Inside Charles and Harry's fraught relationship as King diagnosed with cancer
Buckingham Palace has today announced King Charles has been diagnosed with a form of cancer following his recent stay in hospital.
The statement said: "During The King’s recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement, a separate issue of concern was noted. 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."
There had been hopes that King Charles recent health issues could ease the fractured relationship between the monarch and his youngest son, Harry. The Duke of Sussex is currently estranged from his father, with the pair developing an incredibly fraught relationship over the years. Harry has hit out at his dad on multiple occasions since stepping back from the Royal Family, accusing the King or lying and making jokes at his son's expense. With the King going into hospital, some experts are wondering if this will lead to a family reunion. Here, we've taken a look back at some of the turning points in Harry and Charles' relationship.
Lying accusations
(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)Prince Harry opened up about his relationship with his father in his and Meghan Markle's Netflix docuseries, Harry & Meghan. In one episode, the Duke of Sussex discussed the tense Megxit meeting which took place after the Sussexes announced they would be stepping back from the Royal Family.
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"It was terrifying to have my brother scream and shout at me, and my father say things that just simply weren't true, and my grandmother quietly sit there, and sort of take it all in," Harry recalled. He said the "saddest part" was the "wedge" it drove between him and his family.
Divorce struggle
Harry struggled when his parents, King Charles and Princess Diana, split up (Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images)Harry and his brother Prince William struggled when their parents split in 1992. Charles married the late Princess Diana in 1981, but their divorce was finalised in 1996.
Speaking in the 2017 documentary Diana, Our Mother: Her Life and Legacy, Harry said: "There was a point where our parents split and we never saw our mother enough or we never saw our father enough. There was a lot of travelling and lot of fights on the back seat with my brother."
However, Harry admitted his father tried his best when Diana sadly died in a horrific car accident. "[Our dad] was there for us — he was the one out of two left, and he tried to do his best and to make sure that we were protected and looked after. But he was going through the same grieving process as well," he said.
Blanking phone calls
In 2021, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex sat down for a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey. Harry claimed his father had "stopped taking my calls" and admitted there was "a lot to work through" to try and fix their relationship.
Harry told Oprah: "I feel really let down because he’s been through something similar, he knows what pain feels like." He added: "I will always love him. There’s a lot of hurt that’s happened. I will continue to make it one of my priorities to heal that relationship."
It seems as though their relationship might be on the mend, with Harry recently calling King Charles to wish the monarch a happy 75th birthday. Meghan is also said to have been on the call, with their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet filming a special video singing happy birthday to their grandad.
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Parenting criticisms
Harry has slammed his father's parenting and admitted he wants to raise his children differently to how he was raised. "Isn’t life about breaking the cycle?" he questioned during an episode of the Armchair Expert podcast in 2021.
Harry added: "When it comes to parenting, if I've experienced some form of pain and suffering because of the pain and suffering that perhaps my father or parents suffered, I'm gonna make sure I break that cycle so that I don’t pass it on." The Duke of Sussex said he doesn't blame his father and believes he simply treated Harry "the way that he was treated".
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Cruel Paternity jokes
Fans were shocked when Harry released his debut memoir Spare, in which he opened up about his time in the Royal Family. In the book, Harry alleged the King once joked about not being Harry's "real father".
He wrote: "He'd laugh and laugh, though it was a remarkably unfunny joke, given the rumour circulating just then that my actual father was one of Mummy's former lovers: Major James Hewitt." Harry said one of his dad's favourite past times was to tell stories.
Money woes
In March 2021, Harry and Meghan at down for a tell-all chat with Oprah Winfrey. During the bombshell interview, Harry accused his dad of cutting him off financially.
He added: "I've got what my mum left me, and without that, we would not have been able to do this. I think she saw it coming." Harry said this is what pushed him and Meghan to secure a deal with Netflix and admitted he felt "really let down" by his father.
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