Prince Harry has arrived in Kyiv for the first time on an unannounced visit, The Guardian reported on Friday, September 12.
According to NV.ua, the Duke of Sussex came to the capital at the invitation of the Ukrainian government with a program focused on helping wounded Ukrainian soldiers.
According to The Guardian, the British prince and his team from the Invictus Games Foundation intend to outline new initiatives to support rehabilitation for the wounded. Earlier this year it was estimated that the Ukraine war had already left 130,000 people with permanent disabilities.
“We cannot stop the war, but we can do everything possible to support the recovery process,” said the Duke of Sussex.
The prince explained that he was first invited to Kyiv by Olga Rudneva, founder and CEO of the Lviv rehabilitation center Superhumans, and later received an official invitation.
During the trip, the prince will visit the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. He also plans to meet with 200 veterans and with Ukraine’s Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
The Duke of Sussex expects that his visit to Kyiv will give him the opportunity to speak with veterans and to see with his own eyes the destruction caused by Russian shelling.
The Invictus Games has been increasing its sports recovery programmes to help provide opportunities for rehabilitation beyond the main games, including by providing sports equipment in Ukraine.
On April 10, 2025, Prince Harry visited Ukraine for the first time, making a trip to Lviv. He met with Ukrainian veterans, government representatives, and visited the Superhumans rehabilitation center.
By March this year, more than 22,000 veterans across Ukraine had accessed benefits like gym memberships and pool passes.
“This is my first visit to Ukraine — and certainly not the last. It was a tremendous honor and privilege for me to come here with the Invictus delegation,” the son of the British King said at the time.
On September 10, Prince Harry met King Charles III in the United Kingdom for the first time in 19 months, following a long rift between the Duke and the royal family. Father and son met for a private tea at Buckingham Palace, and their meeting lasted about an hour.
