Prince Harry jets in as King Charles’s cancer ‘caught early’

Monarch’s ill health may be catalyst for rapprochement

King Charles III’s estranged son Prince Harry reportedly arrived in London on Tuesday after his father’s diagnosis of cancer, which his doctors said was “caught early”.

Harry, who now lives in California with his actress wife Meghan and their children, has been at war with his family since quitting royal life and launching a barrage of score-settling criticism in his best-selling autobiography Spare. The Telegraph and The Sun newspapers reported that Harry arrived at Heathrow Airport following an overnight flight from Los Angeles.

His car was reportedly seen being driven from the airport accompanied by two police cars, less than 24 hours since Buckingham Palace made Charles’s cancer diagnosis public. Royal watchers say that while Charles’s ill health may be a catalyst for a rapprochement between father and son, healing the rift with his brother Prince William, heir to the throne, would be more difficult. Buckingham Palace has not specified the type of cancer afflicting the 75-year-old monarch who will now step back from public-facing royal duties to complete his treatment.

Decades of waiting

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the cancer had been “caught early”.

Charles is just 17 months into his reign having waited decades to begin the job he was born to do following the death of his 96-year-old mother, Queen Elizabeth II, on September 8, 2022.

Citizens expressed shock and sympathy at the news.

“We were just incredibly sad and hope ... that he gets over it,” said Sue Hazell, a retiree from the northern English city of Doncaster, as she visited Buckingham Palace.

“It’s not nice to hear anyone’s been diagnosed with cancer,” added Sarah Firisen, 55, a software sales worker.