King Charles reunites with Prince Harry one day after cancer ...
London: The King has reunited with his estranged son, Prince Harry, a day after Buckingham Palace announced he had begun treatment for an undisclosed type of cancer.
The 75-year-old’s shock diagnosis, announced in a statement on Monday evening (UK time), triggered a flood of well-wishes from world leaders, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Commonwealth world leaders, US President Joe Biden and former president Donald Trump.
King Charles III and Queen Camilla leave Clarence House in London on Tuesday,Credit: PA via AP
Charles III was later pictured for the first time leaving Clarence House for Sandringham, wearing a purple tie and dark suit. He smiled and waved from his car to people gathered near Buckingham Palace with Queen Camilla seated beside him.
Little is known about the type of cancer the King has, but the palace said it was discovered when he was being treated for a benign enlarged prostate at the London Clinic last month.
The Duke of Sussex, who has barely spoken with his father and brother, Prince William, since he and his family left Britain for the United States three years ago, flew from Los Angeles to London’s Heathrow overnight, landing at about 12.30pm (London time).
Travelling without his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, and their small children, Harry was earlier whisked out of the airport in a Range Rover, accompanied by a marked police escort, and driven straight to Clarence House, in central London, where his father has been recovering from his first bout of cancer treatment on Monday.
A convoy of cars believed to be carrying Prince Harry arrive at Clarence House on Tuesday.Credit: PA via AP
He was photographed being driven into the gates of his father’s residence at about 2.45pm, when they spent time together behind closed doors before the King returned to Sandringham, his rural Norfolk residence, by helicopter.
The pair have not seen each other since the King’s Coronation in May last year, when they were not thought to have spent any notable time together. The Duke is understood to have booked a flight as soon as his father personally called him to tell him of his cancer diagnosis.
The Telegraph reported he is not believed to have made any plans to see his brother, the Prince of Wales, with whom he has not spoken for months following several explosive media interviews after Harry’s memoir Spare and a Netflix series.
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told the BBC he was “shocked and sad” at the King’s cancer diagnosis, but that he was “hoping and praying” for a full recovery. He insisted that the monarch would “crack on” with his constitutional role.
“All our thoughts are with him and his family,” Sunak said. “Thankfully, this has been caught early and now everyone will be wishing that he gets the treatment that he needs and makes a full recovery, and that’s what we’re all hoping and praying for.”
In the statement released by the palace on Monday, a spokesperson said the King feels “wholly positive” about his treatment and will “continue to undertake state business and official paperwork as usual”.
The monarch has already started a schedule of regular treatments and is said to be receiving expert medical care from a specialist team. No date has yet been set for the King’s return to full public duties, but he is expected to only take on essential constitutional tasks for some months.
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The palace has indicated that at this stage there will be no need for the King to rely on other members of the royal family to fulfil his duties as head of state. The present nominated counsellors who can legally fulfil his duties are the Queen; William; Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh; Anne, the Princess Royal; Prince Andrew, the Duke of York; Harry, the Duke of Sussex; and Princess Beatrice.
However, the royal household has said that as non-working royals Andrew, Harry and Beatrice would not be called upon to step into the role.
Former royal press secretary Simon Lewis said Charles’ openness about his cancer diagnosis contrasts significantly from how the news of his grandfather’s ill health was handled. George VI died on February 6, 1952 – 72 years ago to the day – which led to the accession of his daughter, Elizabeth II.
Lewis said Charles’ openness about his cancer diagnosis had been his “style” as a new monarch.
“I think 20 years ago we would have got a very abrupt, short, statement, and that’s about it,” he told the BBC.
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“And I think they’ve gone as far as they possibly can given that the King has had a diagnosis of cancer and, as a lot of people know, processing that is a pretty tough process.”
Lewis said it was “not so much the crisis itself, it’s how you handle the crisis” that defines it.
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