King Charles III’s cancer diagnosis could spur a reconciliation with his younger son Prince Harry – but a rift between Harry and his brother Prince William might be more difficult to heal, royal experts say.
The announcement that 75-year-old Charles had been diagnosed with an unspecified cancer prompted an immediate reaction from Harry, who has fallen out with the king and other royals in recent years.
After announcing that he had spoken to his father, Harry touched down in London on Tuesday less than 24 hours after the palace made his father’s diagnosis public.
Harry met with the king on Tuesday, but departed from Heathrow Airport after just 24 hours, without seeing William.
Nonetheless, the news sparked immediate speculation it could be a catalyst to heal the family tensions that have blighted the start of Charles’s reign.
Charles ‘has always left the door open’
Since Harry quit royal duties in 2020 and relocated to California, the family has been increasingly fractured by tensions that have seen a complete breakdown in the once close relationship between Harry and heir to the throne William.
Juliet Rieden, royal correspondent and editor of the Australian Women’s Weekly, says Harry’s swift response proves the rift between father and son is not as deep as the tabloids report, but the divide between Harry and William is “more entrenched”.
“It is heartening to see Prince Harry fly to his father’s side at this emotional time for the family,” she told ABC News.
“Like any son hearing of a parent’s cancer diagnosis, of course he wants to be there.
“King Charles has always left the door open for Harry and publicly expressed his unconditional love for both his sons and their families, so I think this immediate reaction from Harry shows that the rift that continues to feed media gossip is not as deep as many paint it.”
Harry and wife Meghan criticised his family in a string of high-profile revelations including a Netflix series and Harry’s bestselling autobiography Spare.
Claims by Meghan, who is mixed race, in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that an unnamed member of the family had expressed concerns about the colour of her son Archie before he was born, prompted the late Queen Elizabeth II to famously note that “recollections may vary”.
An infuriated William also responded that the royals were “very much not a racist family”.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told news agency AFP “there’s no question that the Sussexes were deeply unhappy when they were senior working royals”.
“There’s absolutely no doubt that their interview with Oprah and subsequent films, interviews and Harry’s memoir, caused a great deal of bitterness.”
The brothers’ relationship would be “very hard to heal”, he said, but the family should now “pull together” to put on a united front.
“What we therefore ought to be seeing is rapprochement, however gradual or however it’s handled in the coming weeks and months,” he said.
Divide between brothers ‘more entrenched’
The Duke of Sussex arrived in London and spent about 45 minutes at his father’s royal residence, Clarence House, on Tuesday.
Meetings between the pair have been scarce since Harry stepped back from royal duties almost four years ago.
Harry attended his father’s coronation last May, but it’s understood there are no plans for him to reunite with his brother while he’s in the UK.
“Whether Harry will get together with his brother at this time remains to be seen. That divide seems more entrenched,” Ms Rieden says.
“But Prince William is under a lot of new pressure both personally — following his wife’s abdominal surgery and his father’s cancer treatment — and also at work which will now require him to step up and fill the void created by these health issues.”
The ABC understands Charles told his siblings and children about the diagnosis personally and they may undertake extra public arrangements to help the king.
It is not yet clear when he will return to public duties but planning for future state visits will continue where possible, making allowances for the changed circumstances.
In January, representatives for Catherine, Princess of Wales, said she was to undergo abdominal surgery that would require up to two weeks in hospital.
Kate has since left hospital, and while no details of her illness or surgery have been given, a royal source told the Reuters news agency that the condition was non-cancerous.
For William, “reconnecting with his brother could lift one burden from his shoulders,” Ms Rieden says.
“I think it is also something the public would like to see as the monarchy manages the choppy waters ahead.