The Queen told Prince Harry she was delighted he and Meghan had “found happiness”, we can reveal.
But during their call, she asked Harry to uphold his family’s values.
In a surprise appearance on The Late Late Show, Harry told host James Corden his move to the US was about “stepping back, rather than stepping down”.
As he and Corden enjoyed a traditional British cream tea on an open-top bus tour of LA, Harry spoke of Meghan, revealing he knew she was “the one” on their second date.
He admitted dating for any of the Royal Family was “flipped upside down”, and, unlike most couples, he and Meghan had spent their first dates in 2017 at home.
He said: “We got to spend an enormous amount of time just the two of us.
“There were no distractions, and that was great.
“It was an amazing thing. We went from zero to 60 in the first two months.”
During the interview, Harry said media attention in the UK had created a “really difficult environment” that was “destroying my mental health”.
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He said he did “what any husband or father would do” by moving away with Meghan and their son Archie, now 21 months old.
The interview was filmed on February 5, days after the Prince’s friends said Harry would “fight” to keep his military patronages.
On the show, Harry said his life would “always be about public service” adding that Meghan had “signed up for that” too.
He spoke as though he knew they would lose their patronages, which was confirmed last week.
Talking about the Royal Family, Harry said: “Whatever decisions are made on that side, I will never walk away. 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.”
The Mirror can reveal that in his conversation with the Queen, Harry’s grandmother was sympathetic.
A source close to Harry said: “Harry has spoken to the Queen, and she told him she was delighted he has found happiness. She only wants the best for him and his family.
“She has seen him struggle with his position in the family and had always had a great deal of affection and sympathy for him.
"Harry explained he had no regrets about his decision to step back from his role within the family.
“He went further to detail his thoughts about his future role.
“He described it as being free, but he knows he has a duty to the family and he reiterated his promise to never do anything to embarrass them.
“This is all about moving on, it was a very harmonious conversation between a caring grandmother and her grandson.”
In the 17-minute film on The Late Late Show, which was not advertised before being screened in the US on Thursday, it kicks off with Corden, 42, picking up Harry, 36, in the tour bus, ordering the Prince to pay the fare before hopping on.
Harry tells him: “You know us royals, we don’t carry cash.”
He then reveals it is his first time on an open-top bus because “we’re not really allowed to”.
Harry drinks tea from a china cup as Corden points out the homes of Friends star David Schwimmer and the Die Hard legend Bruce Willis.
Harry talks of Zoom calls with Prince Philip and the Queen, and says his 99-year-old grandfather did not know how to end calls so he just slammed down the laptop lid.
In another light-hearted moment, Harry raps the theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air outside the mansion where the 1990s Will Smith sitcom was filmed.
Corden then introduces Harry to the owner of the house, joking about making an offer for the place.
Corden FaceTimes Meghan, 39, who calls her husband “Haz”, and tells him not to buy the house because she is “done moving”.
Harry then pops inside to use the loo before he and Corden head off to complete a muddy army-style assault course together.
Harry’s appearance with Corden was not publicised ahead of being broadcast on CBS, but the date of his next prime-time appearance on the network is well known.
He and Meghan will both appear on a CBS special on March 7, when they are interviewed by Oprah Winfrey.
Gayle King, a close friend of Oprah, 67, said of the chat: “It’s the best interview she’s ever done. I think that’s saying something.”
Insiders at CBS said Harry and Meghan were “delighted” with the way Americans had received the Prince’s Late Late Show appearance. One insider said: “It was a masterstroke by Harry, Corden and the producers.
“All the talk around the couple’s recent troubles, and it was like the Prince of old had never gone away. America lapped it up and loved just how much Harry spoke about his family. The timing was superb.”
The CBS insider said things Harry had said in passing became increasingly relevant following the stripping of the couple’s patronages last week.
They said: “It was masterfully put together. It gave the impression Harry knew what lay ahead and was perfectly accepting of it all.”
Royal sources have confirmed the Queen, 94, has told her family she wishes to draw a line under the Harry and Meghan saga, which has continued for more than a year.
Last week, the Mirror revealed the Queen wanted a “new beginning” and had implored her family to “put on a united front”.
Sources said she told senior royals, including Prince Charles and Prince William, she was content with her decision that there was “no way back” for Harry and Meghan after their move to the States and mega-money deals with Netflix and Spotify.
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Buckingham Palace confirmed last week the Duke and Duchess of Sussex would not return as working royals.
The announcement came just over a year since the couple first shared their plans to step down, which came with a one-year review period.
Harry’s Late Late Show appearance came hours after the Queen gave her support to the Covid-19 vaccine drive asking those with doubts to think of other people “rather than themselves”.
A spokesman for Harry and Meghan did not respond for comment. Buckingham Palace did not comment.
His key quotes
On leaving the UK: “So I did what any husband and what any father would do, is like, ‘I need to get my family out of here’. But we never walked away. And 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 public service, so wherever I am in the world, it’s gonna be the same thing.
On The Crown: “They don’t pretend to be news. It’s fictional. But it’s loosely based on the truth. Of course, it’s not strictly accurate, of course not, but loosely it gives you a rough idea about what that lifestyle, the pressures of putting duty and service above family and everything else, what can come from that.”
On Archie: “He is hysterical, he’s got the most amazing personality. He’s already putting three, four words together, he’s already singing songs.” Asked what Archie’s first word was, Harry said: “Crocodile, three syllables.”
On the Queen, her great-grandson and making waffles: “Interesting, my grandmother asked us what Archie wanted for Christmas, and Meg said a waffle maker. She sent us a waffle maker for Archie. Breakfast now, Meg makes up a beautiful organic mix. In the waffle maker, flip it, out it comes. He loves it.
And now I have waffles for breakfast. A bit of yoghurt, a bit of jam on top, I don’t know if that’s the right thing to do. A bit of berries, maybe, a bit of honey, a bit of syrup.” But James then interrupts, saying: “Sorry, you’re glossing over the fact that I cannot for the life of me imagine the Queen ordering a waffle maker to be sent to Santa Barbara. I can’t get my head around it.”
Harry replies: “I don’t even know how to comment on that.
“Archie wakes up in the morning and literally just goes, ‘Waffle?’”
On how the couple relax: “Depending on how the day’s been, how busy it’s been, we’ll do Archie’s tea, give him a bath, read him a book, put him down. Go downstairs, Meg might cook a meal, might order a takeaway. Go upstairs, sit in bed, turn the TV on and watch some Jeopardy, maybe watch a little bit of Netflix.”
On dating
The Duke of Sussex admitted dating for him and other members of the Firm is “flipped upside down” to ensure whispers of romance are kept out of the public’s eye.
“We got to spend an enormous amount of time just the two of us. There were no distractions, and that was great, it was an amazing thing. We went from zero to 60 in the first two months.”
On pet names
Meghan began speaking to Harry, asking: “Haz, how’s your tour going?” A shocked James says: “I didn’t know we were using pet names?” Harry responds: “Well, you’re not my wife, so...”
- By Christopher Bucktin