If ever there was a chance for a royal reconciliation, now is the time.
Despite all of Prince Harry's publicly expressed doubts that there is no need for him in the royal family, that he is just a “replacement”, the deeply worrying news about King Charles III's cancer diagnosis proves that nothing further from the truth is removed.
Prince Harry is more important to his family than ever before.
King Charles said the door is always open for his youngest son. Now is the perfect time for him to take advantage of this opportunity.
Just a few weeks ago, his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, was hospitalized for two weeks following abdominal surgery.
This was accompanied by the news that Charles would be undergoing surgery for an enlarged prostate.
We now know that the king's surgery discovered cancer in another, unspecified area.
The palace has refused to give further details but it is hoped the incident was caught early.
Despite all of Prince Harry's publicly expressed doubts that there is no need for him in the royal family, that he is just a “replacement”, the deeply worrying news about King Charles III's cancer diagnosis proves that nothing further from the truth is removed. Prince Harry is more important to his family than ever before.
King Charles said the door is always open for his youngest son. Now is the perfect time for him to take advantage of this opportunity.
But this newly streamlined monarchy has suffered two major setbacks: its most popular royals – a king who has spent just over a year on the throne and the future queen, the brightest star in her constellation – are out of action.
William has canceled all his commitments to be with Kate while she recovers. Charles, who began treatment on Monday, has cleared his calendar. Camilla will certainly be by his side in the coming days and weeks.
It's a dark hour for the monarchy – and undoubtedly a darker one for Harry.
How difficult it must have been for him to hear this sad news so far away.
How clearly his absence and that of little Archie and Lilibet were felt at home. Charles only met Lilibet once, during the late queen's Platinum Jubilee celebrations – the only time she also met her namesake.
“It was wonderful to have.” [the grandchildren] Back in the UK,” a royal source said at the time, adding that Charles and Camilla were “absolutely thrilled to see her.”
The palace has confirmed that Charles personally told each of his sons about his diagnosis. Harry announced that he would fly home to London immediately.
Will his children soon join him, as the King and Queen would surely hope? One senses that even Meghan might be greeted with caution. Finally, Charles walked her to the altar.
As we know, William is less forgiving than his father. But with Kate recovering, three young children who need his constant presence, an ailing father, and the burden of the crown suddenly heavier than ever, the absence of his only sibling must once again be painful.
Could this window that Harry had long closed be slightly open?
What an opportunity that could be. What a comforting presence Harry and his children could offer the king while he undergoes treatment.
What a gift he and William could give their ailing father if they could find the way to rapprochement.
Of course, their relationship will never be the same again, but that could be a good thing – or at least a more honest thing.
It's a dark hour for the monarchy – and undoubtedly a darker one for Harry. How difficult it must have been for him to hear this sad news so far away.
What an opportunity that could be. What a comforting presence Harry and his children could offer the king while he undergoes treatment.
Reconciliation does not mean that they have to go into depth. If they find a way to get back together, it would be bigger than any title, castle or inheritance – especially for their children, who are unrelated as cousins. And especially for Harry's children, who have little connection to their most incredible and historic lineage.
A fraternal reconciliation would secure the future of the monarchy itself.
Will Harry now appreciate his blood ties to a wounded father who continues to protect him, to a brother who shared the very public loss of his beloved mother, and to the sister-in-law he once protected so deeply? openly worshiped?
Harry failed to reconcile with the Queen before she died. He ended up missing the chance to fly with William and other family members to her bedside after reportedly demanding Meghan accompany him.
One can imagine that he regrets that.
Harry's demand left the royals “shocked at his behavior,” as Robert Jobson reported in his well-documented biography, Our King: Charles III.
Jobson also claimed that stripping Harry of his title had been “discussed at the highest levels” and that Charles had refused to consider it out of “enduring love for his son”.
There has never been a more opportune moment for royal reconciliation than now.
Prince Harry isn't just needed at this moment. It's clear he's in high demand.
Let's hope the self-proclaimed surrogate realizes how important he is – and what he can be to his family and his country if he lets it.