Prince Harry made a surprise visit to Kyiv and pledged to do "everything possible" to support the recovery of military personnel injured in the war with Russia, the BBC reported.
The Duke of Sussex, who travelled with a team from his Invictus Games Foundation, said he would outline new initiatives to help rehabilitate those wounded during the trip. The visit followed an invitation from the Ukrainian government and comes after Harry met his father, King Charles, in London on Wednesday — their first face-to-face meeting since February 2024.
Harry told the Guardian that he had initially been invited by the founder of the Superhumans Trauma Centre in Lviv, which he visited in April to meet people undergoing rehabilitation. "We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process," he said, adding that efforts could "continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through."
Launched by Harry in 2014, the Invictus Games are sports competitions for wounded, injured or sick armed services personnel and veterans. The foundation has emphasised rehabilitation through sport and peer support; during the 2022 opening ceremony, when Ukraine's team received special permission from President Volodymyr Zelensky to compete, the prince said the world was "united" with Ukraine.
Other members of the British royal family have publicly expressed support for Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022. King Charles welcomed President Zelensky to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk in March and has described Ukraine's experience as "indescribable aggression." The Prince of Wales met Ukrainian refugees during a two-day visit to Estonia in March and praised their resilience.
The visit to Kyiv underscores continued international attention to the humanitarian and rehabilitation needs arising from the conflict. Harry's plans to expand support via the Invictus Games Foundation reflect a focus on medical, psychological and community recovery for service members wounded in combat. Details of the new initiatives were expected to be set out during the visit.
The conflict in Ukraine began in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale invasion by Russia in February 2022, triggering widespread international sanctions and sustained diplomatic and military responses. Rehabilitation of wounded military personnel has been an ongoing challenge for Ukrainian health services and international support groups.
Officials in Kyiv and representatives of the Invictus Games Foundation did not immediately provide further comment to the BBC regarding the specifics of the planned programmes or the itinerary of Harry's visit.