Royally inappropriate
on the phone and asks her husband, whom she calls ‘Haz’, how his tour is going.
She also says they have ‘ done enough moving’, a reference to the two luxury mansions they borrowed in Canada and LA before buying their home in Montecito.
Back on the bus, Harry tells Corden how he knew Meghan was ‘the one’ on only their second date and that their relationship ‘went from zero to 60 like in the first two months’.
He said they spend their evenings, after putting Archie to bed, cooking and watching Netflix in bed, another reference to his new production deal worth a rumoured £18million.
He also leaps to the defence of Netflix series The Crown, which has been accused of traducing the reputations of the Royal Family, insisting it is ‘loosely based on the truth’ and ‘gives you a rough idea of ... what the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else... what can come from that’.
Despite insisting that his son should be brought up away from the public eye, he speaks openly about him, revealing everything from his first word – ‘crocodile’ – to what the Queen bought him for Christmas – a waffle-maker at Meghan’s request.
He also said he video-calls both his grandparents. Yet despite his obvious affection for his grandmother, he again hits back at her decision to take away his royal role and attacks what he views as a ‘toxic’ press, insisting pointedly: ‘It was never walking away. It was stepping back, rather than stepping down.
‘There was a really difficult environment, as I think a lot of people saw. It was destroying my mental health. I was like, “this is toxic”. I did what any husband and father would do, I need to get my family out of here. But we never walked away.’
The show concludes with a comedy skit of Harry and Corden being put through their paces on a military obstacle course, inspired by the prince’s decade of military service.
Buckingham Palace declined to comment last night, although it was clear the royal household was uncomfortable with Harry’s decision to ‘hawk’ his royal connections.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson said: ‘Timing is everything, isn’t it? On the day the Queen has issued a very important message about the nation getting the jab, that message has sort of been blurred by Harry, the man who wants a private life, talking about his private life again.’
The Queen’s former press secretary, Dickie Arbiter, described Harry’s appearance on the show as ‘cringeworthy’. He added: ‘Harry is just making excuses for his behaviour in walking way from the Royal Family. It was excruciating.’
DESPITE turning his back on the Royal Family, Prince Harry last week insisted he was ‘committed to duty and service’.
And how exactly is that panning out? On Thursday the Queen, the living embodiment of those noble ideals, implored Britons to get their Covid jabs for the safety of all.
Less than 12 hours later, her grandson was seen gallivanting around Los Angeles on an open-topped bus with a crude comedian for an American TV show. So much for wanting privacy!
What conclusion to draw? That Her Majesty, as she has done throughout her long reign, acts purely for the nation. Harry, by contrast, is acting only for himself.