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Prince Harry ‘would have gladly accepted’ a reunion with his brother William but instead has ‘spent a night in a London hotel’, it has been claimed. Although Harry and the Prince of Wales have no plans to meet during the Duke’s stay, it is understood mutual friend Mark Dyer – who was a mentor to the princes after the death of Diana – could act as bridge between the siblings, according to a source.
It’s believed William, 41, is remaining focused on tending to his wife Kate, who is recovering from her abdominal surgery and is taking extended leave from public duties until after Easter. The Duke of Sussex flew more than 5,000 miles yesterday from his home in California to London for what ended up being a 45-minute meeting with his cancer-stricken father King Charles.
Harry did not spend the night in any royal residence, with him being effectively homeless on UK soil since his eviction from Frogmore Cottage last year, and it is thought he may have instead stayed in a luxury hotel. He is not expected to stay in London for long and is set to return to his Montecito home in California that he shares with his wife Meghan Markle and two children, Archie, four, and Lilibet, two, following his whistle-stop visit. The Duke is expected to join Meghan in Canada next week for an event to commemorate a year until the Invictus Games in Vancouver and Whistler.
A source told The Times former Welsh Guards officer Mr Dyer, who recently recovered from stomach cancer, has been offering Harry support in recent years. ‘Mark can always be relied upon to talk sense into Harry and will be a stoic under-the-radar support for Harry in what has the propensity to be a stress-inducing time for him,’ the source said. Those close to Harry, 39, said he would welcome the chance to meet with his brother, with an insider adding: ‘The Duke’s primary reason to travel to the UK is to visit his father. If the opportunity were to arise to see the Prince of Wales then the Duke would have gladly accepted it.’
Harry, who boarded the 11-hour flight hours after his father revealed he was ill, flew from America to London alone, leaving Meghan, Archie and Lilibet back at their California home. The Duke of Sussex’s transatlantic dash had raised hopes his return to Britain will be used to heal wounds with King Charles and a chance to reach out to his brother Prince William amid their on-going feud. Harry has barely spoken with his father since the death of Queen Elizabeth and it is reported there was no contact when he celebrated his 39th birthday.
Palace sources have said there are no plans for a meeting between Harry and William while the Duke of Sussex is in London, scuppering hopes of a potential olive branch between the royal brothers. William is due to return to public work today, carrying out an investiture at Windsor Castle in the morning before later attending a gala for the London Air Ambulance Service in the evening. Prince Harry arrived at Clarence House at 2.45pm where he had a ‘brief meeting’ with his father hours after touching down at Heathrow. Harry was spotted in the back of a Range Rover that drove in a large convoy through the gates of Clarence House, where Charles, 75, is resting following treatment earlier today for an unspecified cancer.
Experts have said that they hope that Harry’s trip to Britain is the ‘sign of a truce’ and that ‘good news’ of a heal in the rift in the Royal Family could come from the ‘bad news’ about the King’s health. Harry left LAX for London to be with his father. Charles had called him personally to tell him the devastating news and the Duke of Sussex has immediately jumped on a plane so he could be in the UK later today. A luxury Range Rover believed to be carrying the British royal was seen arriving at LAX’s VIP terminal last night and he boarded the earliest flight so he could be in London by lunchtime on Tuesday. Harry was accompanied by police security despite his ongoing row with the Home Office. In Spare, Harry had revealed that Charles had urged his warring sons: ‘Please boys, don’t make my final years a misery.’ And his trip could be motivated by that plea.
Daily Mail Diary editor Richard Eden tweeted today: ‘After his 5,000-mile flight from Los Angeles, #PrinceHarry is understood to have had a brief meeting with #KingCharles before His Majesty departed for his Norfolk retreat, Sandringham. It will be interesting to see how long Harry stays in this country.’ Earlier, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said: ‘I’m sure Harry will put aside the past right now for this serious issue. The Royal family – including the Sussexes – it’s so important that everyone is pulling in the right direction’. Kristina Kyriacou, the King’s former press secretary, said today: ‘Charles adores Harry. He didn’t want any of this estrangement. If out of bad news, some good news comes and Harry and the King and the Queen and his brother are reunited – how wonderful.’
The King spent Monday night at home in London after beginning out-patient cancer treatment – as family and friends revealed that the monarch remains ‘hugely positive’ following his bombshell diagnosis. But he may miss public duties for a number of months, it has been claimed. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said yesterday that he was ‘shocked and sad’ to hear about the King’s cancer diagnosis but revealed: ‘Thankfully this has been caught early’. Harry landed in the UK at lunchtime but it is not known if he will see his brother Prince William or the Princess of Wales, who is recovering from serious abdominal surgery at their home in the grounds of Winsor Castle. But experts have said they hope that the Duke of Sussex’s last-minute trip could finally bring Harry, Charles and William closer together.
Last time the Prince flew to the UK was in September, for the Well Child Awards, where he stayed in a hotel. Meghan missed the UK altogether, meeting him in Germany for the Invictus Games. It is understood the Duke asked if he could stay at Windsor Castle to allow him to visit his grandmother, the late Queen Elizabeth II’s place of rest, but permission was denied. Harry usually travels with his own private security team, after being stripped of his right to automatic police protection when he left the Royal family in 2020. The King contacted both the Duke of Sussex and the Prince of Wales personally to tell them of his cancer diagnosis before it was announced by Buckingham Palace. A source close to Harry said that he had immediately decided to come to the UK to be by his father’s side. Experts have claimed that Harry’s dash to Britain ‘indicates the seriousness’ of the King’s condition. Announcing that Prince Harry will come and see his father, the Office of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex said: ‘The duke did speak with his father about his diagnosis. He will be traveling to UK to see His Majesty in the coming days.’
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