Oprah Winfrey says 'forthcoming' Prince Harry, Meghan Markle stunned her during interview

Oprah Winfrey admitted that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle surprised her with their vulnerability and willingness to share so much during their interview that aired in March.

The talk show host recalled being stunned by the couple's candidness during an appearance on journalist Nancy O'Dell's "Talkshoplive" show last week. She said she "was surprised" at the extent of their revelations and how "forthcoming" they were.

"I was surprised at the amount of, you know, literally with that thing that's now become a meme, that's like, 'What?' I'm like, 'What? You're going there? You're going all the way there?'" Winfrey said in reference to her reaction after hearing that the royal family had concerns about how dark their son Archie's skin colour will be when he is born.

"I had no idea that it would have the reverberating impact that it has had and continues to have," she added.

The 67-year old said she does not want to take credit for the powerful interview. Instead, she applauded Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for making that happen.

"The reason why it was such a powerful interview...is when you have somebody else who is willing to be as open, as vulnerable, as truthful as they were," she explained.

Winfrey also opened up to O'Dell about how she prepared for the three-hour-long interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. She said they put a lot "of time and effort and energy" into making sure that it does not leak ahead of its release on March 7 and that "things weren't misconstrued before the actual interview happened."

"I stood up and said to the crew, 'We all know what was said here and how important it is to have a trust to the people who just shared that so I'm hoping you all will not go out into the world and share what has happened here.' And nobody did," she shared.

Winfrey said she texted Prince Harry and Meghan Markle beforehand to know what their purpose was for doing the interview so they could align their goals. Their shared intention was to share the truth. She said the couple "wanted to be able to tell their story and tell it in such a way that allowed them to be as truthful as possible."