Alex McCready discusses “explosive” Harry and Meghan interview on ITV News

Appearing on ITV News’ flagship broadcast last night, Alex McCready, Head of Reputation and Privacy at Vardags, discussed the upcoming interview between Harry, Meghan Markle and Oprah Winfrey.

The interview, which is due to be broadcast on the US channel CBS late on Sunday, before being repeated for British audiences on Monday on ITV, has dominated headlines over the last week, with many anticipating some explosive revelations. A further subplot was added earlier this week when it was announced that a bullying investigation would be opened, focusing on Meghan’s treatment of her staff when resident at Kensington Palace in 2018. 

Asked by ITV’s Royal Editor, Chris Ship, to predict who may fare worse after the interview is aired, McCready referenced previous examples of high profile interviews conducted with Royal Family members, such as Princess Diana’s infamous interview with Martin Bashir and the controversy surrounding Prince Andrew’s recent appearance on NewsNight in 2019: “Historically tell all interviews have not gone well for the royal family but we need to remember this isn’t Newsnight or Panorama - this is on friendly soil with Oprah.”

Their ability to choose their interviewer, who is a close friend of the couple, means that “they will have had input into the content and the topics that are to be discussed,” McCready explained. 

While this will may prevent the possibility of any surprise questions, it certainly does not mean their answers will be tame: “the fallout from this interview, and what they are discussing, will be pretty explosive,” said McCready.