The Duke of Cambridge has been 'shocked and saddened' at his brother's behaviour towards the monarch the sources told the Sunday Times - after Harry and Meghan were stripped of their royal patronages and Her Majesty suggested a 'life of public service' is not compatible with the couple's lucrative new career in America.

As Prince Charles yesterday made a 200-mile round trip to be by poorly Prince Philip's hospital bedside, it was also claimed that billionaire chat show host Oprah Winfrey spent two days with the Sussexes last week filming their prime-time interview on Wednesday and Thursday last week.

Sources claimed to The Sun that the chat show host's 'intimate' access gave her a 'real insight' into the rift with the Royal family and they believe her interview to be broadcast on 7 March will be 'pure gold'.

The Queen was left 'blindsided' by the couple's plan to sit down for a 'tell all' interview with chat show host Oprah Winfrey.

The Mail on Sunday has also revealed that Prince Harry did not inform the Queen about the 'tell-all' interview with Oprah Winfrey.

But Harry not only kept the deal secret, sources question whether he instigated the discussions with the Queen over the Sussexes' 'divorce deal' in order for it to be settled before the interview, which was recorded last Tuesday.

Harry and Meghan brought forward the announcement of their 'wide-ranging interview, covering everything from stepping into life as a Royal, marriage, motherhood [and] philanthropic work' after ITV were accidentally tipped off about it. .

Insiders insist the Oprah interview did not influence the decision by the Queen to strip Harry and Meghan of their royal patronages and honorary military titles.

In it, she underlined that there could be no 'half-in, half-out' role for the Duke and Duchess, including the specific words that 'in stepping away from the work of the Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service'.

Now, as the Royal Family wait anxiously to see what the Duke and Duchess tell Ms Winfrey when the programme is broadcast on March 7, it can also be revealed that:.

ITV discovered that the Duke and Duchess were to give an interview with Ms Winfrey when a member of the chat show host's team requested access to news presenter Tom Bradby's 2019 interview with Meghan in which she expressed unhappiness at her treatment by the British media.

When ITV approached a spokesman for Harry and Meghan for comment, the decision was made to release a statement revealing the interview.

A source said: 'They had kept the interview totally secret.

The interview with Oprah is due to be aired on Sunday March 7, and a person close to the Sussexes said last night that Meghan believes the prime-time broadcast gives her the 'loudest way she'll get her voice back'. .

The chat show legend was a guest at the couple's wedding in 2018, been a firm supporter of their decision to leave Britain and shared weekly emails with the Prince over proposals for a mental health documentary series, reports suggest. .

The Royals are braced for the couple to hit back at the Palace in the interview that was filmed days before The Queen removed Harry and Meghan's royal patronages.

Speaking about the Oprah interview which was filmed in California, the source close the couple told the Times: 'Having an institutional voice within the royal family wasn't enough [for Meghan].

The interview bombshell comes as Prince Philip, 99, continues to be treated in hospital.

Officials were angered that Harry and Meghan had kept this secret from the Palace, hoping to announce their interview bombshell once the 'divorce deal' was done.

The interview promises to deliver the most explosive revelations about the royals since Princess Diana lifted the lid in 1995, with the pair set to reveal exactly why they decided to turn their backs on the family and the UK more widely.

Prince Harry (pictured with Meghan Markle in a photo announcing her pregnancy last week) did not inform the Queen about the 'tell-all' interview he and Meghan are to give to Oprah Winfrey, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

It will be 'time to hide behind the sofa at the palace,' a royal source said.

His patronages of the Rugby Football League and Rugby Football Union, plus Meghan's of the Royal National Theatre and the Association of Commonwealth Universities have both been returned. .

Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah Winfrey will 'make or break' their fortunes in the US as they try 'to woo and win over Americans', experts say .

The interview with Oprah Winfrey will 'make or break' the fortunes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the US, experts predict.

He said it was significant that Meghan, who last week announced that she is pregnant with the couple's second child, intends to speak to Ms Winfrey on her own before Harry joins her later in front of the cameras. .

The interview with Oprah Winfrey will 'make or break' the fortunes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in the US, experts predict.

Why Prince Harry must now offer to step aside from the line of succession, by royal biographer HUGO VICKERS .

Few could doubt the anger and frustration felt by Prince Harry as he lost his Royal patronages this week.

Few could doubt the anger and frustration felt by Prince Harry as he lost his Royal patronages this week, writes HUGO VICKERS.

Today is Philip's sixth day in the private facility in London and comes as the fallout from the news about Harry and Meghan's departure from working royal life continues

Harry and Meghan have turned their backs on the Royal Family

Harry is valued as a member of the Royal Family, not as a tech entrepreneur

It would be far kinder to his grandmother, to the rest of the Royal Family and to himself for Harry to accept that his place in the succession is no longer tenable