By royal biographer Emily Andrews
‘IT WAS CLASSIC PRINCE HARRY’
Rung by his father to be told that his ‘dear papa’ had been diagnosed with cancer and was starting treatment pretty much immediately, the first thing the Duke of Sussex did was to book a flight to London.
Impulsive, emotional, and well-meaning, yes – but he had not spoken to his father face to face for 16 months, since the late Queen’s funeral.
Eyebrows were raised at the almost indecent haste of Harry issuing a public bulletin that he would be dashing to his father’s side, barely 30 minutes after Buckingham Palace announced the King’s shock diagnosis.
(It’s not always about you, Harry…)
The two have been in communication (Harry phoned his father on his birthday last November and sent him a video of grandchildren Archie and Lilibet singing Happy Birthday to him), yet despite Harry visiting the UK four times last year, he didn’t meet up with his father.
The very fact that he had to jump on the plane to travel nearly 8,000km from LA to see his dad for a whistle-stop visit shows how deep the family rift has become after the many missiles, criticisms and accusations let loose by Harry (and his wife) in his Netflix documentary, his autobiography Spare and TV interviews.
The King had known his cancer diagnosis after it was picked up during a routine operation for an enlarged prostate (which was benign).
He was apparently ‘very touched’ that his younger son wanted to see him, yet it was arranged at such short notice.
Harry arrived the day after Charles had started his first round of treatment.
His decision to fly over was so last minute that the King and Queen put their travel plans on hold (they were returning from London to Sandringham) so they could see him.
A hastily arranged police convoy picked Harry up from Heathrow airport and took him straight to Clarence House (Charles’ London home) where they had a ‘warm’ meeting.
But it lasted for only 30 minutes before the King and Queen were driven off to their waiting helicopter.
An important step on the road to potential reconciliation, yet there were two people who were significant by their absence.
The Duchess of Sussex had stayed in California with their children – entirely understandable given this
