Prince Harry Thinks King Charles's Cancer Diagnosis Could Have a “Reunifying Effect" on the Royal Family

The past few years have been rough on the royal family — Prince Harry and Meghan Markle formally stepped down from their royal duties in 2020, tensions between Harry and Prince William arose, and Queen Elizabeth passed away in late September of 2022. In less than a year of sitting on the throne, King Charles revealed he was diagnosed with cancer earlier this month. Amid his father’s diagnosis — the specifics of which have not been shared with the general public — Harry is hoping that this difficult time can bring the family back together again.

Appearing on the February 16 episode of Good Morning America, Prince Harry caught up with the program from the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025's One Year to Go event and revealed that Charles’s cancer could potentially have a “reunifying effect” on the royal family. 

“Absolutely. Yeah, I'm sure. Throughout all these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis, the strength of the family unit coming together," he told Will Reeve, referencing the competitors he sees at his Invictus Games and watching their families cheer them on.

After learning that Charles was sick, Harry traveled as soon as he was informed of the news. "I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could," he said, adding, “Look, I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him — I’m grateful for that." As for the prognosis for Charles’ condition, Harry kept further details under wraps. “That's between me and him,” he told Reeve.

Harry’s hopeful comments come amid his and Prince William’s tumultuous relationship after Harry published his memoir, Spare. Speaking with People in November, British royal reporter and insider Omid Scobie explained that William has prioritized the monarchy over their relationship and has worked with the U.K. press as a way to undermine Harry. 

“They called Harry a ‘defector’ and said that was William’s view,” Scobie said of his source research for his book, Endgame. “These were two men who once upon a time were firmly aligned in their outlook. One of them had to move on also to protect the crown.” The journalist noted that “there is no going back” for the brothers.

Harry’s fallout with the royals doesn’t only extend to his brother, William — while visiting Charles, a source told The Telegraph that he intentionally planned to stay away from Queen Camilla while going to visit Charles. Harry “preferred not to be in the same room with his stepmother when he spoke to the King about his cancer diagnosis," an insider told the outlet. The latest report also comes amid Harry calling Camilla a “villain” with a “need for her to rehabilitate her image” during an interview with Anderson Cooper on 60 Minutes and writing in Spare that he and William urged Charles not to marry her when they were younger.