Prince Harry ‘willing to take temporary royal role while King is ill’

The Times reports Harry has told friends he would step into such a role while Charles is unwell

The Duke of Sussex is willing to step into a temporary royal role while his father undergoes cancer treatment, it has been reported.

Harry has told friends he would step into such a role while King Charles is unwell, according to The Times.

The duke and his father are said to have had several “warm exchanges” since the King’s illness was diagnosed, it was claimed.

Harry, who stepped down as a working royal alongside his wife the Duchess of Sussex in 2020, is a counsellor of state but is not expected to take up any of the King’s duties while he recovers.

A royal source has also told the newspaper that Charles, 75, is keen to reconcile and see more of his son, and believes doing so would benefit the monarchy.

The source told The Times: “On all practical levels it makes perfect sense for the family to come together to support the King while he’s sick.

“Much has been said on both sides in recent years, but that has never diminished the fundamental bond of blood, and there are now pragmatic aspects to consider, with the King and Kate’s wellbeing ­paramount in this.

“The details of the Clarence House meeting and subsequent conversations are private, but the feeling is that this arrangement could work.”

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, talks with skeleton athletes during an Invictus Games training camp (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

A written plan would need to be drawn up by the King and his aides before Harry could return to any official duties and would not receive public funds, the newspaper said.

It comes after Harry suggested the King’s illness could lead to a reconciliation with his father in an interview with a US breakfast TV show.

Harry also said “I love my family” and that he was “grateful” to be able to spend time with his father when he flew back to the UK last week.

The duke’s whirlwind visit to see Charles for around 45 minutes prompted speculation that the two men – estranged since the duke stepped down as a working royal – may be on the point of rebuilding their relationship.

In the interview, aired on Good Morning America, it was suggested a family illness could have a “reunifying effect”, and when Harry was asked “is that possible in this case?” he replied: “Yeah, I’m sure.”

The duke and his wife Meghan are in Canada staging a number of events with Invictus competitors to mark a year to go until Harry’s Invictus Games, for wounded and sick veterans and military, is staged in the country.

They are being followed by a film crew led by Will Reeve, the son of the late Superman star Christopher Reeve, who interviewed Harry in the winter sports town of Whistler, which is hosting the 2025 Invictus Games alongside Vancouver.

Prince Harry and Meghan visit the Whistler Sliding Centre (Reuters)

Gesturing towards Invictus competitors, Harry added: “Throughout all these families I see it on a day-to-day basis, the strength of the family unit coming together.

“I think any illness, any sickness brings families together.”

Buckingham Palace has not given details about Charles’s cancer and Harry declined to divulge any information when asked about his “outlook” on the King’s health, replying: “That stays between me and him.”

But he said he would be visiting his father in the future, adding: “I’ve got other trips planned that would take me through the UK or back to the UK, so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can.”

There was no meeting between the duke and his brother, the Prince of Wales, last Tuesday after Harry spent time with Charles at Clarence House.

The breakdown in the bond between the royal brothers can be traced back to the early period of Harry’s relationship with Meghan when his then fiancee had a falling out with the Princess of Wales in the run-up to their wedding.

Harry refused to divulge any details of his father’s illness, insisting: ‘That stays between me and him’ (AP)

Since stepping down as working royals in 2020 and moving to California, the Sussexes have aired allegations and grievances against the monarchy and members of the royal family which have also soured relations.

Speaking to Reeve, Harry said: “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.”

The duke was asked about his life in America, something he described as “amazing”, and whether he had contemplated becoming a US citizen, with the royal saying he had “considered” it.

Harry added: “The American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind but certainly not something that’s a high priority for me right now.”

Asked how he “processed” what was going on with his family in the UK, the royal replied: “I have my own family, as we all do. My family, and my life in California is as it is.”

Meghan and Harry are bringing up their two children, Prince Archie, aged four, and two-year-old Princess Lilibet in the celebrity enclave of Montecito in California.

The duke said: “The kids are doing great, the kids are growing like all kids do: very, very fast. They’ve both got an incredible sense of humour, make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, as most kids do.

“I’m just very grateful to be a dad.”

During the interview, footage was shown of Harry trying the skeleton bobsleigh – one of the winter sports being introduced at the Invictus Games next year for the first time.

Harry said hosting the biennial Games, or the one-year-to-go events, were his “annual fix, to be among this community and have a laugh, have fun – no matter which nation they’re from the banter’s the same.

“I get a lot of energy just from being around these guys.”

Buckingham Palace declined to comment.