What Prince Philip Thought Of Meghan, Harry's Oprah Interview, According To His Biographer

Prince Philip was supportive of Prince Harry's decision to forge his own path but felt that his and Meghan Markle's televised interview with Oprah Winfrey was far from helpful, the late Duke of Edinburgh's biographer has claimed.

Royal biographer Gyles Brandreth has discussed how Prince Philip, who died Friday at age 99, reacted to the news that his grandson and Markle would be opening up about their decision to leave the royal family. He told Daily Mail that while Prince Philip had been sympathetic to Prince Harry's distrust of the media and supportive of his desire to "do his own thing in his own way," the late royal did not approve of his tell-all with Winfrey.

"I know from someone close to him that he thought Meghan and Harry's interview with Oprah Winfrey was 'madness' and 'no good would come of it,'" Brandreth said.

"I was not surprised because that is exactly how he described to me the personal TV interviews given by Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales, back in the 1990s," he continued.

The timing of the airing of the Sussexes' interview had drawn criticism earlier as it came during Prince Philip's hospitalization. According to Brandreth, however, the late duke was not bothered by the timing but by the fact that the couple was airing their personal matters publicly.

"The fact that the Meghan and Harry interview was aired while Philip was in hospital did not trouble him," Prince Philip's biographer continued. "What did worry him was the couple's preoccupation with their own problems and their willingness to talk about them in public. 'Give TV interviews by all means,' he said, 'but don't talk about yourself."

"That was one of his rules. I know he shared it with his children. I imagine he shared it with his grandchildren, too," he said of Prince Philip.

This comes after "Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade and some social media users appeared to link Prince and Markle's interview to Prince Philip's passing. Kilmeade said the late royal had been "enraged after the interview," and this added unnecessary stress to the duke, who was discharged in late March following a month-long stay in the hospital.

Meanwhile, multiple news outlets reported that Prince Harry arrived in the U.K. Sunday for his grandfather's funeral. This would be the first time he is coming face-to-face with the royal family after his and Markle's interview with Winfrey aired.

Markle did not join him for the trip as she has been advised not to travel amid her pregnancy.