Prince William worried his private conversations with Harry will be 'plastered on US TV'

Prince William has concerns any private words he has with his brother could end up "plastered all over American TV" after CBS host Gayle King revealed his "unproductive" phone call with Prince Harry, sources told Vanity Fair.

The American TV presenter revealed yesterday that Harry, 36, had spoken to his brother and father for the first time since the Sussexes' interview with Oprah Winfrey.

• Read more: Prince William worried his private conversations with Harry will be 'plastered on US TV'

Despite the couple insisting that their tell-all would be the last word, King claimed the couple told her about Harry's phone calls with his family over the weekend.

And she spoke out again today, claiming the couple had a deal with ITV and CBS to delay their interview if Prince Philip passed away during his month's stay in hospital.

Buckingham Palace has no plans to comment on the situation beyond the statement issued by the Queen last week, but there's concern within the royal family that the Duke and Duchess "want to keep fuelling the soap opera", sources told Vanity Fair's Katie Nicholl.

One source claimed, "There's a lack of trust on both sides which makes moving forward very hard. William is now worried that anything he says to his brother will be plastered over American TV."

• Read more: Prince Harry and Meghan's secret backyard wedding 'didn't happen' vicar claims

And another insider said the family is concerned that the story is becoming more of a soap opera.

"It seems the Sussexes seem to want to keep fuelling this story at a time when the royals are trying to protect Prince Philip from the headlines."

According to Vanity Fair, it's understood Harry has been in touch with the Queen since the interview aired and that he regularly checks in with his grandmother about Prince Philip's health.

King told her viewers on Tuesday that she spoke with the Sussexes, who told her Harry had spoken to William and to Charles over the weekend.

But she claimed the talks were "not productive" and that Harry and Meghan wanted the royals to intervene to "stop with the unfair, inaccurate, false stories that definitely have a racial slur".

This article was first published on the NZ Herald and is republished here with permission.