Harry and Charles may reunite after their emotional reunion, but there is no sign of a thaw in the “incredibly fractured” relationship between the Duke of Sussex and his brother William, royal experts say.
Prince Harry flew 5,000 miles from California yesterday to visit his father for 45 minutes after the royal suffered a shock cancer diagnosis.
But while Harry's transatlantic foray raised hopes that he will continue to heal wounds with his family, there have been no “signs” of a reunion between the two royal brothers.
BBC Royal correspondent Daniela Relph said the chances of a reconciliation between William and Harry remained unlikely given their ongoing feud.
“It's a sibling relationship that still looks incredibly fractured.” We don't know if either side has tried in any way to reach a ceasefire. “As things stand there doesn’t seem to be any sign of that,” she told Radio 4.
King Charles and Queen Camilla attend Sunday service at St Mary Magdalene Church on the Sandringham estate on February 4th
Prince Harry is seen in the car as he arrives at Clarence House to meet his father, King Charles
There are no signs of a thaw in William and Harry's “incredibly fractured” relationship as their father is treated for cancer
It is likely that Harry will not see Princess Catherine, who is recovering from surgery, during his stay in London
“You have to take that as a sign of the state of their relationship. There is nothing in the diary that tells us they should meet while Harry is in the UK.”
“It also means Harry will not visit his sister-in-law, the Princess of Wales, who is unwell and who was once very close to him.”
Harry is unlikely to visit his brother's wife Kate as she recovers at home with her husband and three children – George, Charlotte and Louis – after recently undergoing abdominal surgery.
Of Harry's meeting with Charles, Ms Relph said: “This is a father and son who have seen very little of each other in the last four years.”
“The relationship was incredibly tense and complicated.
“It was important that Harry was here, it was important that the King wanted to see him.”
“Completely different when it comes to his brother, the Prince of Wales, Harry and William will not see each other.”
The Duke of Sussex was one of the first family members to visit Charles after his shock diagnosis was made public.
According to The Telegraph, another visit by Harry to his father is not out of the question, but it is understood that the Duke will not pay his older brother a visit during his stay in London.
Royal biographer Robert Hardman told Radio 4 that in times of crisis it was common for feuding families to “come together”.
Mr Hardman said: “In times of crisis, families come together and I think everyone will be happy to see that.”
“I think there is a sense of business as usual and that is a message the palace is trying to get out there, but if we see some bridges being built then that must be good.” Thing.'
Did Charles postpone his return flight from Buckingham Palace to Sandringham yesterday so he could spend a few more precious minutes with his youngest son?
The royal helicopter that picked up the king and queen circled Surrey for almost 13 minutes before arriving at Buckingham Palace.
Flight tracking records show the mauve Sikorsky S-76C of The King's Helicopter Flight flew two circuits around Surrey before heading into central London.
King Charles is seen with his youngest son Prince Harry in 1995, when the Duke of Sussex was still a child
King Charles is seen with his wife Queen Camilla as they depart by car from Clarence House in London yesterday
Princess Anne smiles as she speaks to military personnel during her visit to the Defense Explosive Ordnance Disposal Training Regiment at St George's Barracks today
It is possible that Princess Anne could help the king with some of his more public duties while he is being treated for cancer
Harry was seen leaving Clarence House at 3.31pm after spending just over 45 minutes with his father following news on Monday that the royal was battling cancer.
Charles, who had been in London for treatment, left Clarence House with Camilla just seven minutes later at 3.38pm to board the helicopter in the grounds of Buckingham Palace, suggesting their suitcases were already packed.
Royal historian Kelly Swaby told Radio 4 that a health crisis like Charles's was “always an opportunity for a ceasefire” following a family conflict.
“The reaction that the royal family is showing at the moment is, I think, the same in every family across the country.” A health scare – major health news is always a chance for a truce or a reassessment of a situation in someone's private life, therefore I think we should see Prince Harry's return to Britain as a sign that there may be a “truce for a while,” she said.
“A son comes back to visit his father, who has just received terrible news.”
However, biographer Ingrid Seward told GB News that Harry's return to London would be “unhelpful” and cause “problems”.
“My first reaction is: How unhelpful is this?” That’s not very nice of me. “I just thought that in this somewhat tense moment, you really don't need anyone getting involved in this mix, it's going to cause more problems than they can solve,” she said.
“Of course Harry wants to see his father and he hasn't argued with him despite what he said about the Queen.” Charles has remained very calm about this.
“But the royal family doesn't like dealing with these emotional issues and I think Harry will come here, he'll be perfectly nice to everyone, everyone will be perfectly nice to him, and then they'll just hope he's pretty will be back soon.'