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Less than two weeks after King Charles III was admitted to a London hospital for treatment for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace revealed that tests had revealed “a form of cancer.” As doctors “advised Charles to postpone his public duties,” many expected other members of the royal family to step forward. So what does the news mean for Charles’ two sons, William and Harry?
Will any of the king’s “public duties” fall to Prince William?
In theory, any of the small handful of senior working royals could be called upon to attend events in King Charles’ place and take on other duties while he receives treatment. Queen Camilla, Princess Anne and Sofia, Duchess of Edinburgh are expected to absorb some of them.
But many of Charles’ duties are expected to fall to his son William, the Prince of Wales, who is the heir to the throne. The prince had recently decided that he would take time off from public duties while his wife, Catherine, was hospitalized for “planned abdominal surgery.” (To allow for her recovery, Catherine would not hold any public activities until after Easter, the royal family said at the time.)
“With the Princess of Wales undergoing abdominal surgery and out of public view, I think the spotlight will surely fall on Prince William,” said Elizabeth Holmes, a journalist who has written extensively about the royals. Camilla had also been keeping a full schedule recently, Holmes added, saying that last week the queen consort had had “public engagements every day, which is a lot.”
How will Prince William’s daily role change during this time?
William’s life had already been turned upside down by his wife’s hospitalization, but in the coming weeks, he will likely be asked to add events and ceremonies from his father’s schedule to his own.
“The Prince of Wales is taking time to support his wife, the Princess of Wales, as she recovers from abdominal surgery at their home in Windsor,” Lee Thompson, William and Catherine’s communications secretary, said in an email. on Tuesday. “Although the prince has been working privately, tomorrow he will begin his public duties.”
Lee added that as Charles receives treatment, Prince William “will be able to take on some tasks on behalf of the king in addition to his own engagement diary.”
Will his father’s diagnosis bring Harry back into the fold?
Since Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, announced their intention to “step back” from their roles as senior members of the royal family in January 2020, Prince Harry has largely remained in California with his wife and the couple’s two young children. . At least part of that time was spent at a lush estate in Montecito, California, giving a revealing interview to Oprah Winfrey in March 2021 and participating in a Netflix documentary series, “Harry and Meghan,” released the following year. Charles’ health problems are unlikely to significantly alter that agreement, Holmes said.
“I can’t imagine a scenario where Harry has to get involved in this again,” he said. “Maybe not because he’s not willing to do it, but because that relationship is so fractured right now.”
Will Prince Harry return to Britain?
Prince Harry, who has had a strained relationship with both his father and brother over the past year, met with the king on Tuesday. It is unclear how long Harry’s full visit will last, but Ms. Holmes noted that reports He indicated that the meeting with the king was very brief.
“Harry flew from Los Angeles – it’s a long way to go to then have a 45-minute meeting,” Ms Holmes said. “I think you can read the tea leaves a little bit there.”
According to Cheryl Fisher, a licensed clinical professional counselor who specializes in helping families facing cancer diagnoses, any family that is affected by cancer will be affected; the question is how. “Different family members respond differently to the news,” she said.
“While grief and anticipatory grief are a family issue, it is also an individual issue – each person is going through their own process,” she said. “With the royal family, we have this patriarch and the role, the expectations, and then the rest of the family seems: ‘Okay, well, what if he’s not able to perform his duties?’ What does that look like?’”
Would Harry ever return to be with his father?
Probably not.
“I don’t see that happening,” Ms. Holmes said. “Even if Harry wanted to, there’s been no sign from the royal family that that’s what they’re asking of him or that’s what they wanted from him.”
How serious is it?
Although Buckingham Palace has not provided details about the type or stage of the king’s cancer, its comments about the “benign” prostate problem Charles suffered earlier this month may indicate that the cancer diagnosis is instead More serious.
“The royal family considers health matters to be private, and there is a long history of health matters remaining private until after their death,” Ms Holmes said. “It’s not a given that they are going to share this information with the public, so the fact that the palace is putting out a statement sharing this is a big deal for the royal family.”