Prince Harry has returned to the United States after seeing King Charles in the United Kingdom for one day.
The Duke of Sussex, 39, returned to California after a quick journey to meet his father following the King’s cancer diagnosis, which was revealed earlier this week.
Prince Harry was pictured leaving London’s Heathrow Airport on Wednesday, after spending almost 24 hours in his native nation.
Harry traveled to the United Kingdom without his wife Meghan Markle and their children, Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2. Following their retirement from royal duties in 2020, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex resided in her home state of California.
Prince Harry landed in the UK on Tuesday after flying from Los Angeles on Monday. He traveled to Clarence House, King Charles and Queen Camilla’s home base in London, where the father and son reportedly had a brief private encounter, reuniting for the first time since their coronation ceremony in May 2023.
“That is good,” a source close to the royal household tells PEOPLE exclusively in this week’s cover story. “Hopefully [Harry] will bring the grandchildren at some point too, as that would be lovely for all of them.”
King Charles, 75, notified his sons, Prince Harry and Prince William, and other family members about his diagnosis prior to the public announcement by Buckingham Palace. On Monday, the palace issued a 138-word statement informing the public that the monarch is being treated for “a form of cancer.”
King Charles was diagnosed with cancer shortly after undergoing surgery to address a benign enlarged prostate on January 26. He departed the London Clinic one week later after a three-day stay. However, the palace confirmed that Prince does not have prostate cancer.
King Charles began outpatient therapy in London on Monday and visited with Prince Harry the following day. After the meeting, the King and Queen Camilla went to Sandringham, where they spent Queen Elizabeth’s Accession Day on February 6th, as their mother had done previously.
Prince Harry made his second solo trip to London in five months. In September 2023, Prince Harry came from California to attend the WellChild Awards in London. The charity strives to help chronically ill children and their families, and the yearly awards recognize the remarkable qualities of both the young people and those who look after them. Harry has been a patron of WellChild since 2007, and it is one of the few royal affiliations he has kept after retiring in 2020.
According to Hello! magazine, Prince Harry informed one family that his wife was “very upset that she couldn’t be here,” despite attending the event alone.
Last spring, the Duke of Sussex visited London alone to see his father’s coronation at Westminster Abbey on May 6. He left for the airport shortly after the coronation and returned home on his son Prince Archie’s fourth birthday.
During Prince Harry’s current visit, a royal insider stated that there were “no plans” for the Duke of Sussex and his brother, Prince William, to meet.
It is unclear where Harry slept overnight, but he and Meghan were “requested to vacate” their Frogmore Cottage house in Windsor in March 2023, three years after arriving to the United States, according to a spokesman at the time.
On Wednesday, Prince William made his first public appearances since Kate Middleton returned home from the hospital after stomach surgery. Buckingham Palace announced the King’s health. William has taken time off from royal duties to care for his three children: Prince George (10), Princess Charlotte (8), and Prince Louis (5), while his wife, Princess Kate, recovers. The Princess of Wales, 42, is not anticipated to return to public life until at least Easter, Kensington Palace has previously stated.