Though Prince Harry’s relationship with his father has been rocky since he stepped back from royal duties in 2020 and released a tell-all memoir last year, Charles called Harry to break the news before the news was made public, according to a spokesperson for the prince and his wife Meghan Markle.
Harry immediately took an 11-hour flight from Los Angeles to London to be with the king. Markle and their two young children, Archie and Lilibet, did not accompany Harry to the U.K.
On February 6 the prince was spotted arriving at Clarence House, the king and queen’s London residence, where Charles was resting following outpatient treatment, per The Guardian. A short time after reuniting with Harry, Charles and Camilla were driven to Buckingham Palace. About ten minutes later, a helicopter took off from the palace grounds and later landed at the king’s Sandringham estate.
Harry spent the night in a London hotel, not a royal residence, and did not see his brother William, according to the Daily Mail. The prince left the U.K. a day later.
Harry talked about his father’s diagnosis in an interview with Good Morning America that aired on February 16. The prince was in Whistler, British Columbia touring the site of the 2025 Invictus Games.
“I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” Harry said. “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that.”
Harry declined to give more details on Charles’s health, saying that “stays between me and him.” But he revealed that he intends to visit his father again soon. “I’ve got other trips planned that will take me through the U.K., or back to the U.K., and so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can,” he said.
When asked if Charles’s illness might have a “reunifying effect” on the family, Harry replied, “Absolutely. Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Throughout all of these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis — again, the strength of the family unit coming together,” Harry said. “So, yeah, I think any illness, any sickness, brings families together. I see it time and time again, and that makes me very happy.”
