Prince Harry’s latest trip to Ukraine may not sit well with his brother, Prince William, reports have claimed. The Duke of Sussex headed to Kyiv with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation following an invitation from the Ukrainian government in support of wounded service members.
This is the second time Harry has visited Ukraine since the start of Russia’s invasion in 2022. He made a trip to the western city of Lviv in April. During Harry’s first trip to the war-torn country, reports claimed that the Prince of Wales was not pleased and expressed his frustration at Kensington Palace staff who strongly advised him against visiting.
Sources spoke of the heir’s frustration and claimed he was “rankled” by Harry’s visit after security officials “firmly rejected” the scenario.
William’s wish to visit Ukraine when he visited Poland in 2023 was ruled “too dangerous” .
This year, he made a two-day trip to Estonia, where he mainly acted in his role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Mercian Regiment, which is taking over NATO defence duties in the country from the Royal Dragoon Guards.
Estonia is on NATO’s front line with Russia, with British troops working with allies to provide a deterrent to aggression in the region.
This week, Harry told The Guardian newspaper while on an overnight train to Kyiv: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.”
Harry, a British Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, is the founder of the Invictus Games, a Paralympic-style event designed to inspire military veterans around the world as they work to overcome battlefield injuries. Ukraine is bidding to host the games in 2029.
The newspaper said that Harry will visit the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, spend time with 200 veterans and meet Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
His visit coincided with a trip to Ukraine by British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who announced a new set of UK sanctions targeting Russia’s oil revenues and military supplies.
Cooper said the visit is a show of solidarity with Ukrainians facing intensified assault from Russia – including 6,500 drones and missiles in July, 10 times the level of a year ago.
It was understood that details about the Duke’s trip were not disclosed for security reasons.