Prince Harry’s regret as he’s halfway around the world in Royal Family’s hour of need

Princess Kate was unexpectedly admitted to hospital last week for abdominal surgery, while King Charles is to undergo a procedure on his prostate, leaving royal fans bereft

Harry and Meghan stepped down as senior royals in 2020 (
Image: GETTY)

Prince Harry is reportedly filled with “guilt and regret” as he’s halfway around the world when the Royal Family need him most.

It was unexpectedly announced last week that the Princess of Wales had undergone major abdominal surgery at a private hospital in London, and would be recovering for up to two weeks. Royal fans were dealt another blow when Buckingham Palace revealed King Charles would also be admitted to hospital to have a procedure on an enlarged prostate.

Harry, who lives thousands of miles away in Montecito, California, with wife Meghan Markle and their two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, was said to be deeply upset over his sister-in-law’s operation, and both he and Meghan sent their well wishes in a private message. The Prince has been estranged from Princess Kate, brother Prince William and father King Charles since the Sussexes took part in an explosive tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, and the rift was deepened when Harry released his memoir Spare last year.

Harry had a close bond with sister-in-law Princess Kate ( 
Image:
Getty Images)
It has been rumoured the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were planning on heading back to the UK this year in an effort to repair the fractured relationship they have with other senior members of the Royal Family, and Kate’s hospitalisation has put things into perspective for Harry. The Princess of Wales is due to spend 14 days recovering after major abdominal surgery, and 39-year-old Harry is feeling guilty and emotional for not being there for his family.

“Harry has been doing a lot of soul searching in the wake of this news, which caught him and Meghan totally off-guard and left them both in a state of shock,” a source told heat magazine. The Duke of Sussex is now “taking a huge step back” and “totally reassessing his feelings” towards his father Charles, big brother William, and sister-in-law Kate. “It’s stirred up a lot of guilt and regret,” the source added.

Harry is reportedly feeling ‘guilt’ over the estrangement with his family ( 
Image:
AFP/Getty Images)
As the monarch, 75, is also due to undergo a procedure on an enlarged prostate this week, Harry has been forced to look at “the bigger picture”, and he and Meghan have slowly realised they have “hurt a lot of people they really didn’t mean to” after they stepped down as senior royals in 2020. Harry’s explosive memoir Spare also rubbed salt in the wounds, as he discussed the infamous argument over bridesmaid dresses involving Princess Kate and Meghan, as well as a physical altercation with his brother William.

The father-of-two, who was recently given a controversial flying honour, feels “uncomfortable” at the thought of being considered as a “traitor” to the family, after he gave tell-all interviews following the wake of his and Meghan’s dramatic exit from the family. But the source claimed it was “up to Harry and Meghan” to make the first move and repair the damaged relationship between the warring royals.

News of the Princess of Wales’ hospitalisation has made Harry see that reuniting with his family and “proactively mending bridges” is the way forward, rather than adding more drama to the tense relationship he has with his estranged relatives. “They’re still hoping it’s not too late,” the source added.