Prince Harry urged Ukrainian service personnel to "open up to your friends and family" during a surprise visit to Kyiv, telling a panel that silence can trap people in the dark and encouraging those returning from combat to seek help.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, spoke at an event organised by the Superhumans Center — a rehabilitation hub that provides emotional and physical treatment for war trauma — at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. The centre supports more than 150,000 seriously wounded Ukrainian servicemen and women, organisers said.
"Don't stay silent. Silence will hold you in the dark. Open up to your friends and family, because in doing so you give them permission to do the same," he said during the discussion. He also paid tribute to "the wives and mothers who keep their loved ones on the straight and narrow," saying they "deserve as much respect as anyone who serves." Harry discussed the difficulties some personnel face when transitioning out of military life, saying service members can "feel lost at times" or experience a "lack [of] purpose," but added: "But however dark those days are, there is light at the end of the tunnel. You just need to look for it, because there will always be someone—a mother, father, sibling, friend, or comrade—there to pick you up."
The visit was presented as part of Harry's duties as founder and patron of the Invictus Games, an organisation that supports wounded, injured and sick service personnel through sport and rehabilitation programmes.
The Kyiv appearance came days after a private meeting between Harry and his father, King Charles, at Clarence House. The BBC and other outlets reported the Duke spent 54 minutes having tea with the king in what was described by a royal source as an initial step toward rebuilding their father-and-son relationship. The meeting was the first publicly reported in more than 18 months, following a February 2024 audience that was limited in length after the monarch's cancer diagnosis.
A royal source quoted by media said Harry had told the king he would not discuss the contents of their conversation publicly and that his team had been instructed not to brief journalists. Representatives for the palace did not immediately provide comment to request for confirmation.
Prince William did not attend the Clarence House meeting, but British media reports indicated he was aware the meeting was scheduled. The timeline follows months of high-profile disputes in the royal family, including disclosures by the Duke in his memoir and subsequent interviews; Harry's recent comments in Kyiv were confined to mental-health support and reintegration for wounded service members.
Organisers of the Superhumans Center and Invictus-related groups have emphasised rehabilitation and family support as key components of recovery for those injured in conflict. Harry's remarks in Kyiv highlighted family and social networks as part of that recovery process.
The Duke's visit to Ukraine, and the subsequent public detailing of his meeting with the king, came amid sustained media interest in the royal family's private relations. The events underscore Harry's continuing public role with veterans' causes and the ongoing attention to efforts within the royal family to manage personal and public reconciliation.