King Charles thrilled Prince Harry is back as royal; Harry urged to ‘build bridges’ with William: expert

Royal watchers are hoping for a reconciliation between two battling brothers.

Hours after King Charles III went public with his cancer diagnosis, his younger sonPrince Harryarrived to be by his side. A source in the U.K. told Fox News Digital Tuesday the Duke of Sussex was spotted entering Clarence House, the king’s London residence.

His wife Meghan Markle stayed behind in California with their two children, Prince Archieand Princess Lilibet.

“Sometimes it takes a crisis like this to bring families together, and, in that sense, the royal family is no different from any other,” Andersen explained. “I do think this is a moment when real progress can be made in bridging the gap between Harry and the rest of the royals. We will have to wait and see whether they seize that opportunity or are simply unwilling to budge.

“Both sides are pretty well entrenched at this stage,” Andersen shared. “There’s a lot of bad blood. … These people are rather pig-headed, very strong-willed and not inclined to compromise. But, then again, Harry will … certainly want to lend his support to the king in any way you can.”

Royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News Digital he believes Harry “will try to build bridges” with his father and brother.

However,British royals expert Hilary Fordwichclaimed to Fox News Digital that “William is not meeting with Harry, albeit Harry would like to meet.”

“Reconciliation, at least from King Charles, is possible,” said Fordwich. “He is a loving father and has expressed sorrow regarding their relationship. William is another matter entirely. From what we know, William will most certainly put duty above everything else. … He has been tutored his entire life for this role.”

“The King is grateful to his medical team for their swift intervention, which was made possible thanks to hisrecent hospital procedure. He remains wholly positive about his treatment and looks forward to returning to full public duty as soon as possible.”

On Monday, a source told Fox News Digital the Duke of Sussex, 39, had previous communication with his father, 75, before the news of his illness went public.

“The duke did speak with his father about his diagnosis,” the source confirmed.

In 2020,the Duke and Duchess of Sussexstepped back as senior royals and moved to California. At the time, they alleged palace officials were insensitive to Markle’s mental health struggles as she attempted to navigate royal life. The couple also claimed the duchess faced racist attitudes from the U.K. press, which contributed to their decision to leave the country.

Following their departure, the couple aired their complaints about life as royals. In 2021, they sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an interview that was viewed by 50 million people globally. After releasing a six-part docuseries on Netflix in 2022,Harry’s memoir “Spare”hit bookshelves in 2023, quickly becoming a bestseller.

The relationship between the brothers, which was strained by the time Harry made his exit, worsened when he publicly detailed his grievances. Harry also discussed his sibling rivalry in his bestselling book.

“It would be nice to think that a reconciliation is possible, given the current circumstances,” said Andersen. “You could look at this situation and say, ‘Wow, if this doesn’t bring them back together, nothing will.’”

Andersen claimed there is a “real, deep-seated animosity” between the brothers that will take time to heal.

“William would probably rather just deal with things on his own and not have the obvious distraction of having to cope with Harry,” said Andersen. “Ongoing grudges aside, Harry knows better than anyone what tremendous pressure his brother is under. … It might seem that the weight of the world ison William’s shoulders.”

“His Majesty is doing quite well,” a royal source told Fox News Digital.

Charles, who ascended the throne 16 months ago, was diagnosed with the benign condition on Jan. 17 after he experienced undisclosed symptoms. He canceled engagements and was urged to rest ahead of the procedure.

The London Clinic private hospital is the same center where Charles’ daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton, was admitted for planned abdominal surgery.

On Jan. 17, the palace revealed the Princess of Wales underwent “planned abdominal surgery” at The London Clinic the previous day.

“The surgery was successful, and it is expected that she will remain in hospital for 10 to 14 days before returning home to continue her recovery,” a palace statement said at the time. “Based on the current medical advice, she is unlikely to return to public duties until after Easter.”

Kensington Palace recently revealed the mother of three had gone home to “continue her recovery from surgery,” noting she is “making good progress.” William had taken time off from his royal duties to support his wife and help look after their three young children.

“Prince William is already concerned for his wife’s well-being and will now be upset and concerned for his father’s well-being,” royal broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard told Fox News Digital.

“On top of these human feelings, he has an extended royal workload,” said Chard. “Prince William understandably does not trust his brother, and without NDAs in place, I cannot see them talking.”

Still, Chard stressed, there is always hope.

“[This] is the biggest opportunity for Prince William and Prince Harry to set some time aside to speak,” she explained. “I do hope … that they both see this as an opportunity to work towards mediation, even if it is one building block at a time. I also hope that Prince Harry has a change of heart … and shows more kindness towards his family. A family upset should be detangled slightly during an illness crisis.”