INTERVIEW SEEN BY ESTIMATED 17 MILLION AMERICAN VIEWERS

Oprah Winfrey’s explosive interview with Prince Harry and Meghan reached an estimated 17.1 million viewers in the United States on Sunday.

That’s according to preliminary numbers from the Nielsen company. CBS gave the interview a good time slot, following “60 Minutes.” In an era when many people are making their own TV schedules, reaching that kind of live audience is unusual unless it’s a big sporting event.

Nielsen said it had the largest audience for any prime-time entertainment special so far this television season.

◆ Appearing Monday on “CBS This Morning,” Winfrey said Harry told her neither his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, nor his grandfather, Prince Philip, were part of conversations about his son Archie’s skin tone.

◆ The White House emphasized America’s “special partnership” with the U.K. government in the wake of the interview. White House press secretary Jen Psaki was asked Monday if, given their relationship with Harry and Meghan, President Joe Biden and his wife Jill had any reaction to the interview. She said that Meghan’s decision to speak about her struggles with mental health “takes courage” and said “that’s certainly something the president believes in.” But she said she wouldn’t offer additional comment on the situation “given these are private citizens, sharing their own story and their own struggles.”

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was steadfastly refusing to comment on the allegations of racism and dysfunction inside the royal family. He said that “when it comes to matters to do with the royal family, the right thing for a prime minister to say is nothing.”