Prince Harry Tells ‘GMA’ That King Charles’ Cancer Diagnosis Can Reunite His Fractured Family: “I Think Any Illness, Any Sickness, Brings Families Together”

By Samantha Nungesser Twitter @samjnungesser
Published Feb. 16, 2024, 9:59 a.m. ET

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Prince Harry is optimistic that King Charles III‘s cancer diagnosis can help mend his fractured family. In a new interview with Good Morning America, the Duke of Sussex said he was “grateful” he was able to visit his father after the news of his illness was announced to the public.

While touring the site of the 2025 Invictus Games, Harry opened up to ABC News‘ Will Reeve about his recent trip back to London, which came shortly after Buckingham Palace said doctors found “a form of cancer” in the King during a separate medical procedure for a benign prostate enlargement.

“I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could,” Harry said, per ABC News. “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.”

When asked for his “outlook” on his father’s health, Harry declined to comment further, telling the journalist, “That stays between me and him.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle
Photo: Everett Collection

However, the bestselling author did confirm that the King’s diagnosis can help bring his family back together.

“Throughout all of these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis — again, the strength of the family unit coming together,” Harry said, referring to the families of Invictus athletes. “So, yeah, I think any illness, any sickness, brings families together. I see it time and time again, and that makes me very happy.”

While his visit was short, Harry — who reportedly hadn’t seen his father since his coronation last May — said he has plans to return to London in the future.

“I have my own family, like we all do. My family and my life in California is how it is,” he said. “I’ve got other trips planned that will take me through the U.K., or back to the U.K., and so I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can.”

Harry’s remarks came more than a year after he dropped his bombshell memoir Spare, in which he candidly detailed the tension in his family that ultimately prompted him and wife Meghan Markle to walk away from their roles as working royals.

Good Morning America airs on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. on ABC.