Harry spends night at London hotel as King Charles rests following cancer treatment

Prince Harry stayed in a London hotel last night after he flew from California to see his father for a brief 45-minute meeting after his cancer diagnosis.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex vacated Frogmore Cottage in Windsor last year and now reportedly need a “formal invitation” to be able to stay with the royals on “protected property”.

Harry arrived in the UK yesterday after his father personally called to tell him about his cancer diagnosis. He was seen arriving at Clarence House at around 2:42pm to see the King before Charles and Queen Camilla were seen leaving for Sandringham less than an hour later.

There are currently “no plans” in place for Harry to see his brother Prince William during his visit, which is not expected to last long. Instead of staying in one of the royal residences, sources told the Mail Online that the Duke opted to stay in a central London hotel.

Charles has postponed all public-facing royal duties as he undergoes cancer treatment, but is continuing with behind-the-scenes work on his red boxes of state papers.

The reason why King Charles and Prince Harry’s first face-to-face meeting in more than a year was so short has been revealed.

The Duke of Sussex flew to the UK from California on Tuesday to see his father following his cancer diagnosis. According to several sources, the meeting was very brief lasted between 30 and 45 minutes.

Sunday Times Royal Editor Roya Nikkhah revealed that the reason behind this could be down to the King’s health.

Appearing on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Ms Nikkhah said: “The King was very tired after the procedure he had had the day before.

“I’m sure Harry would have loved to have spent more time with him, but he’s probably quite respectful of his dad going through his treatment.”

The Prince of Wales is set to return to royal duties today for the first time since his wife underwent abdominal surgery and his father was diagnosed with cancer.

Prince William will perform an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle on Wednesday before attending a gala fundraising dinner for London’s Air Ambulance Charity in the evening.

The future King stepped back from his role three weeks ago to care for the Princess of Wales after she spent 13 days in hospital recovering from her procedure.

It is expected that the father-of-three will take on some duties from King Charles in the coming weeks as he postpones public engagements while undergoing regular cancer treatment.

Prince William is reportedly focusing on looking after his wife as he returns to work following his father’s cancer diagnosis – with no plans to meet his brother Prince Harry during his flying visit to the UK.

In January, the Princess of Wales spent 13 days in a private London hospital recovering from an abdominal surgery and is not expected to return to work until after Easter.

William is set to return to official royal duties today and take on some of the King’s engagements while he undergoes regular cancer treatment. But sources say he is prioritising Kate and their three children.

A source told the Daily Mail: “The Prince has always made clear that his priority is to support his wife and family for the time being – and he did not put a timescale on that.

“He will make a return to duties on Wednesday but you should not expect to see him again for a bit after that.”

It comes as other inside sources have reported that there is “nothing in the diary” for the future King to see his brother the Duke of Sussex after he flew from California to see his father in a short 45-minute meeting.

A source close to William told The Times that there were “no plans” for the future king to meet Harry and royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams said the relationship between the brothers showed “no signs of thawing”.

Prince Harry’s return to the UK to see his ailing father King Charles has dominated the headlines of the British dailies after the major health scare to the royals.

The Telegraph called it “Harry’s dash to see father” while Metro said “King’s cancer shock brings reunion”.

The Express said “Harry’s show of love cheers King” with front page pictures of the first images of the King and the Queen, looking out from their car, since the cancer diagnosis.

The Mirror said the pictures showed the “Brave face of the King”.

The King is said to be in his “usual good form” and “coping magnificently” after his recent hospital procedure for benign prostate enlargement and subsequent news of cancer diagnosis.

However, he is understood to be a “little frustrated” that his diagnosis has affected both his plans and those of the people around him.

King Charles was pictured for the first time as he smiled to the cameras from inside his car, wearing a suit with a purple tie, after his diagnosis of an unspecified cancer.

He flew to Sandringham in Norfolk along with the Queen where he met his youngest son Prince Harry for about 45 minutes.

A Palace source told The Times separately that the King was tired from a procedure the previous day.

“If you didn’t know what was the matter, you wouldn’t have any idea that he had any condition at all,” they said, adding that both the King and Queen were “coping magnificently”.

The Princess Royal has handed out honours at Windsor Castle as she continues with her royal duties the day after the King’s shock cancer diagnosis.

Anne is the first member of the family to perform royal duties since the news was made public on Monday evening.

When it was announced Charles was due to undergo treatment for an enlarged prostate several weeks ago, Anne proved once again she was a reliable member of the family, taking on investiture ceremonies and continuing her royal visits.