Prince Harry Says the British Press Was ‘Destroying’ His Mental Health
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Prince Harry has given his first major interview since stepping back from the royal family.
The prince appeared on “The Late Late Show” with James Corden Thursday night, where he discussed his and Meghan Markle’s decision to step away from their royal roles last year, as well as the toll the British tabloids took on their mental health.
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“We all know what the British press can be like,” Prince Harry said. “It was destroying my mental health; like this is toxic, so I did what any husband and any father would do. I need to get my family out of here.”
Prince Harry elaborated on his views on the British tabloids when Corden asked him what he thought of Netflix’s “The Crown,” which offers a dramatized version of life in the British royal family.
“[‘The Crown’ doesn’t] pretend to be news,” he said. “It’s fictional, but it is loosely based on the truth. It gives you a rough idea of what that lifestyle and the pressures of duty and service over family and what can come from that. I am way more comfortable with ‘The Crown’ than I am seeing the stories written about my family and my wife or myself because it’s the difference between [‘The Crown’] is obviously fiction, take it as you will, but [the tabloids] have been reported on as facts because you’re supposedly news. I have a real issue with that.”
When talking about how he and Markle stepped away from their royal duties, a decision that was finalized earlier this month, Prince Harry clarified that “it was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down.”
“It was a difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw,” he said. “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, but my life is public service, so wherever I am, it’s going to be the same thing.”
Prince Harry’s interview comes roughly one week before he and Markle are set to sit down with Oprah Winfrey for a tell-all interview on March 7 about their decision to step away from their royal duties.
Since stepping down from their royal duties, Prince Harry and Markle have relocated to Montecito, Calif., with their son Archie. They’ve signed several high-profile deals including with Spotify and Netflix and are launching their own charitable organization, named Archewell. The couple announced earlier this month that Markle is pregnant with their second child.
See the full interview here:
Read more here:
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s First Year After Stepping Down from the Royal Family
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Host First Podcast Episode — and Bring in Archie
Why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Stepped Down from the Royal Family
WATCH: How Princess Diana’s Style Hinted at What Was Happening Behind Palace Doors
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