MEGHAN Markle and Prince Harry’s Oprah interview “will be cancelled by ITV if Prince Philip’s health worsens.”
The bombshell tell-all interview is set to air in the US on Sunday – but the broadcast may be pulled off air in the UK due to Prince Philip’s ill health, sources claim.
With the Duke of Edinburgh in hospital, aged 99, it is thought ITV is ready to pull the plug should Prince Philip deteriorate, reports Birmingham Mail.
Sources say the mood at Buckingham Palace has “shifted” after the Duke was transferred to a new hospital earlier this week.
The 99-year-old royal is now battling an infection and a pre-existing heart condition at London’s St Bartholomew’s hospital.
Public relations and crisis consultant Mark Borkowski warned that Harry and Meghan are at risk of a “real reputational mess” if they go ahead with the broadcast.
Mr Borkowski said a worsening in Philip’s health would also raise serious issues for ITV as to whether the screening should go ahead in the UK.
This could cause problems for advertisers airing commercials during the programme, the expert warned.
He said: “I think brands have to take a considered view about whether they want their advertising anywhere near this.”
It’s been reported that TV bosses are set to make “many millions” from reselling Oprah Winfrey’s explosive Meghan and Harry interview – after resisting growing calls to pull it over Prince Philip’s ill health.
The talk show megastar and network CBS are not thought to be willing to change the timing of Sunday night’s show, despite the royal’s grave condition.
An insider added: “Things could change – the interview could be pulled five minutes before it airs.
“There are always contingency plans in place. But a lot of money is at stake.”
CBS is free to flog footage around the world after it appears on Sunday – with ITV set to pay an estimated £1million to show the sit-down in the UK on Monday.
SHOW OF SUPPORT
The interview has already been extended to a TWO-hour special as Oprah revealed that “no subject is off-limits.”
In a dramatic preview of their tell-all interview, Harry says that his “biggest concern was history repeating itself” in a hint towards his mother’s own struggle in the royal family.
It begins with Oprah asking Meghan Markle whether she was “silent, or silenced?”
She then goes on to say: “I just want to make it clear to everybody, there is no subject that’s off-limits.”
However, we do not get to hear mum-to-be Meghan Markle speak in the preview clips as she cradles her baby bump.
The talk-show powerhouse goes on to say the couple had revealed “some pretty shocking things” – some of which seemed “almost unsurvivable”.
It’s been reported the Queen was “blindsided” by Harry and Meghan’s announcement of a “tell-all” interview with Oprah.
The royal couple apparently failed to inform the monarch of their plans before revealing they’ll chat to the American chat show host.
News of the big interview emerged after the couple announced Meghan’s third pregnancy – and days before Buckingham Palace confirmed the pair will never return as senior royals.
This comes as the Duchess of Sussex, 39, is facing allegations of bullying staff made by one of her closest advisers during her time at Kensington Palace.
A source told The Times she drove two personal assistants out of the household and undermined the confidence of a third.
ITV has been contact for a comment.
