The Duke of Sussex has spoken to King Charles III about his cancer diagnosis and will travel to the UK to see him in the coming days, a source close to Prince Harry has said.
Buckingham Palace revealed this Monday in a statement that the monarch had been diagnosed with cancer. They declined to reveal the type of cancer.
Following the announcement, a source close to Harry said: “The duke spoke to his father about his diagnosis. He will travel to the UK to see Her Majesty in the coming days.”
It is not yet known whether the Duchess of Sussex will fly back to the UK with Prince Harry
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A source told Page Six that Harry had been kept informed about his father's health after King Charles was diagnosed with a benign but enlarged prostate. The source added that Harry will travel to Windsor Castle in the coming days to see his father.
It is not yet known whether Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, will fly back to the UK with the prince. It is also unclear whether the couple's two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will return to the UK. The couple has not yet made a public statement.
A statement from the palace said: “During the King's recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, another issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
“His Majesty began a regular treatment program today, during which time doctors have advised him to postpone his public duties.”
Harry last returned to the UK in September last year to attend the annual WellChild Awards, a charity he has been a patron of for 15 years. But the prince did not see King Charles. A palace source said online mail that the monarch “did not have time on the agenda” to see his son.
Harry, who returned to the UK for the last time in September, had no formal role during the King's coronation.
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It was understood that Harry was also not invited to the royal family's annual summer gathering at Balmoral Castle earlier in the year.
He had already returned the keys to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. It is unclear where he will stay when he returns to the farm later this week.
When Harry attended his father's coronation months earlier in May, he left London just hours after the ceremony.
He had no formal role in the ceremony and did not interact with Charles or William at the event.
The King and his son have had a fractured relationship since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
Princes Harry and William on the balcony of Buckingham Palace in 2018: Their relationship soured after Harry's departure two years later
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In Harry's memoirs ReplacementIn the post published in January last year, the 39-year-old claimed that Charles had always been distant and that they were never close.
The royals alleged that the king did not know how to show emotion and claimed that Charles did not hug him when he told Harry that his mother, Princess Diana, had died in a car accident.
“He wasn't very good at showing emotions under normal circumstances, how could he be expected to show them in a crisis like this?” Harry wrote in his book.
More recently, comments from both Harry and the monarch suggest that they are looking to reform their relationship, but they do not appear to have had any serious impact.
Speaking to ITV's Tom Bradby in January 2023 to promote his memoir, Harry said he wanted his father back into his life.
“I would like my father back. “I would like my brother back,” Harry said.
After ascending the throne a few months earlier, King Charles mentioned his “love for Harry and Meghan” in his first speech as monarch.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond suggested the King's cancer diagnosis could reunite the couple.
She told Sky News: “Harry is coming back. I mean, maybe that's a blessing in disguise. Maybe finally, finally, his father's illness will bring about a reconciliation that we've all been talking about for what seems like an eternity.”
