The Sussexes at an Invictus Games training camp in Whistler, Canada. Photo / Getty Images
The Sussexes at an Invictus Games training camp in Whistler, Canada. Photo / Getty Images
The Duke of Sussex discussed his family, father and the chance of royal reconciliation in an exclusive interview with ABC’s Good Morning America.
Prince Harry revealed how he felt after his recent visit to see King Charles, 75, who has been diagnosed with cancer.
The Duke of Sussex also discussedhis charity work. The interview was unexpected, being announced by the show only yesterday.
Though usually residing in Montecito, California, the interview took place in Whistler, Canada, with the duke clad in a puffer jacket and beanie as they spoke outside a ski resort, with the duke there for an Invictus Games event, which he discussed at length in the interview. Wife Megan Markle was alongside him.
One of the most significant revelations came when the duke discussed his father, the first time he’s spoken publicly about King Charles’ recent cancer diagnosis, and comes in the wake of his whistlestop visit home to the UK to see the monarch.
Prince Harry on a visit to London in 2023. Photo / Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP
“I love my family. And the fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see [my father] and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that,” he told interviewer Will Reeve, whose father was Christopher Reeve, and spoke of his own experience with the late actor’s tragic paralysis.
“I’ve also found in my own life that sort of an illness in the family can have a galvanising or a sort of reunifying effect for a family. Is that possible in this case?” Reeve asked.
“I think any illness, any sickness brings families together. I see it time and time again,” agreed the duke.
King Charles’ cancer diagnosis was publicly announced at the beginning of February, with Buckingham Palace also revealing the King would suspend public-facing royal duties while he received treatment.
The duke, who visited the UK for 24 hours and spent 45 minutes at Clarence House with his father, revealed to Reeve that his recent visit — thought to be their first meeting since 2022 — wasn’t an isolated event. “I have got other trips planned that would take me through the UK or back to the UK. I will stop in and see my family as much as I can.”
And while he would be visiting the UK, he revealed he loved living in the US — even that he had considered becoming a US citizen — and shared an update on his own family life, with wife Megan and children Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2. “The kids are doing great. The kids are growing up like all kids do, very very fast. They have both got an incredible sense of humour and make us laugh and keep us grounded every single day, like most kids do. So I’m just very grateful to be a dad.”
The relationship between the duke, 39, and his family has been fraught for years. Things came to a head, at least publicly, last year with the “racist royals” media coverage, in redacted names from the duke’s autobiography were accidentally published in the Dutch edition.
Though there were questions at the time, including on NZ Herald’s own Front Page podcast, about whether the relationship was irreversible, the duke’s recent return to the United Kingdom and this weekend’s public statements about reconciliation suggest bonds may yet be repaired.
