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Prince Harry speaks for the first time about King’s cancer diagnosis

The Duke of Sussex has told US TV that he “jumped on a plane” as soon as possible to see King Charles after his father was diagnosed with cancer.

In an interview with ABC News, Prince Harry said he was “grateful” for the time with his father during their brief meeting in London.

But he would not be drawn on the outlook for the King’s condition, saying that “stays between me and him”.

Prince Harry also said he had “considered” taking US citizenship.

He said he loved “every single day” of living in the US – but he hesitated when asked whether he “felt American”.

Asked about becoming a US citizen, he said: “I have considered it, yes.”

“American citizenship is a thought that has crossed my mind, but certainly it is not a high priority right now,” he said.

The prince, in Canada to promote the Invictus Games, told ABC’s Good Morning America that “I love my family” and agreed that families could be brought closer by such health concerns.

“Throughout all these families I see it on a day-to-day basis – the strength of the family unit coming together,” he said. “Any illness, any sickness, brings families together,” he said.

There would be more visits to the UK, he suggested, saying: “I’ll stop in and see my family as much as I can.”

In 2020, the prince moved to the US with his wife, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, after they stepped down from being “working royals”.

He spoke warmly of his life in California, where he lives with his wife Meghan, and said that their children’s sense of humour kept them “grounded”.

Prince Harry was speaking in his first interview since the King postponed his public engagements because of his cancer diagnosis.

Harry visited his father in London after news of the diagnosis was made public in a flying visit that lasted only one night. Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, did not join him on the trip.

But there was no meeting with his brother, the Prince of Wales after Harry spent about 45 minutes at Clarence House seeing King Charles.

King Charles has paused all public-facing duties while he receives treatment, with senior royals – including Queen Camilla and the Prince of Wales – taking on his duties for some events.

Getty Images Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex (L) and Britain's Prince William, Duke of Cambridge attend the unveiling of a statue of their mother, Princess Diana at The Sunken Garden in Kensington Palace, London on July 1, 2021Getty Images: Royal Family tensions are more between brothers William and Harry than they are with their father

The Good Morning America interview comes after the couple also relaunched their Archewell website, the name of their foundation.

It has been rebranded the Office of Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

On Wednesday, the couple visited the training camp for the 2025 Invictus Games in Whistler, British Columbia.

The international games, founded by Prince Harry, are for wounded and injured servicemen and women and next year’s event in Canada will be the first such winter games.

Prince Harry tried his hand at a sit-ski, an event featured in the Paralympics which will be in next year’s Invictus Games for the first time.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace has confirmed the Prince of Wales will be attending the Bafta Film Awards in London on Sunday.

For Prince William, president of Bafta, this will be the second day of royal engagements since the King’s unspecified cancer diagnosis and his wife’s operation.

The Princess of Wales had abdominal surgery on 16 January and has since returned to Adelaide Cottage, Windsor, where she lives with the couple’s three children.

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