It was a very unusual political gesture for the otherwise strictly apolitical British royal family.
“In October 2020, we had the honor of meeting with President Zelensky and his first lady, and we learned of the great hopes and optimism they have for Ukraine’s future. Today, we stand by the president and all the Ukrainian people who are bravely fighting for this future, “the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said a few days ago on their official Twitter account.
In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future.
Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future 🇺🇦 W & C
— The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (@KensingtonRoyal) February 26, 2022
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The direct support of the head of state, who had been attacked by the aggressor a few days earlier and is at war, is not customary in the British royal family. Its members often express their support or participation for the victims of natural disasters and Queen Elizabeth II. she regularly sent expressions of condolences to presidents who, for example, had suffered some personal loss and expressed their condolences.
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However, in the face of a raging armed conflict in a foreign state, the British royal family usually holds back. Members of the royal family are not fundamentally involved in politics. However, last week, when the conflict in Ukraine flared up, however, the Queen’s grandson, Prince William, and his wife, Catherine, made an exception.
They felt belonging.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge received President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olen at an official audience in the Throne Room of Buckingham Palace in October 2020, when on a rare occasion they fully represented Queen Elizabeth II, who had protected herself during the pandemic in Windsor. And they could see mutual understanding.
Four peers met at Buckingham Palace at the time – Prince William and his wife were thirty-eight at the time, and President Zelensky and his wife were only four years older. And apparently they shared the same values.
And it’s not just that they’re all parents of young children who want a better future – the younger son of Zelensky Kiril is as old as Cambridge’s eldest son, Prince George, both boys will celebrate their ninth birthday this year. They had much more in common, and that is probably why William and Catherine have now expressed their support for the President and Ukraine on their Twitter.
Not even William’s father, Crown Prince Charles, held back. This week, the Prince of Wales and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, visited the Holy Catholic Church in London and met with representatives of the local Ukrainian community.
Accompanied by Vadym Prystaik, the Ukrainian ambassador to the United Kingdom, the prince and his wife supported humanitarian aid to refugees from war-torn Ukraine and expressed their condolences to all those affected by the war today. They then placed sunflowers, the national flower of Ukraine, on the altar of the cathedral and lit candles with a prayer.
