British royal family to appear in TV broadcast hours before Harry and Meghan's Oprah interview

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's potentially explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey will be aired on March 7, but not before the rest of the British royal family appears on the TV screen talking about Commonwealth Day.

Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the royal family will be sending out an unprecedented address to the nation, which will be aired on BBC One on Sunday, March 7, hours before Harry and Meghan's interview goes live on CBS at 8pm EST in the US, around 1am UK time on Monday, reports Mail Online.

The revelation comes after Westminster Abbey announced that it will not be hosting the annual Commonwealth Service on March 8 due to the coronavirus pandemic, for the first time in nearly half a century. The last service which took place just around the outbreak of the global pandemic was also held in a different manner with social distancing measures in place.

Instead, the royals will greet their followers in the BBC programme titled "A Celebration For Commonwealth Day," which will also include a speech from the Queen pre-recorded at Windsor Castle. The annual message will be aired 24 hours before it usually did in the previous years, sparking speculations that it was done on purpose to go prior to the Sussexes' interview. However, Westminster Abbey noted in its statement that the decision about the programme was "taken jointly by the Abbey, the BBC and the royal household about three weeks ago."

The programme hosted by Anita Rani can also be seen as a show of unity between the monarch and the royal family members. Heir apparent Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, as well as Prince William and Kate Middleton will be in attendance at the event sharing their royal perspectives on the importance of Britain's Commonwealth links. Countess Sophie, the youngest daughter-in-law of the Queen is also expected to be present.

The show's broadcast time will be confirmed on Wednesday, February 24, but it is certain that it will be hours before "Oprah With Meghan and Harry" airs.

It was recently reported that the 90-minute talk show would have to be re-edited as Harry and Meghan had discussed their financially-independent royal roles in it, which has significantly changed after they were recently stripped of their remaining royal patronages.