Britain’s Prince Harry has returned to the UK after making an emergency dash from the US to see the King following his cancer diagnosis.
Prince Harry flew in on Tuesday afternoon ready to be reunited with his father, despite the pair’s troubled relationship.
He cleared his diary and made the journey alone, with Meghan Markle and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet remaining at home in California.
Royal watchers have expressed hopes that Prince Harry and King Charles will be reconciled in the wake of the King’s shock diagnosis, with suggestions Harry could also makes attempts to try to heal his long-running rift with his brother, Prince William.
King Charles, who is said to be resting at Clarence House, began treatment for an undisclosed cancer on Monday after the disease was discovered while he was being treated for an enlarged prostate.
Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said he was left “shocked and sad” when he was told about the King’s diagnosis.
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: “All our thoughts are with him and his family. Thankfully, this has been caught early.”
Mr Sunak said that everyone will be hoping the King “gets the treatment that he needs and makes a full recovery”.
“That’s what we’re all hoping and praying for, and I’m of course in regular contact with him and will continue to communicate with him as normal.”
Asked what it meant for the day-to-day running of the country, Mr Sunak said “we’ll crack on with everything”.King Charles, 75, who has postponed all his public duties, has already begun his medical care as an outpatient under the supervision of his specialist team of doctors.
Charles personally called both Harry and William, as well as his siblings Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward, to give them the news before it was publicly announced to the nation by the Palace at 6pm on Monday.
The Palace has called for the King’s privacy to be respected, especially during his treatment, but said he wanted to make his diagnosis public because of his long-running support for cancer charities.
This is the latest major royal health scare to hit the monarchy at the start of 2024, coming after the King’s hospital stay, Kate’s major surgery, keeping her away from official duties until after Easter, and Sarah Ferguson’s skin cancer diagnosis.
