Prince Harry Being Accused of Causing King's Cancer Sparks Fury

Prince Harry being blamed for King Charles III's cancer diagnosis is the "lowest of the low," according to biographer Omid Scobie.

The Duke of Sussex flew an 11,000-mile round trip to Britain to see his father for just 30 minutes last week after Buckingham Palace revealed Charles had begun treatment for cancer.

Victoria Mather, former Vanity Fair travel editor until 2018, was interviewed on U.K. radio station LBC where she said: "What I do know and what is a fact is that stress is a huge cause of cancer.

"It's the cause that's never talked about, it's the elephant in the room—stress. And I speak as someone who survived cancer and mine was definitely caused by stress.

"We cannot possibly say that the king has not been stressed by events like Megxit. So, I think that Prince Harry has to look at his part in this."

Megxit is a combination of the words "Meghan" and "exit" and a play on the term Brexit, when the U.K. voted to leave the Eueopean Union.

Cancer Research U.K., which had Queen Elizabeth II as a patron, says on its website: "Stress does not directly increase cancer risk. But it can be harder for some people to keep healthy during stressful times, which can lead to an increased risk of cancer."

Mather's comments triggered a backlash after a clip was shared on social media in a post viewed more than 626,000 times and liked 362 times.

Scobie, author of royal book Endgame, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The lowest of the low. Wasn't this the same royal 'expert' who got yanked off air during a live MSNBC broadcast after using a slur about Meghan?"

Former British journalist Lorraine King wrote: "Tomorrow she'll blame Harry and Meghan for global warming."

Mather sparked a social media backlash previously during a guest appearance on MSNBC when she compared Meghan to "trailer trash."

She said: "I think what has really, really upset the British public is that Meghan Markle, who many people consider as only, you know, five clicks up from trailer trash, has actually tried to disrespect the queen.

"And the queen is the most respected person, most respected woman, in the world."

Host Lindsey Reiser appeared taken aback at the phrase "trailer trash" and cut across Mather to end the interview promptly after the comment.

Charles was admitted to The London Clinic for a procedure on an enlarged prostate in January, when doctors picked up a second issue and began an additional investigation.

This led to him being diagnosed with cancer and beginning regular treatment on Monday, February 5.

Buckingham Palace has pulled his upcoming public engagements while he takes time out of front-line duties to focus on his treatment, however, he is continuing with his state duties.

This includes core constitutional functions, such as giving royal assent to new legislation so that it can pass into law, and means there will be no need for other royals to be called up to act as king in their capacity as counsellors of state.

It comes at a time when Prince William has taken time out of work to help Kate Middleton recover from abdominal surgery on January 16.

Jack Royston is Newsweek's chief royal correspondent based in London. You can find him on X, formerly Twitter, at @jack_royston and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.