Prince Harry has worn his tuxedo more times in the past month than in the three years prior. Harry stepped out on Thursday evening for the United for Freedom gala at the Imperial War Museum in London. It was a fundraiser for Ukraine, and Harry gave some kind of address at the gala. Interestingly, I don’t think anyone in the media had any idea that Harry was scheduled to attend, much less speak. Harry has been very dedicated to Ukraine since the country was invaded by Russia in 2022. Harry has made multiple visits in recent years, including an incredibly dangerous multi-day visit to Kyiv one year ago, and as well a big security conference in the country earlier this year.
Prince Harry made a surprise outing in support of Ukraine. The Duke of Sussex, 42, stepped out at the United for Freedom gala at the Imperial War Museum in London on Oct. 1. The fundraising event was held to benefit charities supporting Ukraine amid the ongoing conflict in the country. Harry smiled and gave a wave to cameras as he headed inside the event, dressed for the occasion in a black bow tie and tuxedo.
Prince Harry also gave a speech at the event, in which he retraced the history connecting Britain and Ukraine before sharing some of his own experiences from recent visits to the nation.
“I have seen something in Ukraine that makes it impossible for me to look away. I have met people who have lost limbs, lost homes and lost loved ones — and yet somehow find the strength to rebuild,” he said. “I have spent time with members of the Ukrainian Invictus community: men and women who served their country and suffered life-changing injuries, but who continue to compete, to lead, to laugh and to look forward.”
Elsewhere in the speech, the Duke of Sussex said, “What has stayed with me most is that resilience in Ukraine does not belong to any one group. It belongs to the whole country. To those defending the front line. To those treating the wounded. To those keeping businesses, schools and communities going. To those developing technology that is changing the nature of modern warfare. And to those rebuilding today what was destroyed yesterday, knowing it could be struck again tomorrow. That is national resilience in its truest form.”
“But their resilience should never become an excuse for the rest of us to tolerate their suffering. Ukrainians should not have to prove, year after year, just how much they can endure,” he continued. “Their courage deserves more than our admiration. It deserves our resolve.”
He’s right and he could go even further in praise of Ukrainians’ spirit, guts and resolve. I’m not sure anyone thought that four-and-a-half years later, Ukrainians would still be fighting for their survival on a daily basis. I certainly believed that the international community would (at the very least) figure out a way to stop Russia’s bombing campaign and drone strikes. For Harry in particular, I think he was moved (as was I) by Ukrainians’ affection for him personally. Whenever he visits Ukraine, he gets mobbed like a celebrity. People ask him for photos. They bring their copies of Spare for him to sign. They give him gifts to take home to Meghan. They see him as a friend, an ally and someone who can speak to the world about what’s happening to them.
Photos courtesy of Getty Images.
What a king he would’ve made!
Yes, he’s a good man, and that was a powerful speech.
@Alicky, agreed, but I don’t think he’d be the man he is now if he’d grown up as the heir. I mean, he’d definitely be better than his father or brother because I find it difficult to think anyone could be much worse, (especially than William) but you know what I mean.
What didn’t kill him made him stronger, etc.
Absolutely! Prince Harry’s unfortunate life experiences have honed the exceptinal man he is today. However, his mother did predict that he would be ‘Good King Harry!”
Yuck! Down with the monarchy!
From aljazeera
“ Around 2,000 civilians, including 47 children, remain trapped in Russian-occupied Oleshky in southern Ukraine, where residents are running out of food and medicine and evacuation is effectively impossible.”
Really heartbreaking situations in Ukraine. I don’t understand why Russia is doing this.
It is my belief the why is because of the sin that all other sins seem to evolve from: GREED
Putin is dedicated to the task of recreating the old Soviet Union, calling it “greater Russia”. The cost to every day Russians has been just as high as to Ukrainians. But, unless they want to be thrown out of a window, they can’t speak up about the need to end this madness. To be clear, Trump has prolonged the war, not ended it, as he pledged. The war could end immediately if Putin just withdrew his forces.
Harry cares about people and humanity as a whole. So does Meghan and to me that’s one of the reasons I support and respect them.
Ditto
This! Thank you!
Prince Harry demonstrates exactly how you should use your platform. Bring global attention to countries, individuals or events that need assistance and a global platform to get their message across. I applaud him.
This right here is Diana’s legacy. She would be so proud of Harry. He has the same compassionate eyes and heart. You can see it shining through him.
Watching him grow up, it was impossible to imagine all the twists and turns his life would take.
He has that rare combination of emotional intelligence and the sort of intelligence it takes to learn how to fly an Apache heli. (The latter is definitely way beyond me! I drive to the grocery store and that’s pretty much it. Nobody is even shooting at me!)
While the Other Brother has velvet slippers with airplanes on them.
William can do things too. He just leaped over a barbed wire fence with only two stepstools and the barbed wire covered with green tape. You could compare that to Harry’s obstacle course video and see who’s the best.
He also went jogging in Central Park and played bartender for a few minutes!
Not a surprise. Media outlets were aware that Harry would be attending well in advance.
Oh really. Which media outlet are you employed by that you know this?
LOL
All of them knew from Sept 10 when the fundraiser made the forthcoming event, plus Harry’s attendance, public. The Fail even wrote articles about it at the time (just one example). You’re welcome.
True, they knew weeks ago. Check my comment below.
@Beth
“Not a surprise. Media outlets were aware that Harry would be attending well in advance.”
Journalists/photographers/program producers (not to mention rogue paparazzi) live in constant hope that theyll get a scoop. So youll always find them seeking info about or hanging out at places and events where they HOPE something out of the ordinary will happen.
So it was a no-brainer that a FUNDRAISING GALA, hosted by UNITED FOR FREEDOM at the IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM in LONDON (geeez! look at all those key words) would have a Prince Harry sighting.
Everyone knows by now that for security reasons, no advance information is provided to the media or the public about the movements of the Sussexes. Hence the maddening headlines about “Surprise Appearance.” But in the event that senior media personnel are informed, the info is heavily embargoed.
So his attendance might not have been a surprise but its hardly likely that they knew or were “aware” well in advance that Harry would be attending.
Yes, they were. From Sep 10. The Fail even wrote articles about Harry attending at that time (when the organisers made the event, to be held at the Imperial War Museum, public)
Good for him for both attending and for what he said. KP has to be in panic mode, right? the bots are out more than ever before.
He’s such a natural at this. Great speech, smart to go stealth in the current ‘gotcha’ environment.
@Beth, a surprise only to People Mag, but not to you?
All of them must have known from Sept 10 when the fundraiser made the forthcoming event, plus Harry’s attendance, public. The Fail even wrote articles about it at the time (just one example). You’re welcome.
Because the Fail’s articles are an accurate predictor of anything? Please.
It seems he really missed his life in England and couldn’t find his place in California.
He’s not doing anything different in the UK than what he was doing in the US.
Maybe he just missed the country. Some people feel very unmoored when they move to a new place. I’ve always lived in the US but moved from the Northeast to Texas when I was in my 20s. Even though I raised my kids here and feel at home in many ways, it’s not quite the same. Every time I go back East for a visit, coming home is like re-entering the atmosphere. I remember once reading Jumpa Lahiri’s novel “The Namesake” on the flight and weeping. That feeling of always being suspended in mid-air, of not being rooted, and part of you being lost, is very real.
September 23, 2026 he spoke about AI and conservation in …. New York, USA. He doesn’t necessarily need to live where he can do his work and do it well. His kind of work can fall under “have purpose, will travel”
think at some point he will state that he was determined that his children not only visited Britain but felt they belonged there, it was home, and they felt connected to their cultural heritage, but also, that it is their birthright. And most importantly – he wasn’t going to let his family deprive them of that. And let’s be honest, the titles, birthright and noble heritage do matter to Harry because we have seen his spox say that the Sussex title and the Prince/ess titles for his kids are their birthright and it’s not up for debate. He’s not out here trying to be normal and get away from his royalness, he’s leaning into it but doing it the way that feels right to him, in spite of his family.
Maybe it was a surprise to People Magazine but it was known that Harry was going to be at this event. Even Richard Eden wrote about it.
I read it in some article that posted his event schedule for the month so it wasn’t a secret it was published in a few articles because I thought it was not very safe to publish his itinerary when he has unarmed security.
Thanks to Beth at al. for correcting People!
He looks wonderful. Team Ginger forever! I do wish Meghan went. We’ve been inundated with Kate and her “fashion,” it would have been a treat for the eyes to see a woman who actually knows how to wear fashion in a modern, put together way as opposed to the fashion wearing Kate in all its fussy non glory.
Same! Selfishly, because *I* want to see more of Meghan, but in reality, I’m glad she’s starving them for content.
Agreed! Hopefully, we’ll have another moment at Paris Fashion Week!
The Ukrainian team was a significant part of the IG in the Hague (2022) and their story is one of those in Heart of Invictus. This included Taira, a paramedic and team member who was abducted by the Russians, and very possibly released due to publicity generated by her daughter, who attended the games in her stead. The war had started only a few months before. The deep connection Harry has with Ukraine, and vice versa, likely stems from this time together.
Good on Harry for consistently talking about Ukraine. And as ever, fuck Putin.
Slava Ukraini!
Harry is a good egg. And just so, so good at this stuff. His passion is real.
Good. We need more voices speaking up about what’s happening in Ukraine because it’s easy to get drowned out. A perfect example of using your name and your influence for good.
I’m sure we’ll get a huffy piece from “sources” in KP about how William is mad that Harry gets applauded for speaking out, but as the future king, he can never get “political” blah blah blah. Someone will have to organize another visit to a training base where William can play soldier for the afternoon to appease him.
If Harry and family get security it will be because the British government is sick of losing this soft power due to the envy of the RF. It is long past time a PM established that in a constitutional monarchy the RF works for the government not the other way around
TBH, I don’t even know how much faith we’d be able to put into any security provided to the Sussexes that was approved by KFC.
I’d like to believe that professionals will do their jobs regardless of who they’re protecting, but the UK hasn’t given us any reason to trust a thing when it comes to Harry and Meghan.
And once William is in charge? I hope they’re safely back in CA.
Thursday was Ukraine day for Harry. Earlier he zoomed in to a NATO meeting in Germany I believe to talk about Invictus and Ukraine. He gave a great speech, and Invictus executives were there in person.
The fundraiser reminded me of an event that William and Kate attended to “support” an organization supporting Ukraine. They brought a box of brownies that looked like someone sat on them in the car on the way, and William gave his famous “we can only give you a smile and a wave” assurance. And the poor guy responding said that sometimes that’s better than money, or something to that effect. I bring up that incident in contrast to Harry- when he leaves the house, he does so to help someone or inspire someone. However, we should all recognize that what William and Kate is “real” royal work, which is true. They show up for a photo op and to “learn.” Harry’s work is relegated to “quasi” royal.” The difference could not be more stark.
Slava Ukraini! 🇺🇦
Go, Harry!
Bravo Harry!
UK has been a great friend to Ukraine.
I wish I could say the same for us. You just know Trump is giving Putin security info every time they speak. It’s heartbreakingly bad timing to have this administration in power now. Ugh.
Russia has been slamming Kyiv + Odessa with new jet powered drones that can fly out of targeting range. This week is relentless – one day Kyiv was bombarded for 20 hours straight. Strikes on civilian targets + a key bridge. In other areas of Ukraine, standard drones have been chasing down people just going about their day. Like video game kills.
They really need our support. The Baltic states know they’re also in Russia’s sight.
Slava Ukraini!
Prince Harry at this United for Freedom Fundraising Gala for UKraine, was not a surprise visit at all. The UK press and all press following H&M knew, it’s just stupid acting as if they didn’t (to apiece the left behind royals, a suppose).
This was announced at the same time, about two weeks ago, together with his 4! other/usual September charity and philanthropic partipations in/with: the UK (Wellchild, Invictus), the NYC/UNGA (Clinton Global Initiative) and Canadian (Skydiving for veterans fundraiser).
The only unannounced engagements were Harry’s 4! other participation during this year’s UN Climate/Impact week, at:
The Diana Award/Service Now panel; Travalyst/Skift reception/event; Botswana Okavango Eternal Event, hosted by NatGeo and DeBeers.
He spoke/gave substatated speeches/input at all these event.
I knew all of this, because they were announced and reported on, so did the H&M money chasing, fixated press, pretending otherwise.
Anyway, Harry is a bussy, impactful and well saughtafter speaker, because of his knowledge, deep care and involved. The royal family (and the UK press) are scared of his knowledge, influence and the respect he gets on a global level, on so many different matters.
*sought after