- Prince Harry said the British media was "destroying [his] mental health" in a candid conversation with James Corden, during an appearance on The Late Late Show Thursday night.
- "It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like," the Duke of Sussex said. "I was like, 'This is toxic,' so I did what any husband and what any father would do which is, 'I need to get my family out of here,' but we never walked away."
- Asked about his and Meghan Markle's "monumental decision to have walked away from the royal family," Harry stressed, "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down."
In an incredible surprise for Sussex fans Thursday night, Prince Harry appeared on The Late Late Show with James Corden, taking a tour around Los Angeles with Corden while speaking candidly about his life, his family, and the relentless attacks the Sussexes faced in the British media. Harry and Corden were spotted filming the segment (opens in new tab) earlier this month, but details of exactly what it would entail or when it would air weren't released at the time.
After Corden commented on Harry and Meghan Markle's "monumental decision to have walked away from the royal family," Harry stressed, "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down."
"It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like. It was destroying my mental health," the Duke of Sussex explained. "I was like, 'This is toxic,' so I did what any husband and what any father would do which is, 'I need to get my family out of here,' but we never walked away."
"As far as I'm concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side I will never walk away," Harry said. "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."
Earlier in the interview, Harry shared the Sussexes' commitment to a life of helping others. Corden asked the royal, "Now that you're here, what is life like, or what are you excited for it to be out of lockdown?" In response, Harry said he and Meghan anticipated "a continuation of what [they] were doing back in the U.K."
"My life is always going to be about public service and Meghan signed up to that," Harry continued. "And the two of us enjoy doing that: trying to bring some compassion and trying to make people happy, and trying to change the world in any small way we can."
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Emily Dixon is a British journalist who’s contributed to CNN, Teen Vogue, Time, Glamour, The Guardian, Wonderland, The Big Roundtable, Bust, and more, on everything from mental health to fashion to political activism to feminist zine collectives. She’s also a committed Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, and Tracee Ellis Ross fan, an enthusiastic but terrible ballet dancer, and a proud Geordie lass.
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