King upbeat after cancer diagnosis, Prince Harry returns to visit him
Charles III will ‘crack on’ with duties as he receives treatment
King Charles III’s cancer was caught early and the monarch will “crack on” with his constitutional duties, Britain’s prime minister said Tuesday, as Prince Harry flew in from California for a rare visit with his father.
Royal officials announced Monday that the 75-year-old king has been diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer and is receiving treatment as an outpatient.
Less than 18 months into the reign that he’d famously waited decades to begin, Charles suspended public engagements but will continue with state business — including weekly meetings with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak — and won’t be handing over his constitutional roles as head of state.
On Tuesday afternoon, Harry could seen arriving at the king’s Clarence House residence, near Buckingham Palace, in a black SUV after an overnight flight.
The two have a troubled relationship, and Harry has seen his father infrequently since the prince quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to Los Angeles with his wife, Meghan, citing what they said was the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media.
Harry has since detailed his rocky relationship with his family and his royal inheritance in TV interviews, a documentary and a memoir, “Spare.”
About an hour after Harry arrived, Charles and Queen Camilla were driven from their residence to nearby Buckingham Palace in a royal Bentley. The couple waved to tourists and well-wishers gathered outside the palace gates. A helicopter believed to be carrying the royal couple took off from the palace soon after.
Buckingham Palace said the king’s cancer was found during Charles’s recent hospital treatment for an enlarged prostate but is a “separate issue” and not prostate cancer.
“Thankfully, this has been caught early,” Sunak told BBC radio.
“We’ll crack on with everything,” Sunak said, adding that he would continue to communicate with the king normally.
“Many families around the country listening to this will have been touched by the same thing and they know what it means to everyone,” Sunak said.
“So we’ll just be willing him on and hopefully we get through this as quickly as possible.”
The palace said Charles, who has generally enjoyed good health, “remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”
Thankfully, this has been caught early.
PRIME MINISTER RISHI SUNAK