Royal expert Katie Nicholl shares why the royal family may want the tell-all to premiere at a later date.
Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's highly anticipated tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey might be causing some concern among the royal family.
Royal expert Katie Nicholl tells ET that Queen Elizabeth II's family would probably prefer that the Sunday premiere of Winfrey's no-holds-barred conversation with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex be postponed due to the health concerns surrounding Harry's 99-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement that the queen's husband has been hospitalized since Feb. 16 as he continues treatment for an infection as well as undergo tests related to a pre-existing heart condition.
"Clearly this interview comes at a very difficult time for the royal family," Nicholl notes, adding that amid all these stories regarding their family that "they are much more concerned with the more serious matter which is the health of the Duke of Edinburgh who is seriously ill in hospital."
Nicholl says that "some royal commentators and experts believe that this interview should be rescheduled and aired at a less sensitive time for the royal family."
She adds, "The timing really couldn't be any worse for the royal family. This interview is coming at such a difficult time."
As for Philip's condition, Nicholl says he is "slowly responding to treatment."
"He's clearly very unwell," she continues. "I think that if he was to take a turn for the worst then possibly there is an argument for rescheduling [Harry and Meghan's interview] and moving it to perhaps a more appropriate time."
That being said, Meghan has reportedly been waiting to tell her story for years. "I think we're going to hear much more from Meghan in the interview about losing her voice and how she felt she lost her voice when she was a member of the royal family," Nicholl shares. "Don't forget she was forced to close her Instagram account. Certainly, there was no shortage of people wanting an interview [with her], but out of the palace it was a clear no."
Nicholl says some royal reporters believe Winfrey has been planning to interview the couple since the day she met the Duchess of Sussex.
"Clearly a sit-down with the Sussexes was always going to be a big property to get, and this has been one of the most publicized, eagerly awaited royal interviews."
Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special airs Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
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