Prince Harry's royal return unlikely as Prince William simmers 'with rage': expert

If Prince Harry is determined to offer King Charles III a helping hand, he will need to face his brother first, according to one royal expert.

Sources recently told The Times U.K. that the Duke of Sussex is willing to support his father amid his cancer diagnosis by taking a temporary royal role. However, Christopher Andersen, author of "The King," told Fox News Digital that it’s unlikely that Prince William, who is heir to the British throne, would accept the offer.

"Harry is very concerned about his father’s health," Andersen said. "If it were up to Harry, he would almost certainly pitch in, even if it meant keeping an arm’s length away from William, who is still simmering with rage over Harry’s conduct."

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"Harry wants to do right by his father," Andersen shared. "He wants to pitch in and lend a hand. That’s his nature. But regardless of how noble Harry’s intentions may be, his rejoining the royal family in any capacity would inevitably stir things up all over again."

"The British public, which has soured on Harry and [his wife] Meghan in recent years, would be divided over whether he should even be allowed to pick up where he left off," Andersen continued. "There would be headlines in the tabloids, intense scrutiny of Harry’s every move and endless speculation concerning Meghan’s role. … And let’s be honest, Harry’s stunning recent admission that he is considering becoming a U.S. citizen hardly inspires confidence in what his future might be as a … member of the royal family."

Harry arrived from California less than 48 hours after Buckingham Palace announced on Feb. 5 that the king had cancer. The visit between the monarch and his younger son at Clarence House was brief, as Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla, were seen leaving about an hour later.

According to The Times, Harry and his father shared "warm exchanges" during their 45-minute meeting. One insider alleged that Charles would want his younger son to step back into royal duties as it would "benefit the institution."

Reportedly, Harry and his older brother didn’t meet and there were no plans to do so.

"There’s one huge obstacle in Harry’s way, and that’s Prince William," Kinsey Schofield, host of the "To Di For Daily" podcast, told Fox News Digital. "Harry will not be allowed to return in any capacity if Prince William has any influence over the situation. William understands that Harry and Meghan don’t properly consider the consequences and aren’t trustworthy."

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"They are a liability to the family," she added.

Harry has had a troubled relationship with his family since he quit royal duties in 2020 and moved to California with his wife, citing what they said were the unbearable intrusions and racist attitudes of the British media. He showed up alone for his father’s coronation in May but left as soon as the ceremony ended to return to the U.S. for his son’s birthday.

Following their departure as senior royals, Harry and his wife aired their complaints about life as royals. In 2021, they sat down with Oprah Winfrey for an interview that was viewed by 50 million people globally. After releasing a six-part docuseries on Netflix in 2022, Harry’s memoir, "Spare," hit bookshelves in 2023, quickly becoming a bestseller.

The relationship between William and Harry, which was strained by the time Harry made his exit, worsened when he publicly detailed his grievances. Harry also discussed his sibling rivalry in his memoir.

"Prince William has his own private turmoil," royal broadcaster and photographer Helena Chard alleged to Fox News Digital. "He knows his brother well and certainly won’t allow him to breeze back into the family as he doesn’t trust him. Prince William is also hugely protective of [his wife] Catherine, the Princess of Wales, and will not let anything interfere with her recuperation."

"I don’t believe Prince Harry is truly interested in supporting the British royal family, but his currency is the royal family," she said. "It’s in his interest to keep associated with them. The British monarchy continues to represent continuity, stability and pride. I feel Prince Harry must redeem himself in the eyes of the royal family and the public if he hopes for true reconciliation."

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Harry’s reported decision also came about as the Princess of Wales is still recovering from abdominal surgery, the palace insider told the outlet.

Chard pointed out that while the king’s diagnosis may have rocked the palace, his recovery is going smoothly. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak recently told BBC Radio that the cancer was caught early and the 75-year-old "will crack on" with his constitutional duties. The king suspended public engagements but will continue with state business, including weekly meetings with Sunak. He also won’t be handing over any constitutional roles as head of state.

The king and his wife, Queen Camilla, have also been spotted attending Sunday service together and greeting well-wishers.

"We are not in a constitutional crisis," said Chard. "The focus needs to remain on the king and his well-being. His condition is manageable, and the good news is he is keeping visible to the public."

Andersen also revealed that it’s not just William that Harry should be concerned about. There are also the "men in gray," as Princess Diana once labeled them, the "powerful" palace advisers who "run the monarchy behind the scenes."

"They’re the string-pulling puppet-master bureaucrats who Diana complained about bitterly and who even moved Queen Elizabeth around as if she were a chessboard," Andersen said. "These shadowy figures are telling the king essentially that Harry and Meghan made their bed, and now they’ll have to lie on it, that the Sussexes opted out of the royal family and then betrayed it with their bombshell Oprah interview and Harry’s tell-all memoir."

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"The thinking behind palace walls has always been: ‘One must follow the rules,’" Andersen continued. "That’s how Queen Elizabeth handled Megxit – either you’re all in or you’re all out. She was fairly brutal, as you will recall, stripping Harry of his royal patronages and his cherished ceremonial military titles and uniforms. You also have to look at things from the king’s perspective. The royal family sees Harry and Meghan in the rearview mirror. The Sussexes are no longer top-of-mind. Camilla believes the king needs things to be calm while he battles cancer. And for the moment, they are… King Charles simply doesn’t need the aggravation, at least not now."

Andersen noted that Harry "still has a long, long way" to go if he wants to resume any kind of royal duties and earn the palace’s trust again.

A spokesperson for the Duke of Sussex didn’t immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment concerning the report from The Times.

Harry recently gave an interview to "Good Morning America" while he was visiting Canada for the Invictus Games Vancouver Whistler 2025’s One Year to Go celebration.

Harry wouldn’t reveal any details about his father’s prognosis.

"That is between me and him," he said.

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Harry said that he immediately arranged to go to London after his father called to tell him he had cancer.

"I jumped on a plane and went to go see him as soon as I could," he told the morning news program. "I love my family. The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go see and spend any time with him, I’m grateful for that."

Asked if the illness could help reunify his family, Harry said, "Yeah, I’m sure." He said he has witnessed that type of galvanizing effect among the wounded service members who compete in the games the prince founded in 2014.

"Throughout all these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis," he said. "You know, again, the strength of the family unit coming together."

Fox News Digital's Emily Trainham and The Associated Press contributed to this report.