Prince Harry dashing home to the U.K. to see King Charles III a day after the latter's shock cancer announcement was met with disapproval by the monarch himself, according to a royal author.
Royal biographer Robert Jobson noted reports that His Majesty was "touched" by the sudden visit. After all, the Duke of Sussex flew 5,500 miles just a day after Buckingham Palace announced the King's cancer diagnosis on Feb. 5.
The 39-year-old arrived at midday and was photographed on the backseat of a black car being driven to the King's London home at Clarence House escorted by a security team. Naturally, the duke's visit became tabloid fodder, something that His Majesty had reportedly wanted to avoid.
"I am told that the reality is both more complex and more troubling – that Harry caused some disquiet by 'taking it upon himself' to fly over unbidden and at such short notice," Jobson wrote in his piece for the Daily Mail.
The author, who has written several books about the royal family including "Our King" and "Charles at Seventy," claimed that King Charles III had not wanted to attract too much media attention to his cancer diagnosis. But Prince Harry's visit had the opposite effect.
He added: "Put bluntly, the King was unhappy about what amounted to a fait accompli served up by an emotional but well-meaning son. Charles just needs peace and quiet right now and had planned to fly off to the tranquillity of Norfolk with his wife, the Queen, much earlier on Tuesday."
Jobson alleged that because of Prince Harry's "intervention, their Majesties were left kicking their heels at Clarence House, their main London home, while they waited for the errant younger son to appear".
According to reports, the Duke of Sussex only spent 30 minutes with his father. During which time the author suspected that their conversations, if there were any, "have become mere echoes of the past".
"What was actually said between them, only His Majesty, the Queen and the Duke of Sussex know, but half an hour (I'm told it was a 30-minute meeting, not even 45) was hardly enough time to rebuild the many bridges reduced to cinders," Jobson continued.
After the meeting, King Charles III and Queen Camilla were later seen being driven away from Clarence House to Buckingham Palace, where they boarded a helicopter bound for Sandringham. His Majesty has been staying at his Scottish estate amid his treatment and was seen attending a church service on Sunday.
British King Charles III made his first public appearance since it became known that he had been diagnosed with cancer. pic.twitter.com/2cGWfGbJNN
— S p r i n t e r (@Sprinter99800) February 12, 2024
The author said he cannot blame Prince Harry for flying home to the U.K. to see his father. He noted that "whatever soothing noises might come from Palace courtiers, his father's diagnosis is a serious matter".
However, he pointed out: "The Prince should also spend some time reflecting on the stress he has caused the King, not least when he was coping first, with the loss of his own father, Prince Philip and then, of course, his late mother, the Queen."
Jobson claimed that Prince Harry's impromptu visit may have been well-intentioned. But it also "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".
The Duke of Sussex did not stay at any of the royal residences during his visit but at a luxury London hotel. He spent just 24 hours in the U.K. and was pictured leaving the hotel on Wednesday, heading for the airport to catch a flight back home to California. The visit marked the first time Prince Harry reunited with King Charles III since last year's coronation in May.
