Prince Harry gets fresh about leaving royal duties, living in California

Prince Harrysaid he didn't walk away from his royal duties, in an appearance onThe Late, Late Show with James Cordenthat aired early Friday.

Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle,stepped away from full-time royal life in early 2020. Buckingham Palace confirmed last Friday they will not be returning to royal duties, and Harry will give up his honorary military titles.

Harry told Cordenhe decided to step away from his work as a front-line member of the royal family to protect his wife and son, as well as his own mental health.

"It was stepping back rather than stepping down," he said. "It was a really difficult environment, which I think a lot of people saw, so I did what any father or husband would do and thought, how do I get my family out of here?But we never walked away, and as far as I'm concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away."

Harry and Meghan moved from England to Californialast year.

The appearance on Corden's show marked Harry's first interview since his grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, stripped the prince and his wife of their remaining royal duties.Corden'ssegment trumped Oprah Winfrey, whose interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussexis scheduled to air March 7.

During the segment, Harry and Corden tour southern California in an open-top bus, at one point arriving outside the mansion where the 1990s sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Airwas filmed.

"If it was good enough for the Fresh Prince, it's good enough for a real prince," Corden said.

The two then proceedto sing the show's iconic theme song.

Views on The Crown

At one point, Corden asks Harry what he thinks of the Netflix seriesThe Crown, whichdelves into the personal lives and public actions of the Royal Family. At times, the show has been criticized for its depictions of real people.

"Of course it's not strictly accurate," Harry said, "but loosely ... it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everyone else, what can come from that."

But he noted, "I'm way more comfortable with The Crown than Iam seeing the [media] stories written about my family or my wife or myself."