Prince Harry Flies to See Father King Charles III Amid Cancer Diagnosis, No Reunion with Brother William
Prince Harry has made a swift visit to the UK to see his father, King Charles III, after the monarch was diagnosed with cancer. However, the visit did not include a reunion with his brother, Prince William. The royal brothers, who have been emotionally and physically distant for some time now, remain separated by an ocean.
Photos of Prince Harry at Heathrow Airport on Wednesday afternoon circulated in the British media. This was just a day after he arrived in the UK from Los Angeles. Speculation arose that he was heading back to California after spending less than an hour with his father at Clarence House, the king’s London residence. Palace officials typically confirm any meetings between the brothers, but no such confirmation was given.
Meanwhile, Prince William resumed his public duties for the first time since his wife, Kate, underwent abdominal surgery and spent two weeks at a London hospital. He attended a ceremony at Windsor Castle where he handed out medals to notable individuals and local heroes. Later that evening, he was scheduled to attend a charity dinner for London’s air ambulance service.
The images from the day only add fuel to the popular British media narrative of dutiful William and flyaway Harry. However, behind this simplistic summary lies a more complex story of two royal brothers who have taken divergent paths in life. Bonded by the loss of their mother, Princess Diana, when William was 15 and Harry was 12, their lives have unfolded in dramatically different ways.
While William was destined from birth to be king as the heir, Harry, as the “spare,” has struggled with his role. In his 2023 memoir titled “Spare,” Harry detailed a lifetime of grievances against his brother, ranging from unequal treatment at Balmoral Castle to a physical altercation where William allegedly knocked him down onto a dog bowl. The book also highlighted Harry’s belief that the British media portrayed him and his wife, Meghan, as villains compared to William and Kate. He accused palace officials of lying to protect his elder brother.
Harry and Meghan’s decision to step back from royal duties and move to the US in 2020 was influenced by the media’s racist treatment of Meghan, who is biracial, and a lack of support from the palace. In their explosive interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, they revealed the royal family’s indifference to Meghan’s mental health struggles and alleged that an unnamed family member made a racist comment before their son Archie’s birth. Harry described his relationship with William as distant.
Since then, the brothers’ interactions have been formal and brief. They temporarily set aside their differences to attend the funeral of their grandfather, Prince Philip, in 2021. Although they did not walk side-by-side behind Philip’s coffin, they were seen chatting and walking together after the service. They also walked side-by-side at the funeral of their grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, in September 2022, which evoked memories of Princess Diana’s funeral in 1997 for William.
Harry’s campaign against the British tabloid press has further strained his relationship with his relatives. He broke from royal tradition by engaging in litigation against the media for privacy violations, claiming that Charles had ordered him to drop his lawsuits because they were detrimental to the family. He also alleged that William secretly settled his own hacking claims against Rupert Murdoch’s publications for a large sum of money in 2020.
In his memoir, Harry claimed that after Philip’s funeral, their father implored them not to make his final years a misery. However, royal biographer Sally Bedell Smith believes that healing the rifts within the royal family will require more than a single visit. She acknowledges the deep hurts that Harry has inflicted on the family but believes that King Charles, by nature, would want to heal not only the world but also his own family.
In conclusion, Prince Harry’s visit to see his father, King Charles III, amid his cancer diagnosis did not include a reunion with his brother, Prince William. The brothers’ relationship remains strained, with deep-seated grievances and divergent paths in life. While William has embraced his role as the heir, Harry has struggled with being the “spare.” Their interactions have been formal and brief, with temporary moments of unity during family events. Healing the rifts within the royal family will require more than a single visit, but there is hope that King Charles’s desire to heal will extend to his own family.
