Prince Harry visits King Charles after cancer diagnosis - but ‘no plan’ to see William
Prince Harry has no intention of seeing his brother Prince William during his current trip, palace aides have said, despite the estranged royal rushing to his father’s side following a cancer diagnosis.
The Duke of Sussex was spotted arriving at Clarence House at 2.42pm on Tuesday afternoon less than 24 hours after Buckingham Palace announced King Charles III had a “form of cancer”.
The pair allegedly spoke for around 45 minutes, after which the monarch and Queen Camilla were seen leaving.
It was their first formal meeting in person since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in September 2022; Harry and his wife Meghan Markle attended King Charles coronation last May but did not interact with the monarch or his wife.
But despite that reunion, sources have said there is no meeting scheduled to take place between him and his brother William, who have been reportedly feuding for years.
Sources have reported that there is “nothing in the diary” for the brothers.
A source close to William told The Times that there were “no plans” for the future king to meet Harry.
It is unclear how long Harry will stay in the UK, who has not visited since last September, when he attended a charity event.
A source suggested to The Mirror that Harry is “making plans to spend more time in England so he can be there physically for his father”, adding that he had been given the all clear from his wife.
Prince William, whose wife, Catherine, Princess of Wales, is recuperating from abdominal surgery, is due to resume royal duties on Wednesday.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the relationship between the brothers showed “no signs of thawing”.
The extent of the fraternal feud was made public last January when Prince Harry alleged in his memoir, Spare, with a string of accusations against Prince William.
Tensions were heightened further at the end of 2023 when early copies of a Dutch version of Omid Scobie’s book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival named the Princess of Wales and King Charles as two senior members of the British royal family alleged to have discussed the skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s unborn son.
Mr FitzWilliams said this latter incident had turned “relations to the deep freeze”.
However, Fitzwilliams joined other royal watchers in expressing his hopes the royal family would pull together at such a tough time. “In a crisis, families should be in it together,” he said.
Charles personally called both Harry and William, as well as his siblings Anne, the Duke of York and the Duke of Edinburgh, to give them the news before it was publicly announced to the nation by the Palace at 6pm on Monday.
Prince Harry was then seen leaving Heathrow Airport’s VIP Windsor Suite early on Tuesday, having flown 11 hours from a private terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).