Paul Burrell says King Charles' cancer diagnosis could heal Harry rift
Watch Paul Burrell says King Charles' cancer diagnosis could heal Harry rift
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Princess Diana's former butler Paul Burrell has said King Charles' cancer diagnosis will bring him closer to his son Prince Harry like it did with his own sons.
The former servant of the British Royal Household, 65, gave a TV interview on Lorraine on Tuesday after news broke that King Charles has been diagnosed with cancer.
In November last year, Burrell revealed he had been given the all clear months after he was given a prostate cancer diagnosis.
What, how and why?
Looking back on his own experiences, the former butler said his cancer diagnosis brought him closer to his sons Alexander and Nicholas. He acknowledged while cancer can be "destructive", it can also unite people.
Burrell voiced his hopes that King Charles' cancer diagnosis will "mend the bridge" with his distant son Harry who is flying to the UK to see him from his home in California.
He said: "It brought me closer to my sons. We speak almost every day now. We went periods where we didn’t speak for weeks. They are in America, I am here. Now we make time to speak to each other. I think Harry getting on a plane in Los Angeles is a very positive move. That bridge will be mended, between father and son. I have no doubt about that. As it was with me."
However, Burrell said he wasn't convinced that the cancer diagnosis would bring Diana's sons closer together after they have drifted apart. "The bridge between Harry and William is more difficult to mend," he explained.
"So much has been said, so many insults have been thrown around. It can't be taken back... It involves the wider royal family. I feel for William." He concluded that it's what Diana would have wanted.
But the former butler expressed his hopes that King Charles' cancer diagnosis would reunite the brothers. "I am hoping this illness with the king will bring the boys back together," he said.
What else happened on Lorraine?
TV host Lorraine Kelly had also voiced her hopes that the royal family would be united. "Hopefully they will come together, I hope so," she said.
Elsewhere in the interview, Burrell praised the king for his openness about his diagnosis. "I applaud the transparency of Buckingham Palace, of the king," he said. "He can reach so many other people."
He further elaborated: "I know the king will recover from this but it shows he is in a fragile condition. If the king can't go onto New Zealand, then it will fall on William." He noted William would have to "step up" for the king. "There is an awful lot of pressure on William," he said. "His father is sick. His brother has gone awol. Princess Anne is never sick and she soldiers on."
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This article originally appeared on Yahoo TV UK at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/paul-burrell-king-charles-cancer-diagnosis-harry-104257923.html
