On April 29 (local time), Buckingham Palace announced that Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, sister-in-law to King Charles III of the United Kingdom, visited Ukraine. Sophie is the only one among the spouses of the children of the late Queen Elizabeth II who has not divorced, earning her the title “like a daughter to the Queen” due to her continued marriage. This marks the first visit by a member of the British royal family to Ukraine since the war began following Russia’s invasion in February 2022.
According to the BBC, on the 30th, Sophie, the wife of Prince Edward (Duke of Edinburgh), met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena Zelenska in Ukraine that morning. She delivered a message from King Charles III and discussed support for victims of sexual violence during the war. Buckingham Palace explained that Sophie’s visit to Ukraine, at the request of the UK Foreign Office, aimed to show solidarity with those affected by the war in Ukraine and to express support for victims of sexual violence during conflict and strife.
The Duchess paid tribute to the victims of the Bucha area, initially occupied by Russia at the start of the invasion. She also comforted victims of sexual violence and torture, as well as children who had been taken to Russia and returned to their families. She also visited the Bridge of Life, a symbol of Ukrainian resistance that was destroyed to halt the Russian advance. The BBC reported that this surprise visit demonstrates the British royal family’s support for Ukraine. The Duchess of Edinburgh is considered one of the few available members for official duties in the British royal family able to perform public duties due to the recent cancer battles of King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, leaving the royal family short-staffed.
In February of this year, on the second anniversary of the outbreak of war, Charles III issued a statement praising the courage of the Ukrainian people facing the invasion. Prince William visited a Polish military base near the Ukrainian border in March of last year, where he met with British soldiers deployed in support of Ukraine.