Prince Harry’s secret visit to Ukraine has been defended after critics labelled the trip ‘hypocritical’. The Duke headed over to Ukraine just hours after a London High Court hearing over his security arrangements in the UK.
It has emerged that the Duke of Sussex met war victims at a clinic in the war-torn country yesterday, as part of his ongoing work supporting injured veterans. The visit to Lviv, which has been targeted in the war with Russia, came after being in London earlier this week for a Court of Appeal hearing regarding his level of security when in the UK. Harry has previously said he cannot bring his family to the UK without taxpayer-funded police protection and at the end of a two-day hearing earlier this week, his lawyer said the Duke’s safety, security and life are “at stake”.
When news of Harry’s trip to Lviv emerged, some questioned Harry’s decision to travel to Ukraine amid his security fight, with TV host Piers Morgan calling him a ‘hypocrite’. Veteran royal commentator Richard Palmer also told GB News: “The reaction has been uniform. People are saying ‘hang on he’s come over because he needs police protection because he’s not safe in the UK. But then he’s gone to a warzone in Ukraine”.’
However, sources close to Harry, told MailOnline that it is “simply incorrect” to suggest his visit to Ukraine is ‘hypocritical’ or that it undermines his security case. Harry is challenging the dismissal of his High Court legal claim against the Home Office. It comes after a decision by the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the UK.
In Ukraine, Harry visited the Superhumans Centre in Lviv, an orthopaedic clinic and rehabilitation centre for adults and children affected by the war in Ukraine. The organisation provides specialist prosthetics, mental health support and physiotherapy to injured veterans and civilians free of charge.
The Duke toured the centre and met patients and medical professionals to learn about the services that are provided there. Harry, a former British Army captain who served on the front line in Afghanistan, has long supported former service personnel, having established the Invictus Games in 2014.
As the Duke of Sussex settles down to life in the US alongside Meghan Markle, the Mirror has launched its very own Royal WhatsApp community where you’ll get all the latest news on the UK’s most famous family.
We’ll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in.
All you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group.
We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
He was joined by people from the Invictus Games Foundation on Thursday’s visit, including four veterans who have been through similar experiences to the civilians and ex-service personnel being rehabilitated at the Superhumans Centre.
The games, a Paralympic-style sporting competition for injured and sick military personnel and veterans, was last held in Canada in February and were attended by then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The royal family has been outspoken in their support for Ukraine and Harry is the most senior royal to visit the country following a trip last year by Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh.
The King welcomed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk in March, days after Mr Zelensky’s unprecedented public clash with US President Donald Trump and his vice president JD Vance in the White House’s Oval Office. And Prince William, Harry’s brother, met Ukrainian refugees during a two-day visit to Estonia last month.
As the royals get back to their normal duties after a difficult year, the Mirror has launched its very own Royal WhatsApp community where you’ll get all the latest news on the UK’s most famous family.
We’ll send you the latest breaking updates and exclusives all directly to your phone. Users must download or already have WhatsApp on their phones to join in.
All you have to do to join is click on this link, select ‘Join Chat’ and you’re in! We may also send you stories from other titles across the Reach group.
We will also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose Exit group. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
