The pressures of royal life took such a toll that Prince Harry decided he had to "get (his) family out of here."
When the news of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle taking a step back from their royal life came out, they were badgered with questions and even criticism from the world. But amidst the grueling pressures of royal life, Prince Harry knew it was what he had to do to protect himself and his family. Even though it was an unconventional move, the Duke of Sussex revealed in a recent interview that it wasn't about "walking away" from the royal family, but "stepping back" because of the emotional toll the royal life took on him.
Speaking to James Corden, the host of The Late Late Show in a rare one-on-one interview, Prince Harry spoke about how the media made their lives so difficult, he decided he had to "get (his) family out of here."
"We all know what the British press can be like, and it was destroying my mental health," he said, as quoted by CNN. "I was like, this is toxic. So I did what any husband and what any father would do."
Since moving to the US, the couple has settled into a quieter lifestyle and they intend to let their new lives be "a slightly different version, but a continuation, of what we were doing back in the UK anyway."
Earlier, in February, it was reported that Prince Harry and Markle confirmed to the Queen that they wouldn't be returning as working members of the royal family, after which, it was announced that they would be stripped of their royal patronages, according to Evening Standard. However, in his interview with Corden, Prince Harry confirmed that he would continue his efforts in public service no matter where he is.
"My life is always going to be about public service, and Meghan signed up to that, and the two of us enjoy doing that," Prince Harry added, stating that "service is universal," as per CNN.
Making it clear that he did not turn his back on his family back at home, Prince Harry went on to say, "It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down. It was a really difficult environment."
Irrespective of "whatever decisions are made on that side," Prince Harry mentioned that he would never "walk away."
After it was announced that Markle and Prince Harry would lose their patronages, a statement from Buckingham Palace said "all were saddened" by the couple's decision but the two remain "much loved members of the family," as reported by Evening Standard.
While speaking to Corden about the facets of royal life, Prince Harry also spoke about how things were for him and Markle when they just started dating. "The second date I was starting to think, Wow, this is pretty special," the prince said, as quoted by Vogue. "Dating with me, or any member of the royal family, I guess, is flipped upside down. All the dates become... watching the TV or chatting at home. Once you eventually become a couple, then you venture out to dinners, to the cinema."
"Everything was done back to front with us. We got to spend an enormous amount of time just the two of us, rather than going to friends’ houses or out to dinner, where there were other distractions," he added.
Now that the Sussexes are living a more private lifestyle at their residence in Santa Barbara, California, their evenings include spending time with their son Archie and maybe a little bit of Jeopardy. As Prince Harry painted a picture of their average evening, he told Corden, according to BBC, "Depending on how the day's been and how busy it's been, we do Archie's tea, give him a bath, read him a book, put him down, go downstairs, Meg might cook a meal, might order a takeaway, go upstairs sit in bed, turn the TV on, watch some Jeopardy, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix."
The couple recently announced that they're expecting their second baby.
References:
https://edition.cnn.com/2021/02/26/media/prince-harry-james-corden-interview-scli-intl-gbr/index.html
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/harry-meghan-stripped-royal-patronages-what-was-lost-b920508.html
https://www.vogue.com/article/prince-harry-delightful-interview-with-james-corden
Cover image source: Getty Images | Photo by (L) Toby Melville - Pool and (R) Dominic Lipinski - Pool
