He was briefly reunited with his dad King Charles for the first time in 17 months after learning the news the monarch is undergoing treatment for cancer, and Prince Harry has been “completely floored” by the diagnosis. Now, his shock has turned in to anger and his patience has run thin, leading to an exchange of heated words with his wife Meghan Markle.
“Harry immediately flung into crisis mode – booking his flight to the UK just minutes after receiving the phone call,” an insider says.
“He went from being in a state of shock to feeling incredibly angry which led to a tense conversation between him and Meghan as he took his upset and anger out on her.”
After the King, 75, broke the news to his youngest son in an emotional phone call, the Duke, 39, flew from Los Angeles to London for the meeting, which lasted a little over half an hour.
Harry travelled to the UK alone, leaving the Duchess of Sussex, 42, and their children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, at home in California. The meeting, which took place in Clarence House, has raised hopes that the King’s illness may start to heal the rift between them.

Soon after the meet up, Charles, looking fresh-faced and cheerful despite starting treatment for his unspecified cancer in hospital, was driven to Buckingham Palace. He then left by helicopter for Sandringham, his Norfolk estate, with Queen Camilla.
The insider explains that Harry learning about his father’s diagnosis – which came after doctors discovered an ‘issue of concern’ while he was having surgery last month for an enlarged prostate, which is itself benign – has “put everything in perspective”.
“It made Harry realise how menial all this bickering has been. He immediately said how it shone a light on how frivolous all this fighting had been and ultimately, how much he loves his father and wants to be by his side,” they say. “He went into a head spin – questioning whether all the stress and upset he’s caused over the last few years could have contributed to his father’s declining health – admitting that even though it may seem silly, he couldn’t help but feel a huge sense of guilt.”
Relations between Harry and King Charles have been fraught since Harry’s allegations against his family in an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, and, in the months after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, his Netflix documentary Harry & Meghan and his memoir, Spare, which was released in January 2023.
There were accusations of racism in relation to his son Archie’s skin tone before he was born. Fuel was added to the fire at the end of 2023, when early copies of a Dutch version of royal author Omid Scobie’s book Endgame: Inside the Royal Family and the Monarchy’s Fight for Survival named the Princess of Wales and King Charles as two senior members of the British royal family alleged to have discussed the skin colour of Harry and Meghan’s unborn son.

Harry also claimed his father was jealous of Meghan and Kate and said he did not hug him when he told him his mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, had died when Harry was just 12 years old. Harry also said he believed the king was “never made” for single parenthood but that “to be fair, he tried”.
In Spare, Harry also accused Camilla, Queen Consort of leaking stories about him and Prince William to gain favourable press and claimed that he and his older brother once pleaded with Charles not to marry her. And he revealed private conversations he had with Charles and William during a walk in gardens of Frogmore Cottage, hours after the funeral of the Duke of Edinburgh, he wrote that his father pleaded, “Please boys, don’t make my final years a misery.”
But recently, Harry – who last visited the UK for his dad’s Coronation last May without Meghan and the children – was seen to be making steps towards a reconciliation with his family.
In November, he called his dad to send 75th birthday wishes and two weeks ago, he sent his sister-in-law Princess of Wales, Kate a get well message during her recent hospital stint following abdominal surgery. Our insider says he would like to reconcile as he’s feeling ‘isolated’ and tensions have been rising between him and Meghan.

The source explains, “It’s no secret how unhappy Harry’s been in California and has struggled to carve out a life for himself – with barely any friends to lean on and an estranged family which has made him feel extremely isolated and lonely. 
“It’s made him harbour a lot of built-up resentment towards Meghan which manifested as he prepared to leave for England and caused a lot of bickering between them which led to him leaving on bad terms.
“He insisted on going alone as he just wants to spend time with his father without bringing any more unnecessary stress, which Meghan of course understood, despite feeling very cut-off and disconnected from him and the situation.  

They continued, “Harry’s arrival in the UK sparked more bickering. Meghan’s terrified that he’s going to be dragged back into the fold and his resentment towards her will heighten as he spends more time there, which is understandably causing her to panic and spiral. It’s been said the Duke did not be visiting his brother, the Prince of Wales, with aides clear that there was “no plan” for a reunion. 
“Harry could well be jetting back and forth in the coming months and it’s already putting tension on their marriage which will only worsen as time goes on,” the source says.
“It’s clear that they are both in a very difficult place right now and while Meghan is trying to support Harry, he’s acting very distant right now and she feels like he’s shutting her off, which is very unnerving.”