ITV announce Harry and Meghan viewing figures - and they're HUGE

Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah

It's the interview that the whole world is talking about...

Harry and Meghan's explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on ITV last night, less than 24 hours after it was first shown on US channel CBS.

As predicted there was little else the nation is talking about this morning, and now ITV have announced that the 90-minute programme received hit ratings.

The couple's intimate interview was watched by an average of 11.1 million viewers in the UK on Monday night.

Viewing figures then peaked at a staggering 12.3 million as the couple opened up about their decision to take a step back from the the Royal Family.

Over in the US the couple's interview was aired on Sunday evening on CBS, reaching an estimated 17.1 million viewers.

More: How to watch Harry and Meghan's interview online anywhere in the world

To put these figures into perspective, this is by far the highest viewing figures for ITV this year for a non-news related show.

The highest ratings for ITV before Harry and Meghan's interview were from The Masked Singer final last month, which saw 8.6 million people tune in.

Viewers tune in to watch harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah — A staggering 11.1 million people tuned in to watch Harry and Meghan's interview on ITV (Picture: Getty) (Image credit: AFP via Getty Images)

Only Boris Johnson's address to the nation about lockdown in January earned the channel higher figures.

If you combine the UK and US figures for Harry and Meghan's interview, they are similar to Princess Diana's 1995 interview where she opened up about the breakdown of her marriage to Prince Charles, with a staggering 23 million people watching.

Harry and Meghan break the internet

There have also been complaints from viewers after ITV Hub crashed last night after so many people tried to watch the interview online.

During the programme Harry and Meghan lifted the lid on Meghan's loneliness and subsequent suicidal thoughts after joining the Royal Family.

Harry also talked about fact that Charles stopped taking his calls after the couple took a step back as senior royals at the start of last year.

The fact that their son, Archie, was born without a title or protection by security was also addressed.

Buckingham Palace is yet to respond to any of the claims made by the couple in last night's interview.

Did you miss it? You can watch Harry and Meghan's interview with Oprah now on ITV Hub.

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia.

After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off.

She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz!

As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.