Prince Harry tells James Corden he and Meghan left ‘toxic’ UK to protect mental health

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In a recent interview with James Corden, Prince Harry reveals he, along with Meghan Markle, left the UK to “protect his mental health.”

It’s been over a year since “Megxit” and the controversial topic has been in the headlines now more than ever. Weeks ahead of their highly-anticipated sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, now free from senior royal duties, are beginning to take back the narrative.

In a surprise appearance, Prince Harry hung out with The Late Late Show host James Corden for a hilarious and revealing 17-minute interview.

Read More: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry will not return to royal roles, palace confirms

A riff on Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” series, the host took Prince Harry on an LA bus tour, and asked the Duke about everything from how he’s liking his new home, his exit from royal life, and even his thoughts on The Crown.

He explained in the interview, “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.”

Prince Harry then referenced the British media, and how they played a big part in the terrible treatment the couple have faced in the U.K.

“We all know what the British press can be like,” Harry said. “It was destroying my mental health…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.”

Similar to the public statement they issued earlier this week, Harry told Corden, “Whatever decisions are made on that side I will never walk away…I’ll always be contributing. My life is public service so wherever I am in the world it’s going to be the same thing.”

With their Archewell Foundation up and running and already helping out with disaster relief in Texas, Harry and Meghan are certainly keeping their word on continuing a life of service.

Prince Harry also opened up about Netflix’s hit show on the British royal family, The Crown. He cheekily explained, “They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate, of course not, but loosely it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”

He then put the show in the context of the real world, saying, “I’m way more comfortable with The Crown than I am seeing the stories written about my family or my wife or myself. Because…that is obviously fiction, take it how you will. But this is being reported on as fact because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”

The interview may serve as a preview of what is to come when the Duke and Duchess sit down with Oprah next month. Oprah with Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special airs Sunday, March 7 at 8 p.m. EST on CBS.

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