A friend of Meghan said that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s interview with Oprah Winfrey would have been delayed if Prince Philip had died.

Gail King, who hosts a US breakfast show, jumped in to the couple’s defense after a listener on her radio called and described the timing of the TV broadcast as “terrible.”

The king replied: If something had happened to him, God forbid, the interview would not have taken place at this particular time.

“But the interview took place and was scheduled before he was admitted to hospital. But a lot of people made this point.”

Prince Harry and Meghan faced widespread criticism over the timing of the unveiling of the sit-in, which drew tens of millions of viewers when it was broadcast in the UK.

It came as the Duke of Edinburgh, 99, was recovering in hospital after undergoing surgery for a pre-existing heart condition.

Meghan’s estranged father Thomas Markle was one of those who condemned the couple.

He told Good Morning Britain last week: “They are over the top with it, these stories are with Oprah, and they had to wait.

“Given the age of the Queen and the age of Philip, they sure either had to wait or try to wait.”

Prince Philip left King Edward VII Hospital on Tuesday after spending a month as an inpatient.

During the interview, Megan and Harry accused an unnamed member of the royal family – not the Queen or Philip – of raising concerns about how dark their son Archie’s complexion was before he was born.

Earlier this week, King claimed that Harry had spoken to his family for the first time since the interview, but that the conversations were “fruitless”.

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Speaking on CBS this morning, the journalist said, “That’s right, Harry spoke to his brother and he spoke to his father as well, and the word that was given to me is that those conversations were not fruitful, but they’re glad they did. At least he started a conversation.” .

King, who is herself Oprah Winfrey’s best friends, was among those who attended Meghan’s baby shower in New York in 2019.

In explaining why Harry and Meghan wanted to do the interview, she told her radio listeners that the couple had “gone through a lot” over the past three years and “really tried to solve it in private.”

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King added, “They really tried to get help, and nothing worked.”

“So I think they wanted people to have some understanding of why they made the decision they made and what they’re going through, and I think they got it done. I do.”

“The issues raised, especially those related to race, are worrisome,” Buckingham Palace said after an interview last week. “While some memories may differ, they are taken seriously and will be addressed in private by the family.”