Prince Harry’s dash back to US a ‘strategic move’ for King Charles

Prince Harry made a dash to meet his ailing father, King Charles, after he personally received a phone call from the monarch about his cancer diagnosis.

The Duke of Sussex took a 11-hour flight from California to London and was whisked away to meet his father at Clarence House. The father and son reportedly had an intense 45-minute meeting, and in less than 24 hours, Harry was back on a plane to head home.

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While it was speculated that Harry might be staying a little longer, it seems that Harry’s departure from the UK was strategically planned to avoid any more rumours about King Charles health.

Pauline Maclaran, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Research in the School of Management at Royal Holloway University brought these views to Express.co.uk.

“Firstly, Harry will want to get back to his family but also were he to make this a longer visit, people would start to worry about the seriousness of King Charles's diagnosis,” she said of the visit.

“At the moment, people are getting assurance, with Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saying the King's cancer has been found early.”

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Prince Harry, who doesn’t have a base in UK anymore after being evicted from Frogmore Cottage last year, was seen all smiles as he reached Heathrow airport on Wednesday to depart for US, back to his wife Meghan Markle and two kids, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.