A GB News guest has come under fire for suggesting Prince Harry and Meghan Markle contributed to King Charles’ illness.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that the monarch, 75, had been diagnosed with cancer during his recent surgery for benign prostate enlargement, but confirmed it was not prostate cancer.
In the hours that have followed, broadcasters around the country have been commenting on the shock news, while also addressing the fact that Harry has flown in to be with his father.
Harry has arrived in the UK after months of strained relationships with members of his family, after allegations he and Meghan made during the infamous interview with Oprah Winfrey and revelations made in his book, Spare.
And now, one TV star has suggested the stress of his relationship with his younger son has somehow contributed to his cancer.
Broadcaster Mike Parry said on GB News on Tuesday: ‘Could the stress of having to sort out the Harry situation over the last two years have contributed to his illness? Because we know that stress does contribute to illness.
‘Stress can give you heart attacks, stress can give you nervous conditions, and I believe that if you ask top doctors they’ll say yes, it could be responsible for at least enhancing the King’s anxiety and that anxiety in itself might have worked its way physically into his body.’
He went on to say that perhaps the King feels ‘lonely’ facing his illness, as only he knows ‘the fears in your head of what will become of you’, speaking after his own experience of heart problems in 2004.
Parry, 69, is no stranger to controversy, having been reported to Ofcom after suggesting ‘minorities have to be squashed’ on the Jeremy Vine show.
He later argued his comment from 2021 was taken out of context but the radio host and journalist sparked immense backlash.
After Parry’s comments on Tuesday, the GB News hosts were quick to jump in and say they hope he’s ‘wrong’ that the King was stressed by ‘family rifts’.
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One guest sat beside Parry added: ‘I don’t think there’s any medical evidence of that whatsoever.’
He added: ‘There’s no way that cancer could be psychosomatic or caused by stress, there’s no evidence whatsoever to that.’
Parry replied: ‘Well there’s not, but doctors talk about it all the time. It doesn’t necessarily make it right but it doesn’t wipe it out altogether.
‘The more you worry about things in life, the more you inherit medical conditions, without a shadow of the doubt.’
Parry’s comments have been blasted, with author and activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu writing: ‘Bloody hell so Prince Harry and Meghan caused King Charles cancer?? How ridiculous to suggest that ‘stress’ causes cancer! There are actually ppl who listen to this? So all the stress King Charles self-inflicted on his own life didn’t cause him cancer but Harry and Meghan did?’
‘Shameless!!!’ X user @Katekoso wrote.
‘Ah seriously, that’s a horrible thing you are doing there. Saying that maybe he’s responsible for his father’s cancer is a terrible thing to say,’ @1rorycowan added.
@SimonPease1 said: ‘It is insensitive, vile and completely unscientific to suggest that stress is a cause of cancer – often used to shift “blame” to the sufferers.’
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