Oprah Winfrey says she doesn't give herself 'credit' for the impact of her interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle: 'We all know how to do our jobs'

• Oprah Winfrey spoke with journalist Nancy O'Dell about interviewing Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
• Winfrey said she thinks it was Markle and Harry who made the interview "powerful."
• "I know how to ask questions - we all know how to do our jobs," Winfrey said.

Oprah Winfrey's CBS special with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle highlighted her expertise as a talented interviewer.

In the tell-all conversation, which aired in March, Harry and Markle shared various bombshell claims with Winfrey about their experience as working members of the British royal family.

They said that while Markle was pregnant, members of the royal family (who Winfrey later said did not include the Queen or Prince Philip) raised "concerns" about how dark their first child's skin would be. Markle also told Winfrey that the palace denied her mental-health support when she was contemplating suicide.

But in a Talkshoplive interview on Friday, Winfrey reflected on the conversation with Harry and Markle and told journalist Nancy O'Dell that simply "asking the questions" wasn't what made it impactful.

During the video call, O'Dell began by asking Winfrey: "Were you surprised at how open they were?"

"I was surprised," Winfrey said.

Winfrey continued: "The reason why it was such a powerful interview - first of all, I know how to ask questions and you know how to ask questions - we all know how to do our jobs. But what makes it powerful is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open, as vulnerable, as truthful as they were."

"So I don't give myself credit for that," she added.

"I give myself credit for asking the questions, but the reason the interview was what it was was because they answered the way they did," Winfrey said of Harry and Markle.

Winfrey 'had no idea' the impact the interview would have

Speaking with O'Dell, Winfrey said: "I had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have."

More than 17 million people tuned into the interview when it aired on CBS in the US, making it one of the most-watched non-sports broadcasts of the 2020-21 TV season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. When it aired in the UK on ITV the next day, 11.3 million people watched it.

Following the interview, Buckingham Palace was said to be holding "crisis meetings," according to the BBC. The royal family broke its silence days after the interview by responding to claims of racism made by Harry and Markle to Winfrey.

In a statement released on behalf of the Queen in March, Buckingham Palace said that "the whole family is saddened to learn the full extent of how challenging the last few years have been for Harry and Meghan."

"The issues raised, particularly that of race, are concerning. While some recollections may vary, they are taken very seriously and will be addressed by the family privately," the statement said.

"Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much loved family members," it concluded.

Sevearl celebrities and public figures have also rallied around Markle and Harry following their interview with Winfrey.