LOS ANGELES — Britain’s Prince Harry opened up about his family’s decision to move to the United States last year in a new interview with James Corden.
According to The Associated Press, in the interview, which aired early Friday on Corden’s “The Late, Late Show,” the 36-year-old royal said he relocated to California with his wife, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and son, Archie, to protect them from the British press and preserve his own mental health.
“It was never walking away; it was stepping back rather than stepping down,” Harry told Corden aboard a double-decker bus during a tour of Los Angeles. “You know, it was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health. I was like, this is toxic. So I did what any husband and what any father would do. It’s like, I need to get my family out of here. But we never walked away, and as far as I’m concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away. I will always be contributing. My life is public service, so wherever I am in the world, it’s going to be the same thing.”
Harry also showed off his lighter side in the segment, visiting the home featured in “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and rapping the show’s theme song, the AP reported. Meghan, formerly known as Meghan Markle, also appeared in a video call.
>> Watch the full interview here
The interview aired one week after Buckingham Palace announced that Harry and Meghan, who are expecting their second child this spring, “will not be returning as working members of the royal family.”
“Following conversations with the duke, [Queen Elizabeth II] has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of the royal family, it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service,” read a statement released Feb. 19. “The honorary military appointments and royal patronages held by the duke and duchess will therefore be returned to Her Majesty, before being redistributed among working members of the royal family.”
The couple announced in January 2020 that they would be stepping down as senior members of the royal family, the AP previously reported. At the time, the palace agreed to review the decision with the pair after 12 months, according to last week’s statement.
– The Associated Press contributed to this report.