Some comments Harry made about the British press sparked mixed reactions from fans, some of whom agreed that coverage of the royal family can be harsh while others saw contradictions in Harry’s logic considering that he agreed to an interview with Cordon and has another one with Oprah Winfrey scheduled to air on March 7.
Cordon treated Harry to a tour of Los Angeles on a double-decker bus for the 17-minute interview, during which Harry touched on his decision to leave royal life for good. When Cordon suggested Harry “walked away from the royal family,” Harry assured him that he didn’t leave his royal family behind but rather stepped away from a taxing environment for his own mental safety.
“It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down,” Harry said. “It was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like.”
He added: “It was destroying my mental health. I was like, this is toxic. So I did what any husband and father would do—I need to get my family out of here. But we never walked away—and as far as I’m concerned, what decisions are made on that side—I will never walk away.”
The interview sparked chatter online with droves of fans praising Harry for saving his family an unhealthy situation.
“Prince Harry SAVED his family from a toxic situation…it’s what all good partners and fathers would/will do. It’s also what most royals have NEVER done,” one person tweeted, later adding, “After watching The Crown, you realize and appreciate even more that Prince Harry was and is the ONLY royal who did what he should in terms of love and marriage.”
Many people agreed that the British media could be particularly brutal toward royal. Some pointed out the scathing press that Harry’s mother, the late Princess Diana, had to endure after she married Prince Charles and noted that media coverage wasn’t exactly kind to Harry when he was a boy grieving Diana’s death.
Another added: “Whenever Prince Harry or Meghan say or do anything kind: British Media: ‘How dare they say or do this today, of all days, when Her Majesty’s third cousin’s sister’s daughter’s hair-stylist has just announced the opening of his third charity salon for veterans living in Camden!’”
Some people thought Harry’s mother would have supported his decision to step back from royal life. “I feel like princess Diana is somewhere smiling down on the choices prince harry made for his wellbeing,” one person wrote.
Harry did receive some backlash from people who felt his comments about the British media were inconsistent with his willingness to speak to American outlets.
“Harry says that the British press were “toxic” & destroying his mental health but does interviews with James Corden & Oprah! The contradictions are palpable. Regardless- If it affected him so badly he wouldn’t entertain any kind of media interview,” one tweet read.
Another person wrote: “I don’t know what Prince Harry is on about. The UK Press was always up for him, certainly in the papers I read! - really good bloke. He has pleaded for privacy, yet in California, with exposure on TV with James Corden and Oprah Winfrey, he cannot get enough of it! I’m flumoxed!”
Earlier in February, Meghan Markle, who is from the U.S., won a lawsuit against British newspaper publisher Associated Newspapers Limited after Mail on Sunday, a tabloid publication owned by the group, shared portions of a handwritten letter Markle mailed to her father, Thomas Markle, in 2018.
