Prince Harry Faces King Charles Cancer Quandary

Prince Harry will face criticism both if he does or does not make a comment about his father, King Charles III's, cancer diagnosis during a three-day visit to Canada marking one year until the 2025 Invictus Games, a new episode of Newsweek's The Royal Report Podcast has heard.

Harry is visiting Vancouver from February 14 to 16 alongside Meghan Markle for a series of events celebrating the upcoming games, which he co-founded in 2014 as a platform for injured veterans to showcase their mental and physical rehabilitation.

The visit marks the prince's first major public appearance since he made a flying visit to Britain earlier this month to visit King Charles after Buckingham Palace announced that the monarch had been diagnosed with a form of cancer and was undergoing a program of treatment.

The prince's visit with his father is reported to have lasted between 30 to 45 minutes. Despite this he has not yet made any comment about the medical news in public.

As the prince begins his three-day visit to Canada, royal watchers and members of the media will likely be watching closely for any reference made by Harry in speeches or meetings with well-wishers regarding his father's condition.

However, chief royal correspondent Jack Royston told Royal Report listeners that the controversially viewed prince would likely be damned if he did make some comment and damned if he didn't by the media.

"It's really hard to imagine a better, safer setting for him to make this kind of public comment," Royston said of the Invictus events, noting that timing-wise it would also avoid any perceived frictions with Prince William.

"William has now also spoken publicly about their father's diagnosis, which removes another kind of potential sensitivity," he said. "He might been accused of disrespect for kind of cutting in line before the next in line to the throne, for those who are true believers in the royal pecking order. So, a lot of those reasons not to do it have been removed, which could potentially pave the way for him to say something reconciliatory about Charles."

Tensions within the royal family have become an increased subject of public fascination since the publication of Harry's memoir, Spare, in January 2023, which presented a "raw" and "unflinching" account of his life so far.

This account included critical revelations about family members, namely Queen Camilla and Prince William, but also a reflection on Charles as a parent, notably revealing that Harry wasn't offered a hug when his father told him Princess Diana had died.

In interviews promoting the book, Harry said he hadn't intended to hurt any of his family members with what he had written. Charles and the extended royal family did not comment on the memoir or its claims, in line with a blanket "no comment" position taken by Buckingham Palace.

With the fallout from Spare came increased criticism of Harry from the media, something that Royston suggests will present an obstacle for the prince making any comment on his father's current condition.

"My gut feeling is he probably won't [say anything]," he said. "He'll probably still play it safe unless he's asked a direct question by a journalist. But you know, I think it'd be welcomed if you did say something.

"Doubtless he'll be criticized in the media if he doesn't, and he would also be criticized in the media if he does. That just comes with the territory. But I still think kind words are always a good thing, as long as he keeps it reasonably safe in what he says."

James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith 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.