'No plans for reconciliation' between William and Harry as brothers 'won't meet' after King Charles' cancer diagnosis
6 February 2024, 17:34
There are no plans for Princes William and Harry to meet after the Duke of Sussex flew back to the UK to see his father following the news of his cancer diagnosis.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Prince Harry cleared his schedule to fly back to the UK today after learning about his father's cancer diagnosis some time last week.
Buckingham Palace asked the Duke not to fly back immediately so not to cause concern before a public announcement was made.
The palace said on Monday evening that the King has been diagnosed with cancer, though did not confirm in which form.
The Duke was then pictured looking sombre after he arrived at Clarence House to see his father, where they had a 'brief meeting'.
There are reportedly no plans for Harry to meet his brother, Prince William, during his solo trip back to the UK, despite the Duke being open to the idea.
Sources close to Harry told the Mirror: “The Duke's primary reason to travel to the UK is to visit his father. If the opportunity were to arise to see the Prince of Wales then the Duke would have gladly accepted it.”
The Prince of Wales, however, remains focused on looking after his wife, Kate, who is recovering from abdominal surgery and will be out of action until after Easter.
Meanwhile, William is expected to take on more public responsibilities in the wake of his father's shock diagnosis, starting with an investiture at Windsor Castle tomorrow morning.
A source close to William said: “The prince’s main focus is for his wife, who is recovering from surgery, his three children and now his father.
“There are no plans for Harry’s visit to act as some kind of vehicle for reconciliation.”
The pair have had a tense relationship since Harry quit the Royal Family and moved to the United States with his wife, Meghan Markle.
Meghan is currently at home in the US with their children, Archie and Lilibet, and it is unclear whether there are any plans for her to also return to the UK.
The relationship between William and Harry is thought to have soured even further after the Duke of Sussex made a series of revelations about his family relationships in a Netflix documentary and his bombshell autobiography, Spare.
In the book, Harry described his father as an "old man" and detailed a physical altercation between him and his brother, in which he accused William of throwing him to the ground.
In an interview with ITV around the time of his book's release, Harry said that wanted a reconciliation with both Charles and William, but said “first there needs to be some accountability”.
