The Duchess of Sussex has said she found life within the British Royal Family so difficult that at times she "didn't want to be alive anymore".

In a deeply personal TV interview, Meghan told Oprah Winfrey that she did not get help when she asked for it.

She said a low point was when Harry was asked by one member of his family "how dark" their son's skin might be.

Prince Harry also revealed that his father, Prince Charles, stopped taking his calls when he wanted to step back.

The highly-anticipated interview with Oprah aired overnight in the US.

During the two-hour CBS special, to be aired in the UK on ITV at 9pm on Monday night and on ITV Hub, Courtesy of Harpo Productions/CBS, the couple covered a range of topics, including racism, mental health, their relationship with the media and Royal Family dynamics.

They also announced their baby, which is due in the summer, is a girl.

The couple moved to California after formally stepping down from royal duties in March 2020, and it was announced last month that they would not be returning as working members of the Royal Family.

'I was not being protected'

Meghan said that she started to feel lonely when limits were placed on what she could do, revealing that at one point she did not leave the house for months.

At one point she thought she "could not feel lonelier", she told Oprah.

Asked by Oprah if she was thinking of self-harm and having suicidal thoughts at some stage, Meghan replied: "Yes. This was very, very clear. Very clear and very scary. I didn't know who to turn to in that."

Meghan said that she felt "haunted" by a photograph from an official event she attended with Harry at the Royal Albert Hall while she was pregnant.

"Right before we had to leave for that (event), I had just had that conversation with Harry that morning," Meghan said.

Winfrey asked: "That you don't want to be alive anymore?"

"Yeah," Meghan confirmed.

She said that she attended the event with Harry that night because she felt she could not be "left alone" and recalled Harry gripping her hand tightly while in attendance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Timeline

• Summer 2016: Harry and Meghan meet on a blind date organised by a mutual friend in London

• May 2018: The couple marry at Windsor Castle

• April 2019: They move to Frogmore Cottage in the grounds of Windsor Castle

• 6 May 2019: Their son Archie is born

• 31 March 2020: They officially step down as senior royals after moving to Canada. They move to California later that year.

• 14 February 2021: The couple announce they are expecting their second child

• 19 February 2021: Buckingham Palace confirms they will not return as working members of the Royal Family and they are stripped of their patronages

During the interview, the Royal Family were also accused of failing to protect the duke and duchess, with Meghan saying the situation "started to really worsen" after the couple married in May 2018.

"I came to understand that not only was I not being protected but that they were willing to lie to protect other members of the family.

"But they weren't willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband."

She was referencing rumours that she had made the Duchess of Cambridge cry during a disagreement about flower girl dresses - a story that prompted a flurry of tabloid stories.

Meghan said the opposite happened. She added that Catherine later apologised, bringing flowers and a note to make amends.

Joining his wife and Oprah for the second half of the interview, Harry talked about his relationship with the rest of his family.

He said his relationship with his grandmother, the Queen, was "really good" and that the two of them speak often.

However, his relationship with his father, the Prince of Wales, has suffered.

Harry said that he feels "really let down" by his father. He added that he will always love him, but "there's a lot of hurt that's happened".

Of Prince William, he said they were on "different paths".

He also revealed that his family had cut him off, financially.