Prince Harry says King Charles III's cancer diagnosis could bring the royal family closer together

• Prince Harry opened up about King Charles III's cancer diagnosis publicly for the first time.
• He spoke about his father's diagnosis and his recent visit to see him on "Good Morning America."

Prince Harry publicly discussed King Charles III's cancer diagnosis for the first time.

On Friday, Harry appeared on "Good Morning America" for an interview about his Invictus Games, as the organization is currently preparing for the first-ever winter Invictus Games in Whistler in February 2025.

During his conversation with ABC's Will Reeve, Harry spoke out about Charles for the first time since the monarch was diagnosed with cancer after a separate surgery on his prostate. Buckingham Palace announced on February 5 that the king would "postpone public-facing duties" while undergoing "regular treatment."

In his "GMA" interview, Harry said the king told him directly about his illness, so he didn't find out via the palace's statement like the rest of the world.

"I jumped on a plane and went to see him as soon as I could," Harry said of his reaction to the news.

Harry visited his father the day after the news became public, seeing him for about 45 minutes at Clarence House, as the BBC reported. The trip marked his first known interaction with his father since the king's coronation in May 2023.

"I love my family," Harry said on "GMA." "The fact that I was able to get on a plane and go and see him and spend any time with him, I'm grateful for that."

Harry declined to comment on his outlook on the king's health, but when Reeve asked if the diagnosis could have a "reunifying effect" on the royal family, he said, "Yeah, I'm sure."

"For all these families, I see it on a day-to-day basis, the strength of the family unit coming together," he added, gesturing to participants in the Invictus Games.

Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, have been estranged from the royal family since they stepped back as senior royals in 2020, only appearing as a couple with other members of the monarchy at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in September 2022.

The rift between the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the royals seemed to be worse than ever after they released their Netflix docuseries, "Harry & Meghan," in December 2022 and Harry published his memoir, "Spare," in January 2023, in which he wrote about the ongoing tension between himself and Prince William.

Harry did not see his brother during his recent visit, but he said on "GMA" that he has other trips planned in the UK and nearby in the coming months and plans to "stop in and see my family as much as I can." He did not specify which royal family members he intended to see when he traveled back to the UK.

Representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Sussexes did not respond to a request for comment from BI.