MORE THAN 800,000 people in Ireland tuned in to RTÉ2 last night to watch Meghan and Harry’s interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The televisual smorgasbord of palace intrigue in which the couple laid bare their brief lives as a working royal couple attracted 725,000 people who tuned in on TV to watch the two-hour interview.
A further 96,000 people watched it on the RTÉ Player.
Meghan and Harry alleged in the interview that a member of the family – not the Queen or Duke of Edinburgh – made a racist comment about their unborn son.
Palace officials reportedly had a prepared statement highlighting the family’s love and concern for the couple, but it was not signed off by the Queen.
The Times newspaper reported that the monarch wanted more time to consider her response to the lengthy interview.
Winfrey was left open-mouthed when the duchess – the first mixed-race member of the modern monarchy – said a fellow royal was worried about how dark their son Archie’s skin tone might be before he was born.
The interview was aired on Sunday night to US audiences, before being shown in the UK and Ireland yesterday evening.
During the candid interview, Meghan suggested her son was not made a prince because of his race – although rules set by George V meant he was not entitled to be one.
She also spoke about having suicidal thoughts but her approaches to the monarchy for help were turned down.
It is a year today since Meghan and Harry made their final official public engagement as senior working royals, attending the Commonwealth Day service in Westminster Abbey.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki praised Harry and Meghan’s courage when asked if US President Joe Biden had watched the interview.
Psaki told journalists yesterday: “For anyone to come forward and speak about their own struggles with mental health and tell their own personal story, that takes courage.
“That’s certainly something the president believes.”
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