women around the world gather to mark international women's day, a global event to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. good evening. the duke and duchess of sussex have made damaging and shocking claims about life in the royal family — as they opened up to oprah winfrey in a wide ranging interview. meghan says she felt so lonely and unsupported that — at one point — she contemplated taking her own life. and she made an allegation of racism — she said an unnamed member of the royalfamily had questioned what colour her unborn baby's skin would be. for his part, prince harry spoke candidly of the deep divisions in his family and said he felt very let down by prince charles. here's our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. whatever the palace expected, the reality was worse with meghan describing uncaring attitudes and a racist remark from a member of the royal family. it almost broke her. were you thinking of harming yourself, having suicidal thoughts? yes. this was very clear. very clear and very scary and i did not know who even to turn to. these are the thoughts that i'm having in the middle of the night that are very clear, and i'm scared because this is very real. it's not some abstract idea. this is methodical and this is not who i am. a particular low point had occurred in january 2019. the couple had attended an event at the royal albert hall. meghan says she was in tears for much of it and told harry she did not want to be alive anymore. she said she had approached one of the most senior people in the palace seeking help and she says she was told was nothing that could be done. rewind to a spring day in may 2018. it all started with so much promise. then meghan admitted she had been naive at the time of her wedding to harry. she said she did not fully understand what her role as a royal would involve. the queen quickly took her under her wing and there was a successful joint visit to chester. meghan said the queen had always made herfeel welcome and she loved being in a company. but the relationship with catherine, the duchess of cambridge, was evidently more complicated. at one point there were newspaper stories that meghan had made catherine cry. in fact, meghan said it was catherine who had made her cry but the palace never corrected the stories. it was a moment, meghan said, when things changed. they were willing to lie to protect other members of the royal family but they were not willing to tell the truth to protect me and my husband, she said. and then to another extraordinary claim concerning their son archie in the months before his birth, meghan said there had been discussions about his status and security and she says there was a comment from a family member about the colour of his skin. in those months when i was pregnant all around the same time, so we had in tandem the conversation of he will not be given security, he will not be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he is born. what? and you're not going to tell me who had the conversation? i think that would be very damaging to them. harryjoined his wife for the final part of the interview. he hinted otherfamily members had becomejealous of them after their visit to australia in 2018. things really changed after that, he said. he said both his father and brother were trapped in the royal family. he was happy to have space from william and he revealed a rift with his father. there's a lot to work through. i feel really let down. because he has been through something similar. he knows what pain feels like. and archie's his grandson. but at the same time of course i will always love him. but there's a lot of hurt that's happened. they were revelations of the kind that any family would prefer to keep private. many things remain unanswered not least the identity of the family member who made the remark about archie's skin colour. on that, oprah winfrey has said who it was not. he did not share the identity with me but wanted to make sure that i knew if i had an opportunity to share it that it not his to share it that it was not his grandmother nor his grandfather. but for all the hurt and pain that this couple had expressed about the past, meghan said that they were now thriving and harry said time heals all things. nicholas witchell, bbc news. more than 17 million americans watched the interview last night — making it one of the biggest tv events in the us in the past year. millions more are expected to tune in across the uk this evening. adina campbell looks at the reaction so far — and her report contains some flashing images. when the duke and duchess of sussex turned up in brixton in south london three years ago, the crowds were buzzing with excitement. a sense of change on the horizon. today in the same spot, the mood is very different. a dark shadow hangs over this community after the shocking revelations in the latest interview by the couple. allegations of racism within the royal family targeted at their son archie. i feel he will be neglected and if he was more white, he would be accepted more. it's definitely racism. i'm glad it came up, everyone knew about it but it was not talked about. no one should treat - someone different because of their skin colour. this interview has thrown up big questions about racism in this country. many people feel those at the receiving end of racist abuse are either silenced or failed by those in positions of power. but some have questioned the timeline of these allegations. at the top of the interview, meghan makes this point saying she was pregnant with archie and was appalled by this conversation, and then she said actually, i wasn't there, harry told me about it. at the end of the interview, he said it was a conversation that happened before we were married. so if you are looking at this in a purely legal sense, it does not quite stack up. over in the states, it's the most talked about story on american news networks. stunning questions about racism within the royal family. friends of meghan have come out in support. tennis star serena williams, one of her closest friends and also a guest at their wedding, has shown her support on twitter. she said, meghan markle, my selfless friend, lives her life and leads by example with empathy and compassion. i know the sexism and racism institutions the media used to vilify women and people of colour to minimise us, to break us down and demonise us. but some royal biographers are not convinced by what the couple had to say. it was a very soft serving soapy interview in meghan�*s favour. no one asked about her relationship with her father and no one asked the astonishing fact that she had only one member of her family at a wedding. this is a woman who seems to make a habit of falling out with people but none of her real behaviour was questioned. it was an absolute exercise in torching the house of windsor and i came away with a very distasteful taste in my mouth. there is no doubting that this interview has divided opinion about the couple. i think they've done the wrong thing and i'm sorry. i do not think that they have done themselves any good. i think it's really sad that family matters can't be played out within the family and at a time when so many people are suffering. not interested at all. one thing is clear, the conversation about race in the uk has yet again raised uncomfortable and tough questions. and duchess of sussex. earlier my colleage sophie raworth spoke to our royal correspondent, nicholas witchell. family members one must suppose will be hurt. 0fficials i think will be shocked, even dumbfounded because they tried so hard to make this work, and the idea that buckingham palace is full of fussy men in suits, just is not correct. the sussexes hand—picked, the private secretary they wanted to show that the palace had learnt the lessons of princess diana from 25 years ago but it did not work and will have this inversion of meghan from a strong independent woman as she certainly is to a broken woman as she tells the story of who had to escape. how damaging could this interview be in the long run? i think it is too early to say but i think undoubtedly and this underlines that one of the great challenges that the palace faces is the assimilation of outsiders who marry into the royal family. we have seen diana, sarah ferguson and now meghan. there have been some successes, kate middleton most notably, the countess of wessex, as well the palace will want to learn lessons but i cannot see the central members of the family feeling that they should retreat from the central principle that in the positions of great privilege that they occupy they have an absolute obligation to do their duty and to put that first. 0ur north america correspondent sophie long joins us from la. i saw one us network saying going nuclear is how they described it. is that typical? the nuclear is how they described it. is that typical?— nuclear is how they described it. is that ical? , ., , , that typical? the story here, james, has been huge- _ that typical? the story here, james, has been huge. on _ that typical? the story here, james, has been huge. on all— that typical? the story here, james, has been huge. on all of— that typical? the story here, james, has been huge. on all of the - that typical? the story here, james, has been huge. on all of the us - that typical? the story here, james, l has been huge. on all of the us news networks this morning and people calling it explosive and one commentator called a kryptonite and people talking about a hand grenade being thrown right into the heart of the british monarchy. this was a huge lead trail interview with the woman who is regarded as being the queen of the us television and as far as american viewers are concerned in tune then and their millions, the initial data says that more than 17 million americans watch this. they weren't disappointed by the details that were revealed for many people here who are fascinated by the royal family. many people here who are fascinated by the royalfamily. i have to many people here who are fascinated by the royal family. i have to say this when he huge amount of sympathy for meghan markle here. a lot of focus on their mental health and the couple talked about how she contemplated suicide and how it was a very real and constant thought and how she sought help and that help was denied. also of course on the allegations of racism. we saw 0prah allegations of racism. we saw oprah winfrey during the interview literally herjaw dropped and looked in disbelief when they revealed that conversations had been had about that then unborn child colour of skin. i think americans watching that love had the same reaction so a huge amount of focus there and it didn't stop with the interview. this morning, 0prah didn't stop with the interview. this morning, oprah winfrey gave an interview the first interview about the interview and we heard were revelations there and the key factor this morning but it was that harry had said he want her to clarify that those conversations about the colour of archie's skin were not coming from the queen or from prince philip. she did not go wanted to say to anybody else was not involved so we know who was in who it was. —— who it wasn't and who it was. fine who it wasn't and who it was. one erson's who it wasn't and who it was. one person's reputation _ who it wasn't and who it was. 0ne person's reputation came out and hence come 0prah person's reputation came out and hence come oprah winfrey. the uss 0pera. hence come oprah winfrey. the uss opera. the uk has the queen. is that a fair balance of power? == opera. the uk has the queen. is that a fair balance of power?— a fair balance of power? -- the us has oprah — a fair balance of power? -- the us has oprah winfrey. _ a fair balance of power? -- the us has oprah winfrey. in _ a fair balance of power? -- the us has oprah winfrey. in terms - a fair balance of power? -- the us has oprah winfrey. in terms of- a fair balance of power? -- the usi has oprah winfrey. in terms of the interview, people have been complementary in 0prah interview, people have been complementary in oprah winfrey was very open at the beginning of the interview that they were friends and she was in attendance at their wedding but that no questions had been debarred and no money had exchange hands and no payment had been made. while there is a great amount of sympathy here for the royal couple and much more so than there is in the united kingdom at there is in the united kingdom at the time, there was also some eyebrows raised. she was film with 0prah eyebrows raised. she was film with oprah winfrey at their home and the chickens and she said she left to rescue things and also that she wanted to leave this basic lie. most americans not living in a multi—million dollar mansion in montecito among the super rich and famous as anything but basic. also when talking about how she was completely unprepared for entering the royalfamily, meghan markle completely unprepared for entering the royal family, meghan markle was at the time a working actress, there have been some eyebrows raised here as to perhaps why she didn't do more research must that you prepare for any role, this is gold meet the greatest will offer life and perhaps he should have made better preparations. —— this is going to be the greatest role in your life. there is some sympathy and questions raised. they moved here for privacy because they couldn't bear the intrusion of the uk tabloids and yet they are sitting down with the queen of us television in one of the most hotly trail interviews and prime time slot on both the east and the west coast, so some questions being asked about what indeed they are hoping to achieve.— hoping to achieve. sophie, thank ou. the headlines on bbc news... the duchess of sussex tells oprah winfrey that one unnamed family member raised questions about the skin colour of her son archie. millions of pupils in england head back to school after two months learning at home during the lockdown. from today care home residents in england can have one regular visitor — they can meet indoors and hold hands. sport — and for a full round—up from the bbc sport centre, here's tolsen. thank you. thomas tuchel�*s unbeaten start to his reign as chelsea boss continues as his side beat everton 2—0. everton had won nine away matches this season, but ben godfrey's deflected own goal handed the hosts the initiative. and whenjordan pickford brought kai havertz down when he was through on goal, jorginho stepped up to double his side's advantage, taking them four points clear of the toffees in fourth spot. in the eight o'clock kick off — west ham can move back up the table to fifth with a draw or better at home to leeds united. currently goalless after 1a minutes. uefa has suspended fourth official sebastian coltescu until the end of the season, for what it calls "inappropriate behaviour" during a champions league match in december which sparked a player walk off. the game between istanbul basakshehir and paris st—germain was stopped after 13 minutes following an argument on the touchline. pierre webo, assistant coach of the turkish side, was sent off. he accused the fourth official coltescu of racism. the game restarted the next day when the romanian officials were replaced. as well as the suspension, coltescu has been ordered to attend an educational programme. novak djokovic has now beaten roger federer�*s record for the most weeks as world number one. this is the 311th week the serb has been on top of the rankings, winning his 18th grand slam title and his ninth australian open crown in melbourne last month. his great rivals federer and rafael nadal both have 20 slams, but the 33—year—old knows the youngsters are coming. the new generation of top men's tennis players are all very tall, very powerful, they have big serves and everything happens very quickly on the court, so i think rafa, roger, myself, we had to adjust to that, but i feel like we have been able to do that very well and the rivalries i have had with federer and nadal over the years have made me also stronger and better player. of course, they also keep motivating me even more to keep going and of course each one of us has their own unique journey and it's wonderful to share the stage. more sports the world over are offering equal prize money to men and women at the top level now, that's according to a new bbc sport study. when the first one was carried out in 2014, it found 30% of sports paid men more prize money than women. in this latest study however, it's fewer than 10%. the biggest gaps in prize money remain in football, golf and basketball. cricket has taken the biggest strides to narrow the gap, with competitions like the hundred and the big bash offering equal prize money. i don't think we're at the stage for equal play and things like that because if you look at the crowds the men have, all of those kinds of things, they are going to get paid more prize money. particularly when you have two identical tournaments running side by side, there is no reason to have an equal prize money when you have two groups of people doing exactly the same thing. to cycling, and australia's michael matthews is the new leader after the second stage of the paris—nice. britain's giro d'italia winner tao geoghegan hart is a contender, he's1li seconds off the lead. but the first two stages have both been ones for the sprinters. watch on the right of your screen in black. the flying dutchman case bol of the dsm team. beating the field. matthews finished third to take the race lead overall. that's all the sport for now. millions of school children in england have returned to their classrooms for the first time this year after months of home schooling. mass testing is under way in secondary schools where teenagers are also wearing masks in class. it's the first step in the easing of a lockdown that has been in place since january. some primary school children began returning to school in northern ireland today — whilst some younger pupils in wales and scotland have already gone back. here's our education editor branwen jeffreys. 0k, early years, welcome back! come on in! this is a moment of suchjoy and relief. and that's just the parents. of course, it's massive for children as well. this is the chance to get back to normal. it is a wrench, and there were a few tears. for working parents, it's also a reprieve. i've got three at home. it's been a long business, but they need to see their friends, they need to learn, they need to spend some time apart from each other. i don't know about yours, but they are driving each other a little crazy. they have terribly missed - their friends and the education, so coming back today for them isjust amazing. _ let's get some mud in for the worms. straight back to the joy of playing together, the teachers keeping an eye out for the anxious ones. shall i put some more in the soil for you? i i knew there were children i who would be a little wobbly, and already parents knew that and they were pairing - them up with friends. it will be nice to be - in front of them and teach and do what we are meant to do. really _ the year six class, naming everything they've missed. basically, i'm looking forward to doing english, and ijust miss my friends. it was really fun at home, but i've missed playing out in the playground with my friends. sometimes, when you get stuck. on work, you don't have someone there that can always help you, but at school you're sure - that somebody will be l able to give your hand. across england, children returning to classrooms, to bubbles in norfolk, in cornwall, while teenagers in lancashire wore masks in class for the fir