The highly anticipated interview of the British royal family's Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Harry and Meghan, with U.S. talk show host Oprah Winfrey, aired on CBS on Sunday after weeks of build-up and speculation about what it may reveal.

The two-hour "tell-all" – due to be broadcast in the UK on Monday evening – delivered on what it said would be a revealing insight into life in the royal family from the two people who parted ways with it a year ago, sending shockwaves through the monarchy.

In the interview, Meghan, the 39-year-old American, whose mother is black and father is white, said a member of the royal family raised concerns about "how dark" her son Archie's skin might be before his birth and denied him the title of prince.

Meghan also tearfully spoke of being pushed to the brink of suicide and self-harm, adding she felt isolated and unprotected by the family after pleading for help.

Harry, who joined in the interview later, also spoke about his mental health, saying he felt "trapped" in the monarchy, as well as being "cut off financially" from the royals. He also said his father Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, at one point didn't return his calls.

He also spoke of his fear of history repeating itself – a reference to the death of his mother Diana, who was killed in a 1997 crash as her car sped away from chasing photographers, and said stepping back from the royal family was for the security of his wife and his son.

Unsurprisingly, the long-awaited interview made headlines around the world, with papers in the UK, U.S. and across Europe describing it as "explosive," "sensational" and a "bombshell," as many covered their front pages with the news.

Here's how the main media reacted to the most discussed story of the day:

UK 

The British media's tabloid press, which has been at the center of contention around its portrayal of Meghan, had a lot to say on the interview. 

The Mail Online, featured more than 20 separate articles on the homepage alone relating to the interview, with the main headline reading: "'Racism drove me out of Britain and the Queen was too busy to meet me': Harry piles on new insults to his family as he accuses his grandmother of snub but clears her and Philip of making race remark." 

While the news section of the website, under which there is also a separate tab dedicated to 'Meghan Markle,' also features several articles focusing on the various revelations of the interview, earlier leading with a video of Meghan wiping away a tear above the headline: "I wanted to kill myself." The top line reads: "Oprah interview bombshells: Meghan claims she was suicidal when she was five months pregnant, Kate made her cry and Royals refused to make Archie a prince because they were worried how 'dark' he would be."

The Sun newspaper's Monday edition, calling the interview a "bombshell," also splashed the front page with a close-up of Meghan's tearful face, while similarly leading with the headline: "Meg: I felt suicidal." The paper also wrote: "But the couple share their baby girl joy," in the bullet-point breakdown, regarding the couple's announcement of the gender of expectant mother Meghan's baby during the interview. A later edition of the paper had a one-word headline, "Megxile," a portmanteau of Meghan and exile, along with bullet points reading: "Whingey chat dubbed Moperah," and "Queen won't even watch show."

The Daily Mirror followed the majority of news outlets worldwide by using the image of the couple being interviewed together, along with the headline: "They asked how dark Archie's skin would be." But the paper also used a close-up image of Meghan, and one of Meghan and Archie, as well as an image of The Duchess of Cambridge and Meghan together, while writing: "She says Kate made her cry ... and revealed new child is girl."

Both the tabloid Daily Express and the more upmarket The Daily Telegraph chose to lead the front pages of their printed editions with statements from the Queen's Commonwealth Day message, which aired in the UK on Sunday. But while the Daily Express splashed an image of the Queen with smaller photos of Harry and Meghan beside the headline: "Queen: Duty and family unite us. "That's public service for you, Harry and Meghan ... NOT a self-serving TV chat with Oprah," The Daily Telegraph used the image of the couple during the interview, beside the story headline: "Queen stresses importance of family, despite 'divisions.'"

On The Telegraph's website, the homepage featured several articles on the interview, describing it as a "bombshell," including articles from the associate editor titled: "Forget hiding behind the sofa, the Royal family needed a bullet-proof vest as Harry and Meghan let rip," and "'The interview can’t be undone,'" in which the paper questions what the couple actually achieved in the interview, while also stressing how the Queen had been "spared their ire."

The Times newspaper's Monday edition featured an image of the Queen with the headline: "Queen highlights duty as Meghan speaks out," while its website splashed several articles on the interview along with an image of the couple, leading with a piece titled: "Harry and Meghan 'driven away by racism and mental health fears,'" followed by an analysis saying the revelations were "worse than the Palace could have dreaded," and highlighted very serious issues.

In an opinion piece on The Times website, the interview was called "a tragedy" and an "assassination attempt on a beloved institution," saying that it piled more damage on an "already wounded" royal family, the pain of which will be felt by "millions," adding that it would cost Harry any chance of reconciliation with his family. 

While the Financial Times did not lead with the news of the interview, it published an in-depth analysis of it, saying it piles pressure on the royal family, while highlighting the revelations discussed saying it had "something for everyone."

The Guardian newspaper's front page featured an image of Harry and Meghan from the interview, but focused on broadcasters' hopes of a ratings boost from the exclusive insight, writing: "'Royal catch' Broadcasters bank on Harry and Meghan ratings boost."

U.S.

The U.S. audience was the first to watch the interview, and while the affairs of the British royal family may not have been of huge importance a few years ago, the marriage of Meghan, a California-born former actor, to Prince Harry, has made it more so. 

The Washington Post splashed news of the interview on its website, highlighting Meghan's "suicidal thoughts" in the headline, adding: "Interview has Britain abuzz, critics howling in outrage." But a more disparaging article on the site wrote that while the interview "stunned," "it's unlikely to change the monarchy."

"Did the interview do significant harm to the monarchy in the public eye? Likely not, at least not irreparable harm — in part because after Season 4 of the Netflix hit series 'The Crown' many people assume the royals are distant and dysfunctional," the article wrote, while it also drew parallels with the revealing interview with the late Diana, Princess of Wales, Harry and William's mother and the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales.

The New York Times led with a photo of Harry and Meghan's interview on its main page, also leading with Meghan's mental health crisis, with the headline: "Meghan says life with the UK Royals almost drove her to suicide." Another article highlighted that the couple accused the royal family of failing to protect them in what they called the "explosive revelations."

Other articles in its coverage centered around the race issues brought up in the interview, with one article writing: "One of the reasons this interview will be so damaging is that Prince Harry's marriage to a biracial woman really meant something to black and mixed-race Britons."

On USA Today, the front page featured a few stories on the interview, along with an image of the couple together. While one article highlighted Meghan's struggles and saying she considered suicide, another was titled "Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's fairy-tale romance," and spoke of the couple's support for one another in what was called a "shocking interview" with "bombshell revelations." Another article on the site delved into the celebrity reactions to the interview, including which celebrities had come to Meghan's support, such as her friend and tennis star Serena Williams.

In the New York Post, the interview also made it to the front page with a photo of Meghan and Oprah during the sit-down alongside the headline: "Throne under the bus: Meghan Markle dishes to Oprah about royal pains of life in 'The Firm'"

Directly beneath this story highlighting the main revelations of the interview was an opinion piece that was much more critical and scathing titled: "Meghan Markle's interview was full of bull." The article attacked Meghan and accused her of putting on a show. "'I wasn't planning to say anything shocking!' Megs told Oprah. Please. As we all know, Meghan's not that good an actress. Or a dissembler," one paragraph read. In another line, Meghan is described as a "perpetual victim," saying "Here she was, living her life, starring on a basic cable legal drama, when she got sucked into the vortex of royal life. Castles, riches, titles, instant global fame, a team of servants and advisors."

The Wall Street Journal, while also leading with news of the interview and highlighting revelations including Meghan's "suicidal thoughts" and "interactions with racist overtones," focused on the financial aspect, writing an article with the headline: "Interview fetches at least $7 million from CBS," in which it described the marketing gains for advertisers.

Europe

It wasn't just in the UK and the U.S. that the Oprah interview was making headline news, but photos of the royal couple perched on the sofa chairs in sunny California were also covering pages of news sites across Europe.

On Italy's La Repubblica daily news site, the front page featured an article headlined "Meghan and Harry on TV: 'Racism in the Royal House, but not the Queen or Philip' and she: 'also thought about suicide.'" Another article highlighted the reaction of the press in the UK titled: "London, shock after Harry and Meghan interview: 'Take away their royal titles.'"

In France, Le Monde writes that the "British royal family suffers a new crisis," focusing on the accusations of racism, and saying the couple "launched grenades" against the royal family which will be difficult to block.

Spain's El Pais also headlined Meghan's revelations regarding her suicide attempt, as well as the concern about her son's skin color. However, the paper's analysis headlined "Harry and Meghan's secret weapon" was slightly more critical as it writes that the Duke and Duchess of Sussex "brandished the racism card and put British royal house on the ropes with a more explosive television interview than the UK media anticipated." 

In Germany, Bild dedicated its home page to news of the royal interview under the title: "Meghan and Harry settle accounts with Oprah," using an image of Harry and Meghan holding hands during the sit-down, beside the headline: "There was talk of how dark our baby's skin would be." It then lists quotes from Meghan on the main revelations of the interview including: "Three days before the wedding we were really married," "I didn't want to be alive anymore" and "Harry saved my life." Below, Bild displays a photo of the Queen, with the headline: "What the queen gets for breakfast today!"