Prince Harry flies out of London after quick visit with King Charles

(LONDON) — Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, is on his way home after a quick visit to the United Kingdom to see his father, King Charles III, who is battling cancer.

Harry, 39, was spotted Wednesday at London’s Heathrow Airport, where he is expected to catch a flight home to California.

Harry’s flight home caps a whirlwind overnight trip to London, where he reportedly met with Charles for less than an hour and stayed in a hotel rather than in one of the king’s royal residences.

“If they can’t even just say, ‘Stay over in the house, in Clarence House, or one of the rooms in Buckingham Palace,’ there are plenty of them, it seems to suggest he’s still very much an outsider,” ABC News royal contributor Robert Jobson said of Harry’s status with his family, from whom he has been distant for several years.

Harry, who stepped down from his senior royal role in 2020, was spotted Tuesday arriving at Clarence House, the London residence of Charles and his wife, Queen Camilla.

Shortly after his meeting with Harry, which took place privately, Charles was photographed in a car alongside Camilla as the two traveled to a helicopter to fly to Sandringham, the king’s estate in Norfolk, England.

Buckingham Palace announced Monday that Charles, 75, has been diagnosed with cancer. The palace did not state what type of cancer Charles is battling but noted that he has started “a schedule of regular treatments.”

Harry’s visit with Charles marked the first time he has seen his father since May, when he traveled to the U.K. to attend Charles’ coronation.

At the coronation, Harry sat in the congregation with other members of the royal family and did not play a role in the service at Westminster Abbey. He and his older brother, Prince William, the heir to the throne, did not appear to interact at all during the service.

Harry and William did not have plans to see each other while Harry was in the U.K., a source told ABC News.