Prince Harry returns to the UK to be at King Charles’ side, in a rare moment of unity amid a family rift

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Prince Harry has flown back to the UK to see his father, according to media reports, after the shock announcement on Monday from Buckingham Palace that King Charles III has cancer.

Harry, who arrived in London on Tuesday afternoon. of California, has been involved in a long and public fight with his family in the years since he and his wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, stepped away from royal duties, although the duke made a short visit to the UK for Charles’s coronation last year.

The Duke of Sussex was photographed being led towards the gates of Clarence House, the king’s London residence, at around 2:45 pm (9:45 am ET). Harry was seen in the photograph sitting in the back of a black van. Harry took an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to London overnight and landed around 12:30 p.m., British media reported.

The meeting did not appear to last long, about 45 minutes, and shortly afterwards King Charles and Queen Camilla left London for their Sandringham estate by helicopter.

The brief meeting between father and son has sparked speculation about a reconciliation between Harry and his family after years of estrangement. However, a royal source said there were no plans for Harry to meet his brother, Prince William, while he was in London.

On Monday night it was revealed that Charles, 75, was recently diagnosed while receiving separate treatment for an enlarged prostate. A royal source told CNN that the form of cancer detected was not prostate cancer, but did not specify further.

While Charles’ worrying health update surprised the nation, the British monarch called Harry before the palace issued its announcement. William and the king’s siblings, Princess Anne and Princes Edward and Andrew, were similarly personally informed.

It appeared that Meghan and the couple’s two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, did not make the last-minute trip with Harry. The Sussexes emigrated to the United States after stepping away from royal duties in 2020.

The King’s youngest son visited the UK on several occasions last year; most recently he traveled in September for a brief visit to attend the WellChild Awards, a charity of which he has been a patron for more than a decade.

The fifth in line to the throne did not see his immediate family before flying to Germany for the start of his Invictus Games in Dusseldorf. He also traveled to London as his Legal procedures Protests against UK publishers continued.

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It was also not immediately clear where Harry would stay while in Britain. Last year, the Sussexes vacated their official residence at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor, which is about an hour’s drive from London. When he visited the country last year, he reportedly stayed in a hotel in the capital.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Tuesday he was grateful for King’s condition was ‘detected early’ in what appeared to be off-the-cuff comments during a radio interview with the BBC.

Harry’s ties with his family have been strained since he and Meghan returned in 2020, shortly after moving to California. The couple sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an incendiary interview that sparked a controversy over real racism. The relationship was further strained by the release of the couple’s six-part Netflix series and Harry’s memoir.

The bad blood between William and Harry worsened after the publication of “Spare.” In the autobiography, Harry claimed that his older brother had physically attacked him.

While the royal family is an institution, it is also a family. And many will hope that Harry’s return will bring a rapprochement with the rest of the Windsors. For now, he seems willing to put other things aside.

The couple last met when King Charles was crowned at Westminster Abbey in May. It was another brief visit with the duke staying long enough for the ceremony but leaving immediately afterwards.

CNN understood at the time that Prince Harry did not receive an invitation to join the family on the balcony of Buckingham Palace after the historic service. Meghan did not join her husband in London, but instead remained in California to commemorate Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.

CNN royal historian Kate Williams says it’s “significant” that Harry is back. “We haven’t seen him since the coronation, he is quick to find a reason. This is a family, it is a company and a family. It is a moment of reconciliation,” she explained.

There have been signs of an improvement in relations between father and son, which at one time were so low that Harry once said that Charles stopped answering his calls. But there has been little sign that tensions between the brothers have eased.

Prince William will return to public duties this week after taking time off to support his wife, Catherine, in her own recovery from abdominal surgery, Kensington Palace announced Monday.

But as direct heir to the British throne, he will probably be needed to help cover official duties and commitments, while Charles manages the daily red boxes and stays on state affairs during his treatment.

The cancer diagnosis just 17 months into Charles’ reign has also become a moment of unity for the royal family.

While the number of working royals these days has fallen more than expected in recent years, with only two under the age of 50, they will be keen to support the King during his treatment.

Queen Camilla was front and center during her absence, carrying out a full program of engagements, which will continue. Meanwhile, other working members of the family continue with their public commitments and CNN understands they could also take on some additional duties on Charles’ behalf if necessary.