James Corden has been in Los Angeles for several years, so he now fancies himself "a bit of a local." That's why, when the Late Late Show host heard a friend had recently moved to the area, he decided to take him on an open-air bus ride to show him some of the city's "hidden gems." That old pal was none other than Prince Harry, who confesses to Corden at the beginning of the 17-minute spot on Thursday's program that he'd never had a chance to ride one of London's famous double-decker buses. As they cruise down the 405, the two have what E! Online calls a "revealing chat," in which Corden presses the prince on why he and wife Meghan Markle "walked away from the royal family." "It was never walking away," Harry insists. "It was stepping back rather than stepping down." In fact, he says he still keeps in touch with his grandparents via Zoom, though he notes Prince Philip only knows how to leave Zoom calls by slamming the laptop shut.
Harry explains he and the duchess had, thanks to the British press and other factors, been caught in a "really difficult environment" that was "destroying my mental health." "I did what any husband and what any father would do," he says, which was to "get my family out." On a happier note, Harry notes his son, Archie, is doing well in their new home. "He is hysterical," the prince says. "He's got the most amazing personality." He also reveals Archie's first word was "crocodile." Corden and Harry also have tea on the bus (which doesn't go well for Harry), visit the house used in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and reach out to Markle on a video call to see if she's interested in buying it. The two cap off their afternoon by completing a rather intense Spartan obstacle course, where the prince pits his real-life military training against Corden's "BTS Army" training. More here, including Harry's thoughts on The Crown, Meghan and Harry's early dating life, and her nickname for him. (More Prince Harry stories.)