Prince Harry was reportedly stopped from stopping with King Charles at Sandringham after flying to the UK because Palace aides were worried “they’d never get rid of him”.
Instead, The Sun reports, the Duke of Sussex was told to get a hotel after the King was diagnosed with cancer.
The publication says the 39-year-old planned for a long heartfelt chat with his father. He even hoped to stop with the King as he recuperated from cancer treatment.
Harry was however told to visit Clarence House, the King’s London residence, instead for a short face-to-face meeting.
The prince opened up about the short transatlantic journey to see his father when he appeared on Good Morning America.
He told the programme that “I love my family” and says “illness can have a reunifying effect”. It it understood Harry’s visit was seen as a “gesture” that offered a “cause for optimism”.
The Sun however claims it has not led to a thawing in relations between the royals. Harry is said to have “took it upon himself” to fly to London after the King called him about his cancer diagnosis.
However, before he could set off for Norfolk, he was directed to Clarence House in London. He is said to have spent 45 minutes inside the building, of which half an hour was with the King.
An insider told The Sun: “Harry came over to see his father, expecting to go to Sandringham. But instead he was asked to be at Clarence House and was restricted to 30 minutes.
“The fear was that if he went to Sandringham they would never get rid of him.”
Minutes after Harry left, the King and Queen Camilla made their way by Bentley to a helicopter at Buckingham Palace that then took them to Sandringham. Harry is believed to have stayed at a hotel in London.
The meeting was the first time he has seen his father in private since the Queen died in 2022.
Harry flew back to his wife Meghan, 42, and their children after spending just over a day in the United Kingdom. Since he has been spotted at a pre-Super Bowl party in Las Vegas and headed to Canada to promote the Invictus Games.
During this US TV interview the prince said he was “grateful” to see his father. He also pledged to visit the monarch more frequently in 2024.
Express Online has approached Buckingham Palace for a comment.
