Oprah has admitted she was "surprised" when Meghan Markle accused the Royal Family of racism.
Appearing on TalkshopLive on Friday (April 23), Oprah, 67, said she was shocked when Meghan, 39, alledged that an unidentified family member had "conversations with Harry about how dark [Archie's] skin might be when he's born".
Reflecting on her interview with the royal couple, Oprah said, "I was surprised," explaining that she thought: "What? You're going there? You're going all the way there."
She added: "The reason why it was such a powerful interview… What makes it powerful is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open as vulnerable, as truthful as they were. The reason the interview was what it was because they answered the way they did."
Relive the shocking moment from the bombshell interview below:Oprah then opened up about the impact of the interview, which, among other effects, left Prince Charles "very hurt", prompting Harry to write a "deeply personal" letter to him before Prince Philip's funeral.
"I had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have," Oprah said. "I did a lot of preparation for that. It was really important to me that what we put out there in the world was put out into the world at the time that everybody could see it and that things didn't leak and things weren't misconstrued before the actual interview happened.
"I remember when we finished doing the interview, and that interview was 3 hours and 20 minutes I think, I stood up and said to the crew, 'We all know what was said here and how important it is to have a trust to the people who just shared that so I'm hoping you all will not go out into the world and share what has happened here.' And nobody did.
"So as we were releasing clips to CBS, we were releasing them in such a way that whatever was being put out there could not be exploited. So a lot of time and effort and energy went into it on my part."
Oprah explained that she didn't see the couple in person before the bombshell interview took place, however, they did exchange text messages.
"I didn't see Meghan and Harry before but I did text them and say intention is very part important to me, tell me what your intention is so that we can be aligned in our goal," she recalled. "Our shared intention was the truth. They wanted to be able to tell their story and tell it in such a way that allowed them to be as truthful as possible."
Buckingham Palace subsequently responded to the allegations made by the couple in a statement, as per the BBC.
It read: "The whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan.
"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately."