Prince Harry has insisted that he was "stepping back" rather than "walking away" from the Royal Family when he relocated to California last March.

The Duke of Sussex and wife Meghan Markle announced their decision to step down as senior Royals a year ago and have since launched a joint career in the entertainment industry, signing major deals with Netflix and Spotify.

Earlier this month it was confirmed that they would not be continuing with any Royal duties, and in a surprise interview with James Corden for his US chat show, Harry has attempted to explain his decision.

"It was never walking away. It was stepping back rather than stepping down," he 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.

"It was destroying my mental health. I was like, 'this is toxic'.

"So I did what any husband and any father would do, I need to get my family out of here. But we never walked away. As far as I'm concerned, whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away.

"I will always be contributing. But my life is service, so wherever I am in the world it's always going to be the same thing."

The Sussexes have also recorded an in-depth interview with Oprah Winfrey, which is due to be broadcast on US primetime TV next week.