CBS had promised Oprah's interview with Harry and Meghan would be a "bombshell", and they did not disappoint.
Video / CBS
Secret details of strict instructions have been given to a host of broadcasters around the world about how the Duke and Duchess of Sussex want to be presented in the tell-all Oprah Winfrey interview that first aired in the US today.
The broadcasters were required to agree to a listof four non-negotiable demands which could see them in breach of their contracts if not obeyed, according to a report by The Australian.
Australia's Network Ten was offered a rumoured A$400,000 ($558,607) for the local rights to the Oprah interview after a media bidding war.
The first agreement was that the programme must run in full, and Network Ten and the other broadcasters were not allowed to edit the interview in any way.
Secondly, a series of advertisements for the special, which were sent over to the broadcaster from the US last week, were not to be edited.
Third, the network could not edit any associated material in any way, including the synopsis that has been provided for programme guides, which was written under tight control in the US.
Meghan didn't hold back in her chat with Oprah. Photo / Harpo Productions
Fourth, host broadcasters were only allowed to use approved still images supplied to promote the special.
The media may once have controlled Meghan and Harry, but it seems that the shoe's on the other foot.
In the bombshell interview, the couple said they "never left" the royal family, but instead wanted to step down from being senior royals "to take a breath" – and that request was denied.
"My biggest concern was history repeating itself," Harry said, referring to his mother's death: "To receive no help at all and to be told 'this is just how it is, we've all been through it'."
Meghan disclosed she had struggled with mental health issues including suicidal thoughts and tried to put on a brave face for the cameras.
She also admitted there was a "breaking point" as the pressure mounted in her new role as a royal.
Meghan dropped surprise revelations such as saying Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, made her cry before the couple's big day.
"A few days before the wedding she was upset about something. It made me cry and it really hurt my feelings," Meghan revealed.
Harry revealed that Prince Charles stopped taking his calls and Meghan said conversations were had among the royal family about their baby's skin colour before he was born.
Meghan said it's safe to assume the concern among some royals was that her mixed-race child could be "too dark".
Oprah said what she'd heard throughout the interview had been "shocking", to which Meghan replied, "I'm just telling you what happened."
Meghan added: "I'm not going to live my life in fear. I don't know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent."
