Prince Harry is in Ukraine for the third time in thirteen months, and second time in the past eight months. Last September, he made a semi-surprise visit to Kyiv directly after spending almost a week in the UK. Given the timing of this week’s surprise visit, it’s interesting that King Charles made a point of NOT inviting Harry to his grandmother’s memorial service or the palace reception marking what would have been QEII’s 100th birthday. Harry likely had to be routed through Heathrow, I’m just saying – he probably could have dropped off his flowers at QEII’s tomb in person! Anyway, Harry traveled to Kyiv via the overnight train from Poland, just like he did last September.
Prince Harry urged the world not to “lose sight” of Ukraine, as he made a surprise visit to Kyiv for an international security conference. The Duke of Sussex is expected to tell delegates that Ukraine is defending the principle of democracy, and that other countries must not forget this at a time when attention is on the Middle East.
Arriving at Kyiv railway station on Thursday morning, Harry said: “It’s good to be back in Ukraine, a country bravely and successfully defending Europe’s eastern flank. It matters that we don’t lose sight of the significance of that.”
He said that he wanted “to remind people back home and around the world what Ukraine is up against and to support the people and partners doing extraordinary work every hour of every day in incredibly tough conditions”.
The duke, who has just finished a tour of Australia with his wife, Meghan, said that he wished to tell Ukrainians that “the world sees you and respects you”.
Western officials are gathering in the capital for the Kyiv Security Conference, where Harry will make a speech saying that the fight is about more than territory. He will reference his own military experience and his work on the Invictus Games to warn that the results of the war in Ukraine will last “for years to come”.
He is expected to say that the abduction of Ukrainian children by Russia is a “systematic and intentional” act which should be tried in the International Criminal Court.
Harry will urge people not to become “numb” to this, or any other conflict, adding: “This is a war about values, not just territory.”
It is Harry’s third visit to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. He made two trips to the country last year as a guest of the Superhumans charity, which provides prosthetics and rehabilitation to wounded soldiers and civilians.
They’re making a point of saying that Harry’s agenda is centered on the security conference, but given his Invictus jacket and his agenda on previous visits, my guess is that he’ll probably have events with Ukrainian veterans too. His visits last year were remarkable, not just for the substance, but how the Ukrainians treated him. He practically needed a gifting suite, because Ukrainians were stopping him wherever he went to give him mementos, food, flags and gifts for Meghan and the children.
Apparently, ITV’s Chris Ship was invited to cover Harry’s trip exclusively – you guys might need to stop sh-tposting about Ship, because Harry apparently thought he was good enough to cover this. I’m including Ship’s interview from Kyiv below – he says that part of the reason for the visit is because of Harry’s work with The HALO Trust. Ship also had coverage of Harry’s keynote speech at this security conference (see below).
Exclusive: Watch as Prince Harry arrives for a surprise visit in Ukraine.
ITV News’ Royal Editor @chrisshipitv joined the Duke of Sussex as he arrived in Kyiv this morning.https://t.co/QTSLLRBrFk pic.twitter.com/ziHjdDIgjr
— ITV News (@itvnews) April 23, 2026
NEW: Prince Harry echoes the “I am not a political figure” words of his mother Princess Diana in Angola in 1997.
He tells the Kyiv Security Forum in Ukraine today: “I am not here as a politician. I am here as a soldier who understands service, as a humanitarian who has seen the… pic.twitter.com/qvszd4ftXB— Chris Ship (@chrisshipitv) April 23, 2026
Prince Harry:
Over the past year, I’ve had the honor and privilege of visiting Ukraine twice. Each time I left deeply moved by the courage, dignity and unbreakable spirit of the Ukrainian people.
For four years, Ukraine has stood firm. You’ve shown the world what true… pic.twitter.com/qp4RgFXb5z
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) February 24, 2026
Photos and screencaps courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Superhumans’ Instagram and YouTube.
