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by Mick the Ram
Following the news which broke on Monday 5 February that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer, his youngest son Prince Harry took it upon himself to immediately hop on a 10-hour flight from the US, to come and see his father in person.
The visit was short-lived however, as after arriving at Heathrow at around 1pm on Tuesday, he met with the King only very briefly at Clarence House. Indeed the meeting was said to have lasted less than half an hour, with some suggesting it was actually more like 12 minutes.
Charles and Camilla were at the time eager to leave for Sandringham, where he will continue his rest and Harry’s arrival actually caused a hold up in plans and delayed His Majesty’s helicopter.
Seemingly there was no invitation to join the royal couple at the Norfolk estate and the Duke of Sussex went on to spent the night in a luxury hotel, before he was spotted exiting a Delta flight that landed at LAX at 6.16pm local time, on Wednesday the 7th.
He could have stayed in London for a court hearing on Friday 9th, but chose to allow his lawyer to represent him and he received good news learning that he had been awarded “substantial” damages from Mirror Group Newspapers, as part of his claim against them for phone hacking.
Harry holds up the king’s planned trip
Harry’s visit was said to have “caused some disquiet” with him “taking it upon himself” to fly over at such short notice on an overnight flight. A spokesperson said: “This impromptu visit, while well-intentioned, has served as a sad reminder of the continuing rift within the family, a burden Charles can ill afford in his current state when all his energy must be focused on the challenge of his health.”
Charles is said to have kept the chopper waiting in a bid to spend time with Harry and considering how particular he is over time-keeping, it is a significant step, with the King recognising his son’s gesture.
What the duo discussed during the meeting remains unclear
Trying to reconcile or ulterior motive?
It was the first time the two had met since Queen Elizabeth’s funeral in 2022. It was also the first time the Duke of Sussex was seen at a family event since the King’s Coronation last year.
The Prince switched flights to get home to his wife Meghan and his children in California quicker. He took a Delta flight after the British Airways flight he had expected to take was delayed by two hours.
It does appear that the Duke is keen to make amends with his father and sources have said that he has “reconciliation” plans to get things back on track. Other more cynical observers have suggested Harry could have his eye on the next Netflix documentary.
Doing well… under the circumstances
Queen Camilla was back in the public eye at the end of a stressful week and reported that the King is “doing extremely well under circumstances”. She also said that the two of them were “very touched by all of the letters and messages the public have been sending from everywhere, that’s very cheering” she said with great sincerity.
William makes public return
Prince William also spoke for the first time when attending an air ambulance gala dinner. He thanked people for their “kind messages of support for Catherine and my father”, referencing his wife the Princess of Wales, who is also currently convalescing, following abdominal surgery last month.
He even found time to quip: “It’s fair to say the past few weeks have had a rather ‘medical’ focus. So I thought I’d come to an air ambulance function to get away from it all!”
There was certainly no mention of his brother, with whom it seems any kind of reconciliation is a very long way off.
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