Meghan and Harry SHOCKED by backlash to their interview: ‘We didn’t expect anything like this.’

According to a source, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were taken aback by the worldwide uproar after their groundbreaking interview with Oprah Winfrey aired on television.

Meghan and Harry's first interview since leaving the Royal Family made headlines around the world. Commentators are still debating the couple's critical claims against the Palace about its attitude to race and mental health more than two weeks after it was broadcast.

Others have disputed the credibility of their claims, claiming that their bombshell interview with Oprah has seriously damaged the Royal Family's foreign reputation.

The Susexes' popularity has dwindled in the United Kingdom.

For the first time, according to YouGov, Harry has a net negative rating.

The Duke now has a negative opinion of 48% of Britons, a 15-point drop in support, while Meghan now has a negative opinion of 58 percent of respondents, a 13-point drop in support.

“Harry and Meghan were expecting opposition, but nothing like this,” a source said.

“I wasn't planning to say anything shocking”, the Duchess of Sussex told Oprah, noting that she was “just telling you what's happened.”

The essence of their “intimate chat” with the US talk show host, on the other hand, contradicts the Royal Family's mantra of “never complain, never explain.”

In the immediate aftermath of the interview, which was first broadcast on CBS in the United States, the Palace was bombarded with requests for a response.

The next day, it was broadcast on ITV, but the Palace didn't respond until the next day, with a 61-word statement.

“They've decided to keep relatively quiet for a little while…but don't take that as them not plotting their next move,” the source told New Idea.

After the interview appeared in the US earlier this month, Harry has only been seen out and about in California once, while Meghan has not been seen in public at all.

The couple, on the other hand, has been making a string of announcements about their new careers.

The Sussexes announced a reshuffle within their current vehicle, Archewell, on Monday as well, with Catherine St Laurent, the former head of its charitable arm, returning to a senior advisory post.