Updated on 4 March: Just over a year ago, Prince Harry and Meghan – aka the Duke and Duchess of Sussex – graciously announced that they were stepping back from their royal duties in order to focus on their family and “work to become financially independent”.

Since then, the couple have lived quietly in the USA with their one-year-old son, Archie. Earlier this year, though, mid a flurry of independent charity projects, Meghan and Harry announced that they are “overjoyed to be expecting their second child.”

Just a few weeks later, an official statement from Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex “will not be returning as working members of the royal family,” and that their honorary military appointments and royal patronages will thus be returned to Queen Elizabeth II.

And, most recently, it has been confirmed that Harry and Meghan’s much-hyped TV interview with Oprah Winfrey will air via ITV at 9pm on Monday 8 March – less than 24 hours after it debuts in America.

In a new trailer for the CBS special, Winfrey can be heard asking the duchess: “How do you feel about the palace hearing you speak your truth today?”

Referring to the royal family by their nickname ‘the firm’, Meghan replies simply: “I don’t know how they could expect that, after all of this time, we would still just be silent if there is an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us.

“And, if that comes with risk of losing things, I mean, I … there is a lot that has been lost already.”

You can watch the clip below from 6:48.

As reported on 1 March: Two 30-second teasers for the much-anticipated CBS interview were released earlier this week. And in them, Harry says he felt compelled to step back from the royal family because he feared history was “repeating itself.”

In the footage, an image of a young Harry with his late mother, Princess Diana – who died in a 1997 crash after her car was followed by paparazzi on motorbikes – is shown.

“I can’t begin to imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago,” reflect Harry. “Because it has been unbelievably tough for the two of us, but at least we had each other.”

“My biggest concern was history repeating itself,” the prince tells Winfrey in a second clip.

“For me, I’m just really relieved and happy to be sitting here, talking to you with my wife by my side.”

Winfrey is seen asking Meghan if there had been a “breaking point” and if she was “silent or silenced”, but the duchess does not speak in either clip.

Intrigued to hear what she has to say, though? Here’s what you need to know about the TV special.

What topics will be discussed during Oprah With Meghan And Harry?

As reported on 25 February: “Winfrey will speak with Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, in a wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a royal, marriage, motherhood, philanthropic work to how she is handling life under intense public pressure,” reads a statement from CBS about the primetime special.

“Later, the two are joined by Prince Harry as they speak about their move to the United States and their future hopes and dreams for their expanding family. 

It’s worth noting that Holly Willoughby recently revealed Winfrey’s team had requested footage of This Morning’s interview with Samantha Markle in early 2020.

“Funnily enough Oprah Winfrey’s team contacted This Morning requesting footage from our interview with Samantha Markle in preparation for the interview with the Duchess of Sussex,” she said via the breakfast show.

“We don’t know whether or not they used that in the interview, but what we do know is nothing was off-limits in this interview.”

Considering that “intense public pressure” has been listed as one of the specific topics up for discussion, it makes sense that Winfrey would want to talk about the British tabloids’ obsession with Meghan and Harry – not to mention the many headlines generated about her estrangement from her family.

Why Oprah?

Oprah has long been a friend of Meghan and Harry, and was among those who attended the couple’s Windsor-based wedding on 19 May 2018. She’s worked with Harry on a docuseries about mental health, is essentially the couple’s neighbour in Santa Barbara, and has made a point of defending Meghan from those awful tabloid headlines.

“I feel that if people really knew her, they would know that she is not only everything you perceive her as being – graceful and dynamic in holding that position – but that she just has a wonderful warm, giving, funny heart,” she told Gayle King on CBS This Morning.

“I see all the crazy press around her, and I think it’s really unfair.” 

What time does Meghan’s interview with Oprah air in the USA?

Oprah With Meghan And Harry: A CBS Primetime Special will air on Sunday 7 March at 8pm EST on CBS.

US viewers can watch via their cable TV or, alternatively, stream the episode via Hulu Live TV or YouTube TV.

So, how can we watch the interview in the UK?

Of course, soundbites and clips of the interview will no doubt be made available via various news outlets – with many sites dedicating their coverage to key moments and takeaways. 

For those who prefer to watch it in full, though, Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A Primetime Special will screen on ITV at 9pm on Monday 8 March, less than 24 hours after it debuts in America.

Images: Getty