suggest that Harry will discuss his mother, Princess Diana, with Oprah Winfrey.
In one preview clip, released last week, Harry says: “For me I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side.
“Because I can’t imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago, because it’s been unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we had each other.”
Read more about what we know about the interview from its trailers below.
Natasha Preskey8 March 2021 00:01
What can we expect from tonight’s interview?
Olivia Petter reviews which topics we can expect to be discussed in tonight’s wide-ranging interview between Oprah Winfrey and Harry and Meghan.
Oliver O’Connell7 March 2021 23:40
William ‘livid’ about Oprah interview
Even if the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to “move on” and draw a line under a chapter in their lives as reports suggest, they may have a lot of bridgebuilding to do with their immediate family.
Prince William is “livid” at Meghan and Harry’s Oprah interview which could be the “final nail” in the brothers’ relationship, reports say.
The royal family is braced for the eagerly-anticipated interview on Sunday night, which could be “very damaging”, according to Vanity Fair.
Oliver O’Connell7 March 2021 23:12
Harry and Meghan want to ‘move on’ after interview
Harry and Meghan consider tonight’s broadcast of their interview with Oprah Winfrey the “last word” on their rift with the royal family. They “needed to have their say” and want to “move on”.
A friend of the couple told The Daily Telegraph: “It was something they felt they wanted and needed to do but now they have done it, they feel a line has been drawn under that chapter of their lives and they want to move on.”
The paper also reports that Harry intends to heal the rift with his brother Prince William when they reunite this summer in London to unveil a statue dedicated to their mother, the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
The statue was commissioned to mark the twentieth anniversary of Princess Diana’s death. It will be installed in the Sunken Garden of Kensington Palace on 1 July, which would have been her 60th birthday.
Oliver O’Connell7 March 2021 23:06
On March 31, it will have been a year since Harry and Meghan stepped back as royals.
The couple are expected to talk about their lives after leaving the royal family, and their hopes for the future, in tonight’s interview.
Need a refresher on what the Duke and Duchess of Sussex have done since stepping back from royal life? Read more below.
Natasha Preskey7 March 2021 23:00
When Oprah met Fergie
Harry and Meghan are not the only members of the royal family to have sat down for an interview with Opah Winfrey. Sarah Ferguson appeared on Oprah’s TV show in 1996 after her split from Prince Andrew.
“You didn’t marry the fairytale, you married a man,” she told Oprah. “You fell in love and married a man, and then you have to come to terms with the fairytale. Now it’s not a fairy tale, it’s real life.”
Fergie talked about the restrictive nature of life in Buckingham Palace and the “cruel” and “invasive” nature of the tabloid press.
Oliver O’Connell7 March 2021 22:45
‘This is not a game’
A statement from early on in Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s relationship has resurfaced online, in which Harry tears into the British press for crossing “a line” with its over-the-top coverage of the couple.
As interest grew in the relation, Ms Markle was “subject to a wave of abuse and harassment”.
Josh Marcus reports for The Independent.
Oliver O’Connell7 March 2021 22:32
Bethenny Frankel faces backlash over Meghan comments
Frankel took to Twitter to bash the Duchess of Sussex and tell her 1.5 million followers that she has no sympathy for Ms Markle’s complaints.
Graeme Massie reports from Los Angeles.
Oliver O’Connell7 March 2021 22:18
