Less than 24 hours after the palace announced that King Charles III recently received a diagnosis of cancer, his younger son Prince Harry has arrived at Clarence House, the king’s London residence. Harry—who has been in touch with his father since the king celebrated his birthday in November—heard about the news before it became public and flew out of LAX Monday.
The king and Queen Camilla reportedly shared the news with Harry, Prince William, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, and Prince Edward, along with a handful of government ministers after he was diagnosed early last week. The cancer was discovered after the king’s January 26 procedure to treat benign prostate enlargement revealed further issues. The palace has declined to share further information on the type of malignancy, but Vanity Fair can confirm that the king is not suffering from prostate cancer.
In an interview with BBC Radio 5, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shared further details about the king’s condition. “Thankfully, this has been caught early,” he said, adding that he would “continue to communicate with him as normal.”
Sunak also wished the king well. “He’ll just be in our thoughts and our prayers. Many families around the country listening to this will have been touched by the same thing and they know what it means to everyone,” the prime minister said. “So we’ll just be willing him on, and hopefully we get through this as quickly as possible.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who participated in the king’s coronation ceremony last May, shared his reaction to the diagnosis on social media. “I’m praying for the King and his family—for God’s comfort and strength in the weeks and months to come,” he said. “I wish His Majesty a swift and full recovery.
Well-wishes also came from across the pond. In a statement, President Joe Biden also commented on the king’s diagnosis. “Navigating a cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship takes hope and absolute courage,” it read. “Jill and I join the people of the United Kingdom in praying that His Majesty experiences a swift and full recovery.”
A royal source told Vanity Fair that the king was recovering from his recent procedure at Sandringham when he received the news. “He was recuperating well, albeit a little impatiently, he was very eager to get back to work,” the source said. “The cancer diagnosis has come as a pretty major shock for the king and everyone in the family. But the monarch is under the best possible health care, and hopefully they have caught the cancer early.”