Prince Harry visited Ukraine on Friday, arriving by overnight train in a surprise visit to the capital, Kyiv, less than a week after the city was hit by a barrage of Russian drones that struck a government building and killed at least five people.
The trip by Harry, the Duke of Sussex, comes after another high-profile visit on Wednesday: tea with his father, King Charles III, in their first meeting since February 2024. The royals appeared to be taking steps toward healing a family rift that began after the prince and his American-born wife, Meghan, withdrew from royal duties and moved to the United States in 2020.
In a short video published on social media by the Ukrainian rail service, Harry is seen getting off the train in Kyiv . He later met with Ukrainian veterans.
Representatives for Harry did not respond to requests for comment.
This is the prince’s second visit to Ukraine this year. In April, he traveled to the western city of Lviv, where he toured a rehabilitation facility for people wounded during Russia’s invasion. He spoke to an injured child, and soldiers and civilians who had lost limbs.
A combat veteran who served with the British Army in Afghanistan, Harry founded the Invictus charity as a sports competition for injured military veterans. This year, just over a decade after its establishment, Harry announced plans to expand the charity’s remit to include post-conflict rehabilitation for individuals and their communities, including Ukraine, according to a statement from his office this month.
Earlier this week, Harry met with the leader of the World Health Organization, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, and discussed support for children injured in the war in Gaza, the prince’s office said in a statement. During the meeting at a research center for blast injuries in London, Harry pledged financial support for children affected by the war in Gaza, and funding for the development of prosthetics for children injured in the war there and Ukraine, his office said.
Ukrainian war veterans have competed in the Invictus Games since 2017, according to the foundation. In 2020, some veterans traveled from the battlefront to compete at the games in The Hague, the foundation said.
Lynsey Chutel is a Times reporter based in London who covers breaking news in Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
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