According to the U.K. tabloid Mirror, the royal household has not been offered a preview of the interview ahead of its Sunday night airing on CBS. Meanwhile, a source also told Us Weekly that the 94-year-old queen and Harry’s older brother Prince William are “furious” and think the “entire royal family will be painted in an unfair way.”
Despite seemingly being left in the dark about the content of the interview, Palace aides told The Telegraph that the royal family were more concerned with the health of the queen’s 99-year-old husband, Prince Philip, as he’s been hospitalized since the end of February.
“This programme is really not something we are focusing on at the moment,” an aide told the paper.
On Friday, The Wall Street Journal reported that CBS paid $7 million in licensing for the interview, which will air on the network on Sunday night at 8 p.m. EST. The interview will be shown on the ITV network in the U.K.
The interview is set to air following accusations that the Duchess of Sussex engaged in bullying her former staff. Staff members approached the British outlet The Times with allegations that Markle had bullied two of her personal assistants, making them leave the royal household.
A spokesperson for Markle denied the claims.
“The Duchess is saddened by this latest attack on her character particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself and is deeply committed to supporting those who have experienced pain and trauma,” Markle’s spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Buckingham Palace released a statement on Wednesday, saying that a human resources team “will look into the circumstances outlined in the article.”
The interview with Winfrey is expected to be a revealing look into the royal family’s treatment of The Duke and Duchess. In a February 19 statement, the royal family confirmed that Harry and Meghan would not return as working members following their departure in 2020. In a preview, the Duchess appeared to hint that she and Harry were the victims of unfair treatment.
“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there’s an active role that the firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us, and if that comes with risk of losing things—I mean—there’s a lot that’s been lost already,” Markle says in the preview.
In another clip shared on Friday, Markle explained why she’d originally turned an interview with Winfrey down shortly before she wed into the royal family. She called the opportunity to speak to Winfrey now “liberating.”
Newsweek reached out to CBS for comment.
