Nearly 50million people around the world have watched Harry and Meghan’s sensational interview with Oprah Winfrey including almost 18million in the United States, CBS has revealed.
The global audience for the interview, which first aired on Sunday, is sure to grow further thanks to streaming platforms and a planned Friday night rerun on CBS.
In the US, the interview is already the highest-rated entertainment special since the February 2020 Oscars ceremony, according to CBS.
It has also been licensed in more than 80 other countries, including in Britain where it aired on ITV on Monday night and was watched by more than 13million viewers.
Two of the 49million people to have seen the Harry and Meghan interview so far watch the Duchess of Sussex on their TV screen in Liverpool on Monday
Harry and Meghan speak to Oprah Winfrey in the interview which has thrown the royals into one of their worst crises since the death of Diana, Princess of Wales in 1997
The interview had racked up 49.1million viewers in 17 countries as of Tuesday night, but not all of the ratings are in and others have yet to watch the programme.
America’s Nielsen ratings put the number of US viewers at 17.8million, while ITV said it was seen by 13.3million people in Britain.
The much-anticipated interview has thrown the British monarchy into crisis after Meghan alleged racism behind palace doors and said she was driven to contemplating suicide by the stresses of royal life.
The Duchess said she ‘just didn’t want to be alive any more’ but claimed she was turned away when she sought help from the royal household.
Harry also spoke candidly about the strains in his relationship with his father Prince Charles and his brother Prince William.
Speaking about Charles, he said: ‘I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like, and Archie’s his grandson.’
The Queen, pictured, said she was ‘saddened’ to learn of Harry and Meghan’s struggles in a short statement released by Buckingham Palace on Tuesday
Buckingham Palace, pictured, has been thrown into turmoil after Meghan alleged racism in the royal household
The palace finally responded on Tuesday with a short statement saying the royals were ‘saddened’ to learn of Harry and Meghan’s struggles.
The statement said that ‘the issues raised, especially that of race, are concerning’, but added that ‘recollections may vary’ about the events described.
It added that the issues would be ‘addressed by the family privately’, describing Harry, Meghan and Archie as ‘much-loved family members’.
The timing of the broadcast had sparked criticism in some quarters, with Prince Philip having had heart surgery in hospital only days earlier.
The interview also led last night to Piers Morgan’s resignation from ITV show Good Morning Britain after he openly questioned Meghan’s claims.
Harry spoke candidly in the interview about his strained relationship with his brother Prince William (left) and his father Prince Charles (right)
In the US, CBS is planning a second broadcast on Friday night after the interview powered it to the top of this week’s Nielsen ratings.
Powered by Winfrey and the royals, CBS won the week with an average of six million viewers in prime time. ABC had 3.5 million and NBC had 3.2 million.
CBS had originally set aside 90 minutes for the broadcast but, after the interview was recorded in California last month, bumped it up to two hours.
The success is likely to bolster broadcast television’s case that it is still a potent force for showing big events.
It might also have networks looking for more big-name interviews, which used to be a staple of prime-time broadcast television, but are seen much less frequently now.
Some of the big names that used to chase such interviews, such as Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters, have stepped away from the business.