Prince Harry has made an unannounced visit to Kyiv, accepting an invitation from an organization dedicated to supporting Ukrainians who have sustained life-altering injuries as a result of the ongoing war.
The Duke of Sussex arrived in the Ukrainian capital by train, expressing his commitment to “do everything possible” to aid in the recovery of injured military personnel.
Superhumans, an organization focused on providing prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation services, confirmed to the BBC that it extended the invitation to Prince Harry.
Olha Rudnieva, the founder of Superhumans, greeted the Prince upon his arrival with an embrace, as shown in a video released by Ukrainian Railways.
She presented Prince Harry with a podstakannik, a traditional silver holder for tea glasses commonly used on Ukrainian night trains.
Prince Harry previously visited a center run by Superhumans in Lviv in April. This marks his first visit to Kyiv.
The full-scale Russian invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians suffering amputations. Precise statistics on military casualties are not publicly available from Ukrainian authorities.
Among those Prince Harry met was war veteran Vasyl Tamulis, who told Reuters, “My main goal was to get a photograph with him because not many people have a photograph with [a] prince.”
He added, “Being selected for Invictus Games unites people and motivates because it is a very difficult selection process,” referencing the international multi-sport competition for injured and sick military personnel, both serving and veterans, founded by Prince Harry.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper was also in Kyiv on Friday, announcing an additional £142 million in UK aid to support Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and vulnerable communities, along with 100 new sanctions targeting Russia’s economy and military supply chains.
During her visit, Cooper held meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
The UK Foreign Office stated that Cooper’s visit reaffirmed the UK’s commitment to supporting Ukraine.
Prior to his visit on Friday, Prince Harry told The Guardian, “We cannot stop the war, but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.”
“We can continue to humanize the people involved in this war and what they are going through.”
The Guardian reports that Prince Harry is accompanied by a team from his Invictus Games Foundation, which he launched in 2014.
President Zelensky granted a Ukrainian team special permission to participate in the Invictus Games in 2022, just months after the war began.
During the opening ceremony, Prince Harry stated that the world was “united” with Ukraine.
His visit to Kyiv follows an announcement from the Sussexes’ charitable foundation, Archewell, on Wednesday that it had donated $500,000 (£369,000) to projects supporting injured children from Ukraine and Gaza.
Archewell stated that the grants would support the World Health Organization in medical evacuations and fund the development of prosthetics for young people.
Other members of the Royal Family have also expressed their support for Ukraine since the start of the war over three years ago.
King Charles welcomed President Zelensky to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk in March, having previously condemned the “indescribable aggression” faced by Ukraine from Russia.
The Prince of Wales, Prince Harry’s brother, met with Ukrainian refugees during a two-day visit to Estonia in March, praising their “amazing” resilience.
Prince Harry’s trip to Ukraine occurred after he met with King Charles in London on Wednesday, marking their first in-person meeting since February 2024.
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