Speaking his truth. Prince Harry opened up about his and Meghan Markle’s decision to step away from their royal life to start anew with son Archie in the U.S. while speaking with James Corden on Thursday, February 25.
In The Late Late Show with James Corden episode — which aired days after Harry, 36, and Meghan, 39, announced their decision to leave their royal duties behind — the red-headed prince emphasized that he will never abandon his family or falter his dedication in helping others.
“It was never walking away, it was stepping back rather than stepping down,” Harry candidly told Corden while on a tour around Los Angeles. “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.”
He added: “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.”
The Duke of Sussex also told the talk show host that he will continue to be the same man that he was when he was working as a senior royal member, despite the royal statement that he and Meghan cannot continue to help the public while distancing themselves from the Crown. “Whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away,” the father-of-one said in reference to the royal family.
“I’ll always be contributing,” he stated. “My life is public service, so wherever I am in the world it’s going to be the same thing.”
On Friday, February 19, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry and the Suits alum won’t be returning as working royals after their 12-month “Megxit” review period. In the statement on behalf of Queen Elizabeth II, it asserted 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.”
In a retaliatory statement to Queen Elizabeth’s, Harry and Meghan responded: “We can all live a life of service. Service is universal.”
News of Harry and Meghan’s decision to not return to the royal world came almost one year after they shared their plan to step back from their duties to the Crown last January.