Prince Harry, 41, was visibly emotional as he visited a makeshift memorial to fallen soldiers at Independence Square in Kyiv during a surprise trip to Ukraine this weekend.
Accompanied by a team from his Invictus Games Foundation, the Duke of Sussex paused at the homage to veterans — a display of photographs, flags and personal mementos that has grown since Russia's invasion in February 2022. "I don't know how to describe it," he said, appearing choked up. "It's the most insanely sad yet beautiful thing. The way that it's been set out with the love and the attention and care that's gone into every photograph, every flag, every memento... it's extraordinary. I've never experienced anything like that before."
During the visit Harry accepted gifts from a Ukrainian businesswoman, Mariia Didkovska, who runs a restaurant and bar in Kyiv and is running a project to support a military hospital. Didkovska presented a decorative plate inscribed with lines from a Ukrainian poet that she said were "for your wife," and a bottle of Victoire de la Dignité champagne in a wooden box. According to the prince, the champagne was suggested be saved for the "special day when we celebrate our victory," to which he replied, "Sooner rather than later."
Harry said he travelled to Ukraine after first gaining permission from his wife and the British government, and his office said the Invictus Games Foundation plans to help with rehabilitation for wounded soldiers. The trip included stops at sites damaged in recent missile and drone strikes and a photograph with a wounded serviceman at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
In Kyiv the prince also addressed his published memoir and media projects. In a sit-down interview with The Guardian, he said his memoir Spare and related media were "not about revenge" and that he did not believe he had aired "dirty laundry in public." He said his actions were meant to restore truth and accountability, adding, "You cannot have reconciliation before you have truth." He also said his conscience was clear.
The visit came days after a reconciliation meeting between Harry and his father, King Charles III. The meeting in London was described by royal aides and the prince's representatives as an effort to mend family ties after a period of public rift. Harry, who had spent four days in the U.K. last week attending charity events and meeting with supporters of his causes, said the focus in the coming year would be on his father.
Harry's memoir, published in 2023, aired accounts of tensions within the royal family and was described by publishers as among the fastest-selling non-fiction books in the U.K. The book includes accounts of disputes with family members and personal revelations that prompted widespread coverage and debate.
His recent visits underline longstanding ties between his Invictus work and wounded service personnel. The Invictus Games, launched by Harry in 2014, organises adaptive sporting events for injured veterans and service members. The prince's office said the foundation will explore ways to assist Ukraine's tens of thousands of injured service personnel through rehabilitation programmes.
After the Kyiv visit Harry returned to the United States, where his wife, Meghan, posted on social media marking his return to their home in Montecito. Harry celebrated his birthday following the trip.
Representatives for Buckingham Palace and the Invictus Games Foundation did not provide additional comment beyond statements released by the prince's office. The Kyiv visit was part of a wider series of engagements in which Harry has sought to combine public appearances with his charitable work for veterans and wounded service members.