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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are set to appear in one of the most explosive and highly-anticipated interviews in royal history this weekend - and it looks as though the pressure of their no-holds-barred sit-down with Oprah Winfrey may well be causing some tension.
The couple were seen looking very somber while driving around Santa Barbara with the Duchess' mother Doria on Sunday afternoon - hours before two teaser clips from their no-holds-barred primetime interview were shared, sending tremors through the palace by laying bare just a few of the sensitive, and potentially-uncomfortable topics discussed by the Sussexes.
In exclusive images obtained by DailyMail.com, Prince Harry, 36, is seen behind the wheel of the couple's Range Rover while driving his 39-year-old wife and 64-year-old mother-in-law near their R217 642 100,00 home in Montecito.
The couple appeared incredibly somber while out for an afternoon drive with Doria, who was sitting behind her daughter and remained partially-hidden from the camera.
Doria reportedly moved in with Harry and Meghan last summer in order to help them care for their son Archie - and her presence is no doubt all the more essential now that the Sussexes are preparing to welcome their second child later this year.
However it seems not even Doria - who Meghan is known to be very close with - could raise a smile from the couple, who remained straight-faced while out for their Sunday afternoon drive.
It may well be that the Sussexes were feeling apprehensive about the release of the trailers for their sit-down interview with Oprah, which is expected to cover a number of controversial and private topics, from Meghan's experience of royal life and the couple's exit from royal duties, to their much-publicized rift with Harry's family at home.
When the interview was first announced last month, the news sent tremors through Buckingham Palace - with experts and insiders warning the royal family to 'hide behind the sofa' when it is broadcast over fears of what might be said by the couple about their treatment from Harry's family and palace officials.
It was made clear by royal experts on Monday that Buckingham Palace should be 'scared' about the 'wide-ranging' interview, particularly after it was revealed that the primetime sit-down had been extended from 90 minutes to two hours - perhaps to give the couple an opportunity to address the finalizing of Megxit, which took place one day after the shoot initially wrapped.
As part of their permanent stepping down as senior working members of the royal family, Harry and Meghan were both stripped of their existing patronages and honorary titles - a move that is set to have 'upset' the couple, who took a swipe at the palace in an unprecedented statement in which they insisted 'service is universal'.
The extra half-hour of the show will allow CBS to rake in more lucrative advertising, with a 30-second primetime slot believed to cost around R3 000 840,00. According to Page Six, the Sussexes are not being paid for the Oprah interview, but experts believe it is part of their ongoing plan to build a billion-dollar brand in the US.
In one of the teasers, Oprah, 67, is seen probing Meghan about whether she was 'silenced' by the Queen and the palace - an assertion that sparked outrage among royal insiders, who said it was 'ridiculous' and 'unfair' to paint the monarch as some kind of mob boss like Don Corleone from The Godfather.
Meghan says nothing as Oprah questions whether she 'was silent or silenced', and simply nods her head while cradling her blossoming baby bump, which she highlighted in a R705 162,15 Armani dress that was belted above her growing stomach.
The TV mogul then reveals that her friend described her 20 months as a royal as 'almost un-survivable', saying to the former actress: 'Almost un-survivable sounds like there was a breaking point.'
In what could be seen as a warning to the royal family, Oprah then reminds viewers that 'there is no subject that is off limits' while sitting opposite the former Suits star.
Thus far, the Duchess has not addressed her decision to quit royal life directly, and it is likely that her sit-down with Oprah will be the first time that she discusses her reasons for leaving the UK, and what it was like for her to join the royal family.
Both are topics that could well bring up potentially-embarrassing revelations for the palace.
The videos also showed Harry shedding some light on his reasons for quitting royal life, with the Duke speaking to Oprah about his late mother Princess Diana's troubled public life, before admitting that his 'biggest fear was history repeating itself'.
While it is not clear exactly how Harry compares their treatment to Princess Diana's, royal experts have already criticized his decision to raise it.
Harry also describes leaving the royal family as 'unbelievably tough' and Oprah claims the couple both say ‘some pretty shocking things’ in the bombshell interview that is expected to upset the Queen, Prince Charles and Prince William when it is broadcast on March 7.
Harry, wearing a smart grey suit and white shirt, also said he was 'relieved and happy' to have his wife by his side, hinting he feared that Meghan would suffer the same fate as his mother, who died 23 years ago. There will be some disquiet at the palace because it has now emerged that Harry has chosen to reference Princess Diana, who died in 1997 in a Paris car crash along with her partner Dodi Fayed.
He tells Oprah in the 30-second clip: 'I'm just really relieved and happy to be sitting here talking to you with my wife by my side because I can't begin to imagine what it must have been like for her going through this process by herself all those years ago. 'Because it's been unbelievably tough for the two of us but at least we have each other.'
Oprah goes on to promise viewers there will be ‘shocking’ revelations and 'no subject off limits' in the dramatic teasers, which were given an over-produced Hollywood spin with the addition of suspenseful music. The TV mogul has already boasted that the sit-down is the 'best she has ever done', with her close friend Gayle King - an anchor for CBS - revealing on Monday morning that the conversation between the trio was incredibly 'candid'.
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