Meghan and Harry offer lighter moments and glimpse of 'fairytale' new life during Oprah interview

• Though Prince Harry and Meghan Markle addressed the headlines, they also shared a glimpse into life after exiting the firm as they spoke to Oprah Winfrey.
• Oprah with Meghan and Harry aired in the US on 7 March; South Africans will be able to tune in on 7 March at 19:30 on M-Net (DStv 101).
• During the interview Meghan tells the talk show host, Harry "saved my life" with his decision to exit the firm. "We've actually not just survived but are thriving," she said.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle offered a generous glimpse of their "fairytale" family life far from the monarchy in their tell-all with Oprah.

In a bucolic segment of the interview, the couple invited Winfrey to their home in California's oceanside celebrity enclave of Montecito, where they showed off their chicken coop - and hens rescued from a factory farm.

Filmed in rubber boots and a T-shirt, Harry opened up on life during lockdown amid the pandemic, and shared his joy about taking baby Archie - who will turn two in May - for long trips to the beach.

"I guess the highlight for me is sticking him on the back of a bicycle in his little baby seat and taking him on these bike rides, something which I was never able to do when I was young," Harry said.

"And I can see him on the back and he's got his arms out and he's like 'Woahhh, chatty, chatty, chatty, palm tree, house' and all this sort of stuff, and I do, I think to myself 'Wow.'"

Asked to name Archie's favourite word, Meghan said he is "on a roll".

"In the past couple of weeks it has been 'hydrate' which is just hysterical," she said.

Offering royal fans a treat, the couple revealed the gender of their second child, chiming in tandem: "It's a girl!" and confirming the baby is due in the "summertime"

Asked if they were "done" with two children, Harry replied: "Done."

"To have a boy and then a girl, I mean what more can you ask for?" he said.

"Two is it!" quipped Meghan.

Meghan wrapped up with a hopeful look to the future, saying that in deciding to exit from royal life, Harry made a decision that "saved my life".

"And now because we're actually on the other side, we've actually not just survived but are thriving."

To the question of whether her story "does have a happy ending," Meghan replied: "It does. Greater than any fairytale you've ever read."