Amidst the news of King Charles’s cancer diagnosis, there have been any number of reactions, including the sincere sorrow and compassion felt by most of his subjects. Yet, for all of his wealth and privilege – as a certain sneering part of the internet felt the need to point out, few would envy the King the sorrows and turbulence of the past years. This has included the loss of both of his parents, estrangement from his youngest son and now the revelation of a serious illness.
Nevertheless, adversity can lead to reconciliation. So it was that almost immediately after the tidings of Charles’s cancer broke, it was revealed that Prince Harry had spoken to his father and would be returning to Britain ‘in the coming days’ so that he could see him in person. It is also believed that the contact between the two had been initiated by the King, who wished to tell both his children the news himself, as well as ensuring that he informed his siblings of his illness. After all, memories of Harry discovering his grandmother’s death via a BBC breaking news alert on his telephone are still fresh, and a contuining source of embarrassment to the Royal Family.
If Harry is acting in good faith, this should be rewarded and cherished rather than regarded with suspicion
It remains impossible to know whether the face-to-face meeting between father and son will bring about the lasting reconciliation that the King is said to long for. It must be said that Harry has also shown increasing signs of accommodating it over the past year. The relationship had declined precipitously after the publication of Spare last year (not least because of its disobliging treatment of the Queen), and it was not believed that there was any direct contact between the two at the coronation last year, marking perhaps the nadir of their bond.
Yet there was a warm conversation between the two to mark Charles’s 75th birthday in November, during which the King was sent a video of his two grandchildren Archie and Lilibet singing happy birthday to him. There has, nevertheless, been the usual controversy since, some of it revolving around the King being named as the ‘royal racist’ in an (apparently) unauthorised leak of Omid Scobie’s Endgame. But the tentative accommodation that the two have reached has clearly allowed for Harry’s swift return to his home country as circumstances require.
The question remains, of course, whether there is any possibility of Harry managing to bury the hatchet with William, who is said to remain implacably opposed to his brother. However, at this most stressful and demanding of times for both the monarchy and the country as a whole, it is notable that Harry has behaved in the correct and dutiful fashion. He has put whatever personal grievances and irritations he still holds to one side and instead seeking to uphold the unity of the family once more.
It is unclear whether William – who, to be fair, is also currently occupied with his wife’s health – will seek to see the Duke of Sussex during what may well only be a flying visit to Britain. But if there is any serious attempt on Harry’s part to build bridges with other members of his family at this time, it should be seized upon in an attempt to bring this most unhappy period for the monarchy to a close. After all, he will not be travelling with his wife – or so it appears – and so there seems to be no other agenda than to act as a loving and caring son in these frightening times. If Harry is acting in good faith, this should be rewarded and cherished, rather than regarded with suspicion. After all, it is surely what the late Queen would have wished for.
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