A YouTuber duo had royal 'experts' comment on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's interview before they'd seen it

• YouTuber duo Josh Pieters and Archie Manners paid four royal commentators for their expertise.
• However, the subject — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's upcoming interview — hadn't happened yet.
• The pranksters told Insider they wanted people to think before relying on self-proclaimed "experts."

YouTuber duo Josh Pieters and Archie Manners - best known for their social experiments - convinced four royal "experts" to give their opinion on Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's chat with Oprah in their latest video.

The only issue was that the interview hadn't aired yet.

This didn't stop the self-proclaimed royal commentators from weighing in, however, and the pranksters managed to get original comment from the Queen's former press secretary Dickie Arbiter, the editor-in-chief of Majesty magazine Ingrid Seward, and royal commentators Richard Fitzwilliams and Victoria Arbiter.

These experts were told their thoughts would be broadcast immediately after Oprah's interview, which airs in the UK on Monday night. It seemed that not having seen the interview, or anything the Prince and his wife had to say, wasn't going to be a problem.

The experts were more than happy to share their opinions of the interview nobody has yet seen

The four royal whisperers answered the questions Manners and Pieters put to them with no trouble, such as what their overall impression of the interview was.

"In the interview, to my mind, this was an actress giving one of her great performances," said Seward in the video. "From start to finish, Meghan was acting."

Manners asked her whether Oprah "went soft" on Markle, to which she said, "it was an iron fist in a velvet glove."

"She did ask the tough questions. She had to ask the tough questions," said Victoria Arbiter, while Fitzwilliams claimed it was "not a balanced interview."

"Oprah is a friend who gave them an easy ride," he said. "She was totally sympathetic, and there was a great deal in it that the palace will find deeply concerning."

The experts were also asked about what they thought of Markle's yet-to-be-seen comments about other members of the royal family and her relationship with the Queen."

"The interview told us that Harry and Meghan both greatly admire the Queen, but not the institution," Dickie Arbiter said.

Manners told Insider that no royal expert or commentator they contacted refused their interview offer. He said this made sense, as it's their job to give their insights into the royal family on television.

"I suppose what we were putting to the test was, given that they influence public opinion, and particularly at a time where public opinion is so divided on this issue, whether they had any insights worth listening to," he said.

Pieters told Insider they came up with the idea because of the media frenzy around the royals.

"It seemed that yeah, people are willing to say things that aren't necessarily true," he said.

He added that this wasn't an attempt to comment on the allegation that Markle has been the target of negativity and racism from the British tabloid press.

"It wasn't to take any side in this argument," Pieters said. "It was purely to experiment whether people would talk about something that hadn't happened yet in a sector that they are meant to be experts in, or they claim to be experts in."

The duo wanted people to be more critical of what experts are and whether they should be listened to

This also wasn't a criticism of journalists, Manners said. The duo deliberately only contacted self-proclaimed royal "experts" who present themselves as having a valuable insight into the royal family and are paid for their opinions.

"It was more the kind of people who wear cashmere on British television sets, who once shared a taxi with Princess Margaret," he said.

The term "expert" is vague and broad, and there isn't much of a rulebook to follow in calling yourself one. Pieters and Manners hope their video inspires people to do their own research rather than rely on someone else's opinion that could be based on nothing.

"It was a look at these commentators who are shaping public opinion, and it's up to viewers to decide whether they are qualified to share that opinion," Manners said. "And perhaps this video puts a different perspective into what these people are doing for money."

Pieters said they were careful to steer clear of hypotheticals and only asked direct questions the experts would have seen to have an opinion.

"We gave them facts, which weren't facts, and they spoke about them as facts," he said.

The one time Manners and Pieters felt they pushed it quite far is when they asked the experts how they felt about Markle's passion for Balham Donkey Sanctuary and her decision not to receive the COVID-19 vaccine (neither of which are opinions Markle holds, as far as the public is aware).

"It's so unlikely and so unfathomable. It was almost a way of giving them a chance," Manners said. "But I will give you a million pounds if the words 'Balham Donkey Sanctuary' come out of Meghan Markle's mouth."

Fitzwilliams returned Insider's request for comment, saying they had seen two trailers, and pre-recorded interviews are frequently done for various news stories, and "there is nothing whatever dishonorable in it."

"Together with the hype, it promised to be pretty toxic and define Harry and Meghan's relationship with the royal family for the foreseeable future," he said, adding that he stands by comments he made in regards to the royal couple.

Insider has reached out to Dickie Arbiter, Seward, and Victoria Arbiter for comment.

Watch the full video below.