Prince Harry rushed to the UK on Tuesday for an emotional 45-minute reunion with his father, King Charles, just hours after the monarch announced his cancer diagnosis. The Duke of Sussex flew from California to Heathrow and was driven directly to Clarence House, where the King delayed his own journey to Sandringham to see his younger son.
Neither Buckingham Palace nor sources from the Sussexes' Archewell organisation commented on the meeting. However, a well-placed source told HELLO! that the King would have been 'enormously touched' and 'found time in the middle of a busy, planned day to see Harry as soon as he could'. The reunion was the first meaningful time father and son had spent together since the death of Elizabeth II in September 2022.
Harry's wife, Meghan Markle, remained at the couple's home in Montecito, California with their children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two. Harry's decision to fly home appears to indicate the seriousness of the King's diagnosis. Princess Beatrice and her husband, Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, were also pictured visiting the King on Tuesday.
Despite the diagnosis, Buckingham Palace confirmed that King Charles will continue to 'undertake state business and official paperwork as usual', including holding Privy Council meetings and weekly audiences with the Prime Minister. The Prince of Wales is expected to take on additional responsibilities relating to the King's public engagements.
