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Prince Harry ‘will fly to the UK today’ to support King Charles after speaking to him about cancer diagnosis
King Charles will begin a programme of treatment
PRINCE Harry will fly to the UK today to be with the King after he was diagnosed with cancer, it is understood.
The Duke of Sussex, who has spoken with King Charles, is believed to have arrived in Los Angeles International Airport in the early hours of this morning.
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He is due to board a flight which will land in the UK around midday today.
It is not known where Harry will stay when here after he was evicted from Frogmore Cottage on the Windsor estate last year
Charles informed Harry of his diagnosis by phone before Buckingham Palace issued its shock announcement at 6pm on Monday.
The Duke of Sussex will fly to the UK from his home in the US "in the coming days", the office of the Duke and Duchess has confirmed.
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Meghan, 42, will remain at their Montecito mansion with children Archie, 4 and two-year-old Lilibet.
The duke is due to be in Canada next week ahead of the Invictus Games.
He is also understood to be taking part in several public engagements across Vancouver with Meghan.
But he will fly to London first to see his father.
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Meanwhile William will also return to public engagements on Wednesday after cancelling his diary to care for Kate and their children after she underwent abdominal surgery last month.
Charles last week left hospital after an operation on an enlarged prostate. But during his stay a "separate issue of concern was noted".
Tests went on to find cancer.
King Charles confirms cancer diagnosis after surgery in January
His Majesty carried out a staggering 516 engagements last year, including 94 trips abroad.
It remains unclear when the King, 75, will be able to resume full-time duties.
He will continue with his weekly audiences with the Prime Minister, but they may have to be scaled back on the advice of doctors.
In the meantime, other Royals - including the Queen and Prince of Wales - will continue with a full programme of public duties.
They are also likely to undertake additional duties on behalf of the King whilst he is out of action.
The Princess of Wales is unlikely to be seen carrying out any frontline duties until after Easter in April, sources say.
What we know so far:
- The King has been diagnosed with a form of cancer
- Prince Harry is flying to the UK to support his father
- Meghan will remain in California with their children
- The King personally called his siblings and children to tell them
- He is receiving expert care from specialist doctors
- His Majesty returned from Sandringham to London to begin treatment
- Doctors advised the King to postpone public-facing Royal duties
- Camilla is preparing to play an important role supporting the King
- Charles will continue to receive Red Boxes and State documents during his treatment
- The King will continue to meet the Prime Minister for a weekly audience
She was admitted to the London Clinic on January 16 and underwent surgery.
Harry is flying over from California where he lives with his wife Meghan Markle and their two children Archie and Lilibet.
His sons, William and Harry, and siblings Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Prince Edward, have all been told as the King steps back from Royal duties and begins treatment.
Prince Harry's tense visits to Britain since Megxit
Relations between Charles and Harry are said to be fractured beyond repair amid the fallout over the race row.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told The Sun in December: “Charles and Harry’s relationship was at an all-time low before but this may have fractured it beyond all repair.
“It could spell the end game for them.”
Hopes of a reconciliation had been raised after Harry called Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday last month and sent a video of the King’s US-based grandkids Archie, now four, and Lilibet, two.
And now, Harry will jet to the UK to be with his dad following the King's shock cancer diagnosis.
Here's a look inside their fractured relationship since Megxit.
January 2020 - Harry and Meghan make their 'Megxit' flight, leaving for Canada, eventually setting up home in California, USA.
March 2021 - Harry and Meghan give their bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey where Harry accused his dad of cutting him off financially.
July 2021 Harry jets back to UK to join William in unveiling a statue to their mother Princess Diana in the grounds of Kensington Palace.
But sources claimed William didn’t want to attend the memorial amid their ongoing rift.
Pals said at the time: “William was still furious. He had taken the view that he’d only give so much. He just didn’t want to go there [with Harry].”
September 2022 - Harry jets to the UK for Prince Philip's funeral. Meghan Markle, who was heavily pregnant at the time, was unable to attend due to doctor's orders not to fly.
A pal of Harry's tells Omid Scobie Harry met the Queen privately ‘at least twice’ and spoke with Charles and William after the Westminster Abbey service.
Kate acts as a "peacemaker" between William and Harry as they share a private chat.
September 2022 - The duke claimed he found out Queen Elizabeth had died in an online news alert.
He jetted to Balmoral without Meghan, and claimed in Spare that she was told she should not attend by Charles.
Harry travelled on a separate flight to his brother William - who travelled with the rest of the family.
The duke wrote in his memoir: "When the plane started to descend I saw that my phone lit up. It was a message from Meg: 'Call me when you get this.' I looked at the BBC website. My grandmother had died. My father was King."
Harry and Meghan were sat behind Charles at the funeral for Queen Elizabeth II at Westminster Abbey.
March 2023 - Harry is told King Charles is "too busy" to see him while he's in the UK for a privacy hearing, according to reports.
The Duke had jetted to the UK to attend a four-day preliminary hearing at the High Court in London regarding his battle with publisher Associated Newspapers Limited (ANL) over allegations of unlawful information gathering.
It was the first time the Prince was back on home soil since the Queen's funeral.
Harry flew back to the US once the hearing was over.
April 2023 - Harry has a "heart-to-heart" talk with his dad before agreeing to come to the Coronation in London
The Duke travelled alone to attend the ceremony on May 6.
Harry headed straight back to the US following the coronation in Westminster Abbey.
He did not appear to speak to his brother William or sister-in-law Kate Middleton at the ceremony - taking a backseat and sitting in the third row at the ceremony.
September 2023 - Harry rejects an offer to spend the anniversary of the Queen’s death at Balmoral with his father.
Experts were stunned that he turned down the olive branch, seen as a sign that the King was ready to forgive his son’s repeated attacks on the Royal Family.
The Duke of Sussex, who was prepared to fly more than 5,000 miles from the US, snubbed the relatively short trip to Balmoral.
Yesterday's announcement came just eight days after he was released from hospital following a "corrective procedure" for an enlarged prostate.
The King, 75, yesterday began a schedule of regular treatments and postponed front line duties on doctor's advice.
A Buckingham Palace spokesman added: "Subsequent diagnostic tests have identified a form of cancer.
"His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties.
"Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.
"The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure.
"He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.
"His Majesty has chosen to share his diagnosis to prevent speculation and in the hope it may assist public understanding for all those around the world who are affected by cancer."
Reacting to the announcement, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "Wishing His Majesty a full and speedy recovery.
"I have no doubt he’ll be back to full strength in no time and I know the whole country will be wishing him well."
King Charles has a taut relationship with his younger son in the wake of 'Megxit' and subsequent claims in interviews and his memoirs.
Sources say the pair have spoken and there is a “willingness and wanting to mend on both sides” after Harry’s explosive revelations in his book Spare and Netflix series although some royal observers have claimed they may have reached the point of no return.
Harry claimed in the book he was assaulted by his “arch-nemesis” Wills; pleaded with Charles not to marry his “wicked stepmother” Camilla; and told of Princess of Wales Kate and Meghan’s rift over “baby brain” comments.
Hopes of a reconciliation had been raised after Harry called Charles to wish him a happy 75th birthday in November 2023 and sent a video of the King’s US-based grandkids Archie, now four, and Lilibet, two.
And in Harry and Meghan's Netflix documentary series Harry claimed Royal men marry look to marry someone who “would fit the mould”.
ARTHUR EDWARDS: King Charles has been there for so many people over the decades – now it’s time for the nation to be there for him
LIKE me the nation will be in deep shock at the news that King Charles has cancer - because he is the healthiest man I know.
For the past forty years I have tried to keep up with our monarch as he shakes countless hands, travels across the globe and meets assorted dignitaries.
I must confess that I have not been able to match him for stamina or pace on Royal tours.
Charles works out every evening, loves nothing more than walking across Balmoral’s glorious hillsides in Scotland and only eats organic food, often grown by himself.
The King is incredibly disciplined about his diet.
He doesn’t eat lunch, choosing to go from breakfast to dinner without a proper meal.
There is little doubt that His Majesty will receive the best medical care in the world and I am hopeful that his consultants have caught whatever cancer it is early.
If anyone can get the better of this insidious illness, it is Charles.
Prince William, interpreting him as referring to his wife Kate, slammed the statement as the “lowest of the low”, according to royal expert Robert Hardman's book.
The news of the King's cancer diagnosis was announced by Buckingham Palace last night and sparked shockwaves across the country.
It coincides with the late Queen's Accession Day, marking the moment she took the throne following the death of her father, King George VI.
And it comes after a series of health scares to hit the Royal Family since the New Year.
First, Kate was admitted to hospital on January 16 for planned abdominal surgery.
The dramatic news was followed an hour later by an announcement that the King required an op for "an enlarged prostate".
Charles was admitted to the same hospital as Kate on January 26 for surgery.
He stayed for three nights before leaving with Camilla, 76, wearing a dapper coat, suit and tie - cheerily waving at well-wishers.
Kate was secretly whisked out three hours earlier to be reunited in Windsor with her three children.
A palace spokesman said Kate was "making good progress" but she is unlikely to return to public engagements until after Easter.
She has not been seen in public since appearing on the Christmas Day walk to church in Sandringham more than a month ago.
Charles was due to stay in hospital for two nights but his stint was extended by 24 hours.
In another blow for the Royals, Fergie revealed she had received a second cancer diagnosis in six months.
The Duchess of York, 64, had a mole removed last year which has now been revealed to be a malignant melanoma -- the most serious skin cancer.
The shock health scare comes after she was treated for breast cancer last year.
During reconstructive surgery, dermatologists removed several moles and raised the alarm.
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Tests after Christmas revealed one was malignant.
Fergie will now have more tests to discover if the cancer has spread but it is hoped that the mole was found early enough.
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