Not since the late Princess Diana appeared on television to share intimate details of her failed marriage to Harry’s father Prince Charles has a royal family interview attracted so much attention.

Meghan, 39, and Harry, 36, stunned the royal family in January last year by announcing they would step down from their official royal roles to forge a new, independent life in California.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, having recently cut their official royal ties, will explain their move in the interview to air on Sunday night in the US.

Oprah’s CBS special will air in Australia on Channel 10 at 7:30pm on Monday.

“I’m ready to talk,” Meghan told Oprah in an excerpt shown on CBS on Friday, saying it was “liberating” to be able to give the interview.

“As an adult who lived a really independent life to then go into this construct that is different than I think what people imagine it to be, it’s really liberating to be able to have the right and the privilege in some ways to be able to say yes.”

Oprah, who attended the couple’s wedding, has promised there will be “nothing off limits” in the talk.

Harry and Meghan married in May 2018, becoming global celebrities combining British royalty and Hollywood glamour.

But less than two years later, they stepped away from official duties, saying the media intrusion was overbearing.

Their decision to give the high-profile interview with Oprah has been criticised by some as hypocrisy, flying in the face of their stated desire for privacy.

Meghan and Harry’s detractors say the couple want the glamour of their positions without the dedication it requires or the scrutiny it brings.

Their supports say their treatment shows how an outdated British institution has lashed out against a modern, bi-racial woman, with undertones of racism.

In a previous excerpt of the interview, the duchess told Oprah that Buckingham Palace had been guilty of “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and Harry.

Earlier this week, Buckingham Palace said it would investigate allegations that Meghan had bullied former members of staff, saying it was very concerned about the claims.

In response to the report, a spokeswoman for Meghan said she was “saddened by this latest attack on her character, particularly as someone who has been the target of bullying herself”.

Some royal watchers say the Palace’s move appeared to be a pre-emptive strike ahead of the interview.

The interview comes as Harry’s 99-year-old grandfather Prince Philip is in hospital, where he underwent a successful procedure for a pre-existing heart condition on Wednesday.

The interview will air in the UK on Monday. The Queen has reportedly said she won’t be watching it and will be focusing on her duties and Philip.