Prince Harry is speaking out about his decision to leave his royal life in Britain behind.

A candid Harry, 36, laid bare some of the reasons he and wife Meghan Markle made the move to California during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden Thursday night.

Airing just days after it was announced the couple officially would not return as working royals, the prince made it clear that he "will never walk away" from his family or waver in his dedication to helping others.

"It was never walking away, it was stepping back rather than stepping down," he told Corden as the pair did a tour around Los Angeles.

"It was a really difficult environment as I think a lot of people saw. We all know what the British press can be like. It was destroying my mental health," Harry continued.

"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," he added.

Harry also appeared to once again push back against the Queen Elizabeth's statement last Friday that he and Meghan, 39, were "stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service."

Harry told Corden, a longtime friend who attended the couple's wedding in 2018, that he plans to continue to be the same man he was when he was working in a royal capacity.

"Whatever decisions are made on that side I will never walk away," Harry said in reference to the royal family. "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."

Last Friday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that Harry and Meghan won't be returning as working royals. The announcement came just over a year after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex first shared their plans to step down, which came with a one-year review period. As part of stepping down, they will no longer keep their patronages (their royal involvement with numerous U.K. charities).

"Following conversations with The Duke, The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service," the palace statement said.

In response, Prince Harry and Meghan pushed back with a statement that pointedly referenced the Queen's: "We can all live a life of service. Service is universal."

Watch The Late Late Show with James Corden weeknights at 12:35 AM ET/11:35 PM CT on CBS.

This story originally appeared on People.com.

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