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The Duke of Sussex has spoken with 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 in a statement on Monday that the monarch had been diagnosed with cancer. They declined to disclose the type of cancer.
After the announcement, a source close to Harry said: “The duke did speak with his father about his diagnosis. He will be traveling to the UK to see His Majesty in the coming days.”
It is not yet known whether the Duchess of Sussex will fly back to the UK with Prince Harry
(POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
A source told Page Six that Harry had been kept up to date on the health of his father after King Charles was diagnosed with a benign but enlarged prostate. The source added that Harry will travel to Windsor Castle in the next few 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. Nor is it clear whether the couple’s two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, will be returning to the UK. The couple are yet to make a public statement.
A statement from the palace read: “During the King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.”
The last time Harry returned to the UK was in September last year to attend the annual WellChild Awards, a charity he has been patron of for 15 years. But the prince did not see King Charles. A palace source told MailOnline that the monarch had “no time in the diary” to see his son.
Harry, who last returned to the UK in September, did not have a formal role during the King’s coronation
(PA)
It was understood that Harry was also not invited to the royal family’s annual summer get-together at Balmoral Castle earlier in the year.
He had already handed back the keys to Frogmore Cottage in Windsor. It is unclear where he will stay when he returns to the estate later this week.
When Harry attended his father’s coronation, months before in May, he left London just hours after the ceremony.
He did not have a formal role at the ceremony and did not interact with Charles or William at the event.
The King and his son have had a fractured relationship ever since Harry and Meghan stepped back from royal duties in 2020.
Princes Harry and William on the balcony at Buckingham Palace in 2018 – their relationship soured after Harry’s exit two years later
(Getty Images)
In Harry’s memoir Spare, released in January last year, the 39-year-old claimed that Charles had always been distant and that they were never close.
The royal alleged that the King was poor at showing emotions and claimed Charles did not hug him when he told Harry that his mother, Princess Diana, had died in a car crash.
“He wasn’t great at showing emotions under normal circumstances, how could he be expected to show them in such a crisis?” Harry wrote in his book.
More recently, comments from both Harry and the monarch suggest they are seeking to reform their relationship – but appear not 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 in his life.
“I would like to get my father back. I would like to have my brother back,” Harry said.
After ascending to 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 pair.
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 a reconciliation that we have all been talking about for what seems like forever.”
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