Inside Meghan Markle & Oprah Winfrey's First Meeting

Media mogul Oprah Winfrey met Meghan Markle, The Duchess of Sussex, only once before being afforded a seat alongside senior royal family members at Markle's wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

Over the past 3 years, Oprah Winfrey has come to assume the role of a mentor figure to both Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. Their relationship dates back to the first one-on-one meeting between Winfrey and Markle in 2018.

The face-to-face meeting was reportedly instigated by Gayle King, who shares a friendship with Winfrey, 67, and Markle, 39. King got the ladies in touch with each other via a phone call.

In March 2018, Winfrey found herself in London and was invited to Kensington Palace to meet Markle for the first time. Just two months later, the world was shocked to see Winfrey as a high profile guest at the royal wedding, of which she remarked:

"It gave us hope, that wedding. All mature beings recognized it as the beginning it was."

Since then, Winfrey has enjoyed a friendship that has played in the public eye, resulting in the media mogul's endorsement of Markle's vegan coffee product, as well as a deal with Apple TV between herself and Prince Harry, 36.

On 15 February, CBS announced through a statement that Winfrey would host a 90-minute sit-down with Prince Harry and Markle in a special titled "Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special," which will air on 7 March.

In 1995, Princess Diana did a tell-all with "BBC One" where she addressed her bulimia and affair while married to Prince Charles.

The coveted and much-anticipated sit-down will see Markle speak openly about becoming a member of the royal family, her marriage, motherhood, and other projects that occupy her time. Prince Harry will join the ladies later during the interview.

According to royal expert Katie Nicholl, the interview will also provide insights into the experience of leaving the royal family in March last year. Following that explosive announcement, Winfrey publicly backed Markle and Prince Harry, saying at the time:

"I support them 100%."

Reportedly, the royal family was not made aware of the impending sit-down, which will afford Markle and Prince Harry a platform to share their side of the story regarding what the family's experience was like for them the first time.

Using the media in this fashion is a practice that royal family members have resorted to throughout time. In 1995, Princess Diana did a tell-all with "BBC One," where she addressed her bulimia and affair while married to Prince Charles.

Asked whether she had agreed to the interview as a form of retaliation against the monarchy, Princess Diana responded she was not resentful of the royals. She had just been left heartbroken over her failed marriage.

Whether or not the monarch did indeed find out about this interview for the first time along with the rest of the world, a source Markle and Prince Harry were not obliged to update them.

It was revealed recently by "The Daily Mail" that the couple is set to have what remains of their royal patronages taken away from them entirely. Still, it is said the pair are not deliberately looking to upset the Monarch.