When Prince Harry visited Lviv, Ukraine in April, I was so moved by Ukrainians’ reactions to his visit, and by Harry’s reaction to being on the ground. Harry was so interested in hearing personal stories (often through a translator) of war, injury and rehabilitation. The April visit was focused heavily on the Superhumans Center, a major rehab center for veterans, and not on the war itself. Of course, Harry’s April visit drew global attention and even more sympathy for Ukrainians. During that visit, Harry was loaded down with gifts, and he brought them home to Meghan and the kids.
Well, Harry arrived in Kyiv on Friday, and he had a jam-packed schedule for what looks like a 48-hour visit. He attended an Invictus conference and got to speak to a group of about 200 Ukrainian veterans and soldiers. He laid a wreath at a memorial in Kyiv’s Maidan Square. He promised to do everything possible to help Ukrainian veterans. He visited bombed-out buildings, some of which were still smoldering from Russian strikes. He paid his respects at the Alley of Heroes, and ended up creating one of the most iconic photos I’ve ever seen.
Suffice to say, Ukrainians love Harry and he’s once again being loaded down with gifts. It’s incredibly sweet and moving when you really think about it. When “royals” visit countries on official visits, they’re often given an official gift from the government. In Harry’s case, he’s basically there representing himself, Invictus and the spirit of survival. People really respond to him and they want him to remember his visit. These are not official gifts – these are just regular people who wanted to give something to the ginger prince and his pretty wife. Like, a Ukrainian chef went out of his way to give Harry a jar of borshch. People are giving him gifts for Meghan and the kids too.
Prince Harry at the Alley of Heroes in Kyiv pic.twitter.com/qrAH0Wgn5O
— Olga Patlyuk 🇺🇦 (@OlgaPatl) September 13, 2025
Prince Harry visited the Alley of Heroes on Kyiv’s central Independence Square, paying tribute to those who have lost their lives fighting in Russia’s war.
According to the Guardian, Prince Harry made an unannounced visit to Ukraine at the invitation of the Ukrainian government,… pic.twitter.com/0JbKRBUZDw
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 13, 2025
Probably the most famous chef of Ukraine @klopotenko_chef gifted Prince Harry a jar of Borshch, the most popular and beloved dish in Ukraine. Also, some spices for Meghan 🇺🇦❤️
Like I said, Harry will be showered with presents. pic.twitter.com/DnTpZneXKn
— Katerina 🇺🇦 (@Le__Katerina) September 12, 2025
One more gift, yes, one more…
Prince Harry was gifted a bottle of champagne 🍾 But that’s not ordinary champagne. All the proceeds from its sales are being directed to fund military hospitals and medical equipment in Ukraine 🏥 pic.twitter.com/2ByE8OaOUE
— Katerina 🇺🇦 (@Le__Katerina) September 12, 2025
I again had the opportunity to meet with Prince Harry during his visit to Kyiv. Together, we saw the consequences of a Russian “Iskander” missile strike on the government building – a stark reminder of the reality Ukrainians face every day.
We also discussed the rehabilitation… pic.twitter.com/TjIKJrUl0V
— Yulia Svyrydenko (@Svyrydenko_Y) September 13, 2025
Header photo is a screenshot from the Times video.
Of course they love Harry because he really wants to help and will find a way to do it! I’m pretty sure I can hear the sound of pillows being thrown and tantrums being had and echoes of an incandescent prince yelling into the wind “ I’m the global statesman Harold”!!!
But he only throws pillows, he doesn’t throw lamps!
Ukraine is mine. Harold
I actually think that in Pegs mind the whole world is his.
All I can hear is a spoiled toddler yelling “Mine! Mine! Mine!”
Like I said on twitter Harry is actually grateful for these gifts, he and Meghan are always very respectful as well.
There is also a picture of him with an Ukranian flag given to him with is touching to see.
The statesman william could only ever dream of being.
To the extent that the prince of rage only cares about photo ops, he must be incredibly bent about these fanstastic pictures. What he doesn’t understand is that they are great pics because Harry does the work and actually CARES. Unlike rage and lazy, Harry doesn’t need to practice his expressions in the mirror.
🎯🎯🎯
Prince Peg the Bald would give his left nut for a shot like the one in the Alley of Heroes.
There’s wailing and gnashing of teeth at Adelaide Cottage (or wherever he’s not living with Kate these days).
If William were a nice person, and were a person who had put in the work, I’d really feel bad for him that his younger brother made this all look effortless and easy. But he isn’t and doesn’t so all Harry’s efforts do is show what a fly-specked turd william is.
Harry asked a couple wearing braces, if they get stuck, when kissing.
They were getting married the next day, he was not the only joker, the guy next to him, joked that they were magnets.
There is a video of him coming out of the Alley of Heroes, being so moved he has tears in his eyes. Good King Harry indeed.
The pictures just brought tears to my eyes.. they are iconic, no one in that family can replicate what Prince Harry does because they just frankly do not have his emotional intelligence and depth.
Is it possible to use X cancel or something on this site and stop driving traffic to Elon Musk?
That would be good.
A little story about William and Kate when they toured Canada over ten years ago. In Calgary they were gifted white cowboy hats, a practise for all visiting dignitaries. Without fail everyone who’s gifted the hat plops it on their head with a big smile on their face as they mug for the cameras. It’s always kinda funny. But not William and Kate. They just held the hats, staring at them not knowing what to do. It was awkward. Contrast that with how Harry acts when people give him gifts. This is why William is jealous. Harry is always at ease, a natural. William becomes paralyzed. He doesn’t know how to do it.
The Chinook winds were blowing on the airfield in Calgary and Kate’s skirts were above waist level most of the time. She was flashing everyone.
Too true, and Kate was wearing a thong too. I always remember that when Tina Brown goes on and on about how she never puts a foot wrong. Sorry there’s too many pics of Kate’s bum to be arguing that!
Keen. Pulled,those stunts for years and she had the recent episode where she got out of a car so the skirt rode up.
The skirt didn’t ride up by itself; she pulled it up.
The key difference (IMHO) is that Harry had 10 years working in the Army. He got to live and work with people from all walks of life.
He might not be academic in the classic sense (which is why I don’tbuy today’s Eton story), but he is *interested* in other people. He is curious about other cultures. You can’t fake that.
Billy Idle & Waity Katie…well.
We all know they never had proper careers, and were always allergic to the idea of daily work. They have a small circle of her family & some of his toff chums, they never go anywhere. Is it any wonder they are so socially inept. Kate has a bit more leeway because nobody expects her to talk; she’s there to pose. The Wales want content for their socials and go home ASAP. And the people they meet can tell.
W has a deep envy for his brother but when I think about him, he shouldn’t have married a woman like Kate. He should have married a woman like his mom or Meghan; someone who would challenge him and get him to be more open/curious about others. Kate is so dumb that despite her not being a born royal, she is not only stuffy but an idiot….she has made W worse instead of helping him get better
But, as we know, Willnot is incredibly lazy, so naturally the easy option of Kate (and the Middletons) offering themselves seemed like a no-brainer for him. They cater to his self-indulgence and vanity. Has he ever risen to a challenge for anything worthwhile in his life? Contrast this scenario to Harry who was rarely indulged, even neglected. He found strength in his own good character to strive to overcome personal obstacles and to help others. Harry has also attracts like-minded people who get satisfaction in recognizing the needs of others and doing what he can to help them thrive. Harry’s focus is on others, while Willnot’s first instinct is to satisfy his own needs and wants. Everything else is superficial. He doesn’t seem nearly as invested in others as a result. This is why it seems that he needs to be dragged kicking and screaming to do his work – not enough benefit for him to do so, especially if he’ll received millions no matter what.
I don’t think William could attract and keep a woman like that. Could a woman with integrity, ambition and emotional intelligence find a partner like him and that life in the firm satisfying? Remember Harry said, when he met Meghan, he had to up his game. Think of all William’s peers in the aristocracy, my god they must know they dodged a bullet.
@Alex Can: that’s an interesting story–not only does it illustrate how completely inept W&K are at these types of things, but it illustrates how unprepared they were; they clearly couldn’t be bothered to read the briefing papers because they would have known that gift of the cowboy hats was a tradition, as was a big thank you & an immediate putting on of the hats. Lazy, incompetent, & inept doesn’t even begin to describe these two.
Harry is doing good work.
@Alex Can — Interesting observation. It strikes me that when he was young, before his mother was killed and maybe for a little while after, William wasn’t so awkward with people.
I know he’s always been spoiled, Diana’s efforts to prevent it notwithstanding, and apparently always had an angry, entitled personality to some extent at least.
But it makes me wonder if William & Harry really aren’t mirror images of one another, in this respect, both in reaction to their mother’s death.
William became introverted. He wants to avoid people, strangers in particular, and he’s deeply uncomfortable with the press, while still using them for his purposes. He grew colder.
Harry, contrariwise, became extroverted. He wants to connect with people, strangers included, but especially (like his mother) anyone who’s in pain or in need. He’s angry with the press, with those who are unscrupulous and who hurt people. But he seems fine with journalists whom he can believe have integrity. He grew, if not warmer, because I think he’s always been warm, more open to people everywhere. Which, considering the risks that someone in his position takes, being open, is truly extraordinary.
I’m so glad he & Meghan found each other and created a loving family. Nobody deserves it more.
I am 2 years older than Diana. What I remember of William’s younger days is he was always described as shy and even back then he hated the paparazzi. I wonder if his shyness was really awkwardness disguised.
With your observation of William being more personable before Diana’s death, I wonder if it was really that Diana made sure he was prepared for any public content. Then after her death he was just left hanging in the wind for public interactions, like Harry was left in a bedroom to mourn all alone.
Will was only 15 when Diana died, and still in school. The boys were supposed to be left alone, and we saw Diana trying to protect their privacy. Maybe she coached him when there were some public outings, but in any event she presumably would have been someone he could overall rely on. Whatever his inherent flaws, when she died he was a teenager facing a future he had no control over. On the one hand, constantly pumped up and fawned over as the FK, while on the other receiving little to no guidance, or preparation from the RF on his ultimate role, as is the Windsor way. Like Harry, Charles failed Will too, though in different ways. You can see how a sour, angry, resentful young man would end up in his 20’s screwing around, loafing off, blowing off his obligations. Meanwhile, Harry was being sent on the assignments Will refused. He learned skills and made connections that serve him now, while whatever abilities Will had withered from lack of exercise. There’s a hint of a more personable Will when he attempts to joke around, but he’s now so awkward they just fall flat, which probably makes him even angrier.
That said, Will’s now a grown man in his 40’s, and how his life turns out is his responsibility. What he wants to model for his kids is up to him. He faces different circumstances than Harry, but Harry left a basic roadmap for how to get to a different place. The choice is up to Will.
A very insightful observation. A while back I watched a documentary about the 2 brothers. William did a gap year visit to a country in South America. He appeared much more relatable, approachable & caring. Yes, something happened to make him so lazy, entitled & unhappy. Maybe a bad marriage.
perhaps when he realized that he was not the most eligible bachelor and he was not considered a catch by the aristocracy. What a come down for the heir not to have his pick of attractive, wealthy, poised young women.
He got lazy and entitled before he married keen.
Wow, that is an iconic photo, for sure – Diana and the landmines level.
Oh absolutely… it is an amazing capture 🙌🏼📸..
I’m actually happy that he visited Ukraine because I’ve been trying to avoid political news since November 2024, and especially January 2025. It was a good reminder that the war is still raging, and people are suffering.
What a beautiful trip. A reminder of the spirit and people of Ukraine. Trump is out here calling it Biden and Zelensky’s war and it’s makes me so mad. No, Putin invaded Ukraine! That’s why it started. It’s good to have Harry there and reminding the world that the Ukrainian people are strong warm and generous and didn’t ask for this war and are doing their best. F-ck Putin.
It was so funny on Friday how the British tabloids were scrambling after the news broke Harry was on his way to Ukraine. The article in the Newsweek said that they had reached out to a representative for the Invictus Games “outside the regular working hours” via email for comment. Jack Royston sounded a little bit upset that they were not told. The DM had an article out where they literally said that Harry was on his way back to California. And then the news broke that harry was on his way to Kyiv in Ukraine in the Guardian. The Guardian got the exclusive and traveled with Harry to cover the story.
This was such an impactful trip. It shows Harry’s compassionate side and he works with people to see what he can do to help and maximize the effect.
I love it for them that they had no idea, minus the Guardian.
Let’s hope the Guardian drops its Sussex bashing.
The guardian has a number of things it could do better on.
that’s new isn’t it? for Harry to collaborate with the British press like that??
Imo this trip by Harry to the UK has a very different vibe. Harry was much more public and open. On previous visits events were sometimes only made public after they happened on this trip the schedule was made available before the trip. Previously he excluded some of the British press from hie events this time it appears Harry gave access to his events for even his adversaries in the British press. So yeah it has a different feeling.
One big difference on this trip was that he obviously had security, which also meant BP had approved his itinerary. He was definitely more relaxed, like Harry of old. If he gave access to some members of media he’d excluded before, perhaps there was some quid pro quo with Charles. Harry had said in his last interview it wasn’t worth fighting anymore. Note though that it was someone from the Guardian who went on the trip to the Ukraine, and they’re not part of the regular rota. (Though with some of the articles they put out, it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference.)
iirc he said it wasn’t worth fighting anymore in regards to his security case? Which yeah, not much more there he can do. The DM case continues. And one thing that’s been misrepresented by the BM is that Harry has it out for the media. On the contrary, Harry believes in a free and fair press while also believing that unlawful acts committed by the press should be held to account. The Guardian is messy in the same way the NYT is messy. I cannot take their editorial board seriously and many of their writers seriously. Within that though, there is also some good journalism from certain reporters of those papers mixed in with the very bad. It just seems like the exception rather than the norm now.
All I can say is THANK YOU prince Harry. I wish he could run for office…. this guy has so much warmth, empathy, care for others, charisma, etc. When you think of people with so much charm, whom do you think about? Harry’s wife, Harry’s mother, President Barack Obama, FLOTUS Michelle Obama, etc.
Go Go Go Prince Harry
What a powerful and impactful visit! What a great way to kick off the second decade of Invictus! Invictus Horizons states that their goal is to bring help to millions of veterans in the next decade.
Apparently the British foreign minister was making a visit at the same time. The focus on Harry and the veterans meant that she could quietly go about UK government business with Ukrainian government. One news anchor twit asked a commentator or reporter if Harry’s visit would not “overshadow” the Minister’s. The media really seems to have no other mindset. I was impressed that the answer was no, the two visits could be complementary. As an aside, I find it really annoying that this is Harry getting his half-in half-out commentary. Harry was representing Invictus. He co-ordinated with UK government because it was an invitation from the Ukrainian government and he is still a British prince and citizen after all.
I read that a Ukrainian woman who is an entrepreneur gifted a Meghan with a necklace- it was a pendant of a tomato on a black cord. Really a cute idea, and so right for Meghan given her love of gardening and life-style show. I think it was on instagram. Also, a fashion designer also gifted Meghan with something, but I don’t think it was revealed what it was. Harry was absolutely loaded with gifts that were really thoughtful and significant. One of the other gifts was a flag from a Ukranian officer. I really have to smile at the chef with the jar of borscht though, complete with his own picture on the label!
What a powerful photo! Seeing Harry pay respect surrounded by Ukrainian flags and the tributes to fallen heroes is so moving. There’s no way worthless William could recreate this intense moment.
Thank you Prince Harry for drawing attention to the ongoing needs of the Ukrainian people. Also enjoy that borscht, if you are lucky enough to have borscht made by a genuine Ukrainian, you are in for a real treat, my SIL is Ukrainian and her cooking is *chef’s kiss*
Being the granddaughter of a Ukrainian grandmother, I remember my Baba sending home Borsht with us as a child. She always made huge amounts of the soup and sent home containers full for her grandchildren when we visited. It was her way of sharing her love for us and is indicative of the warm hospitality that a lot of Ukrainians are known for. It’s a lovely memory! 💌💟❤️ Proud of Harry for his open-heartednes and continuing support of those in harms way. He’s a treasure!