Prince Harry makes surprise Ukraine trip
Prince Harry has made another unannounced visit to Ukraine.
Prince Harry has made a surprise trip to Ukraine.
The Duke of Sussex - who lives in California with wife Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and their children Prince Archie, six, and four-year-old Princess Lilibet - arrived in Kyiv on Thursday (23.04.26), where he intends to highlight the work of his Invictus Games Foundation in supporting wounded soldiers and veterans, and give a speech at the Kyiv Security Forum.
Images from Harry's arrival showed him stepping off a train and greeting people at the station.
According to ITV News, the prince's message to Ukrainians was that “the world sees you and respects you."
Amid the ongoing conflict with Russia, Harry described Ukraine as “a country bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank."
He added: "It matters that we don’t lose sight of the significance of that.”
The 41-year-old royal made the visit to "remind people back home and around the world what Ukraine is up against and to support the people and partners doing extraordinary work every hour of every day in incredibly tough conditions.”
During his trip to Ukraine, Harry is also expected to show his support to The HALO Trust, a landmine-clearing charity of which Harry is a longtime supporter, following in the footsteps of his late mother Princess Diana.
Harry last made a surprise visit to Ukraine in September, where he urged veterans to "open up" to their loved ones during a panel discussion.
According to People magazine, he said: "You will feel lost at times, like you lack purpose, but however dark those days are, there is light at the end of the tunnel.
“You just need to look for it, because there will always be someone — a mother, father, sibling, friend, or comrade — there to pick you up.
"Don't stay silent. Silence will hold you in the dark. Open up to your friends and family, because in doing so, you give them permission to do the same."
Harry - who served in the British Army for a decade and undertook two tours of Afghanistan - also paid tribute to the families of service personnel for the sacrifices they make too.
He said: “The wives and mothers who keep their loved ones on the straight and narrow — they deserve as much respect as anyone who serves.”
Harry was joined on the panel by Invictus Team Ukraine’s Captain Olexiy Tiunin, Invictus Games Foundation Chief Programmes + Strategy Officer David Wiseman, and Superhumans Center leaders Rudneva and Andriy Stavnitser.
Harry's trip also included a private meeting with Ukraine’s Minister for Veterans Affairs, Natalia Kalmykova, where Harry discussed how the Invictus Games Foundation could continue to support wounded veterans, and he reiterated his personal commitment to the community during a separate private meeting with the country's Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko.
Earlier in the day, he had attended a fundraising lunch to help Superhumans - which helps support the recovery and rehabilitation of seriously wounded Ukrainian service personnel - expand their network with up to five new centres.
The prince ended his visit by laying a wreath in honour of the Ukrainians who have lost their lives during the ongoing war with Russia.
