Friends of Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, have come to her defense amid the controversy over her upcoming tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.
The interview is scheduled to air on CBS on Sunday while Prince Philip is recuperating at the hospital following heart surgery.
According to the Daily Mail, a friend of Markle has said that despite mounting pressure on CBS to show respect for Prince Philip by postponing the interview, Markle will not ask CBS to do so because the interview “has nothing to do with” the Duke or his health.
The friend also alleged that the palace was only trying to use Prince Philip’s health as an excuse to “muzzle” the Duchess of Sussex.
Prince Philip is recuperating at the hospital after undergoing heart surgery
Monsters and Critics reported that Prince Philip was moved by ambulance from King Edward VII Hospital in London to St. Bartholomew’s Hospital, also in London, where he underwent a surgical procedure for a “pre-existing heart condition.”
The Duke of Edinburgh has been moved back to King Edward VII Hospital where he is recuperating after undergoing surgery on Wednesday, March 3.
The surgery came after he was admitted to King Edward VII Hospital on February 16 for an infection.
CBS and Markle are under pressure to postpone the tell-all interview with Oprah
The upcoming interview, a two-hour special titled Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special, is currently scheduled to air on CBS on Sunday (March 7). But there is increasing pressure on CBS to delay airing the interview.
Supporters of the royal family say they want the CBS special postponed out of respect for Prince Harry’s grandfather, Prince Philip, who is recuperating in hospital after undergoing a heart procedure.
The palace is trying to use Prince Philip’s health as an excuse to muzzle Markle, a source alleged
However, a friend of the Duchess of Sussex has reportedly said that even if she had the choice to postpone the interview she wouldn’t because “what’s done is done.”
According to the Daily Mail, a friend of Markle said there was no reason for the Duchess to ask CBS to postpone the interview because it has nothing to do with Prince Philip’s illness.
The source alleged that the pressure on CBS and the Sussexes to postpone the interview out of respect for Prince Philip was only part of the palace’s efforts to muzzle the Duchess of Sussex.
The friend added that Prince Harry has no say in the issue.
Markle alleges that royal aides stopped her from having a private conversation with Oprah
The latest development comes after Monsters and Critics reported that CBS has released a preview of the upcoming interview in which the Duchess of Sussex claims that Palace aides blocked her from speaking privately with Oprah before her wedding to Prince Harry.
Oprah called Markle, a few months before her royal wedding in 2018, to request an interview. But the Duchess declined the request.
When Oprah referenced the incident, Meghan explained that granting an interview was not her choice to make while she was a member of the royal family. She added that she was now ready to talk after stepping down from her position as a full-time member of the family.
Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special will air on Sunday, March 7 at 8/7c.