Prince Harry rushes to London to be by his father’s side, day after King Charles’ cancer diagnosis

Sometimes it takes some unfortunate news to bring a family together. A day after it was announced King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer, his estranged son Prince Harry is in London to see him — marking a rare return trip years after his dramatic exit from royal duties.

Buckingham Palace announced yesterday that Charles, 75, had been diagnosed with cancer, after the monarch visited the hospital for an enlarged prostate treatment. The palace did not specify what kind of cancer he has nor what stage it was found in, but ruled out prostate cancer.

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The news that Charles, who acceded to the throne in September 2022 after the death of Queen Elizabeth II and was coronated in May, has cancer shocked people across Britain and the world, prompting both sympathy and speculation about what it could mean for the future of the royal family.

A day after the announcement went public, Prince Harry flew in to London to see his father — a rare return visit for the exiled royal, raising the possibility that Charles’ diagnosis may bring the two closer together after years of tension.

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Harry made a dramatic split from his family in 2020, when he and his wife Meghan Markle announced they would step back as senior members of the royal family and relocate to California.

The unprecedented exit caused a stir, which was compounded by a series of bombshell allegations and harsh criticisms the Duke and Duchess of Sussex made against The Firm, from their 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey to Harry’s 2023 memoir Spare.

It is widely believed that there is a personal rift between Harry and Charles, as well as with Harry’s brother Prince William. Harry has joined his family on occasional return trips to London, such as for Charles’ coronation and the funerals of Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, but it’s not clear what if anything these reunions have done to patch things up between the royals.

But as King Charles undergoes cancer treatments, it appears the father and son are putting their differences aside — and some royal watchers believe it could be a major step towards reconciliation.

“We haven’t seen him since the coronation, he is rushing over a reason,” royal historian Kate Williams told CNN. “This is a family – it is a business and family. It is a moment of reconciliation.”