UK papers splashed various headlines across their front pages.

The Daily Mail and Daily Mirror focussed on Meghan's racism claims, while The Daily Express splashed with "Kate made me cry" and The Sun went with "Meg: I felt suicidal".

The couple, who sat down with Oprah Winfrey in California, said that there were "concerns and conversations" from royal members about their son Archie's skin colour, due to Ms Markle's racial heritage.

Prince Harry also said that his wife was subjected to racism from UK media, which turned on the former actress after an initial honeymoon period.

Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green, said the claims of racism demanded a full investigation of "really shocking allegations".

"I'm sure that the palace will be thinking very carefully about that, and I certainly think people will be wondering what is going to be said, but there's never any excuse in any circumstances for racism," Ms Green said.

Katie Nicholl, Vanity Fair magazine's royal editor, highlighted Meghan's dark thoughts of ending her own life while part of the royal family as the standout moment of the interview.

"I think the revelations came thick and fast … you sort of throw in Meghan's suicidal thoughts," Nicholl said.

"Meghan and Harry have dropped so many bombs in this interview and now they are going to watch the fallout."

But Piers Morgan, the UK equivalent of Alan Jones, the big-mouth co-host of ITV's Good Morning Britain, said he was "sickened" by the "two-hour 'trashathon' of the royal family as Prince Philip lies in hospital".

He added that he did not accept the couple's perception of racism within Buckingham Palace.

"They trash everybody … they basically make out the entire royal family are white supremacists," Morgan said.

Emily Nash, royal editor at Hello! magazine, described the interview as a way for Prince Harry and Meghan to settle old scores.

"I had anticipated more of, you know, more criticism about the press, the media, social media and perhaps the institution of the monarchy itself," Ms Nash said.

"But this felt much more like scores are being settled at a personal level with members of the family."

Her comment may have alluded to a rumoured rift with Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge.

The widely reported story was that Meghan made Kate cry before her wedding to Prince Harry in 2018.

After Meghan told Oprah "the reverse happened", the Daily Telegraph journalist who wrote the original article appeared on British television to stand by her reporting.

Daily Telegraph royal editor Camilla Tominey admitted that the exchange between the two women may have been "more nuanced" than first thought, but added that Catherine had no way of defending herself.

"As much as we'd love her to, [Kate] is never going to be sitting down in this chair giving you a heart-to-heart, she's never going to be on Oprah, neither is the Queen," Tominey said.

"Prince Charles again cops an enormous amount of criticism by association, the idea he wasn't returning his son's phone calls. Prince William doesn't come out of it particularly well either.

"And what you're left with as a viewer is a sense of this relationship imploding and having no way back."

Away from the UK, Meghan was praised by American tennis great Serena Williams in an Instagram post as a person of "empathy and compassion" who showed courage to speak up against racism within "institutions".

"I know first hand the sexism and racism institutions and media use to vilify women and people of colour to minimise us, to break us down and to demonise us," Williams wrote.