Prince Harry Makes Unannounced Weekend Visit to Ukraine

Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, made an unannounced two-day visit to Lviv in western Ukraine over the weekend, as the war with Russia continues. It is his second trip to Ukraine this year. He first went in April, when he addressed the 18th Kyiv Security Forum in Kyiv on 23 April.

Harry founded the Invictus Games in 2014. The multi-sport event is for wounded, injured and sick service personnel and veterans, and it uses sport as part of their recovery. On this trip, he spent time with the people it is meant to serve.

On Saturday 14 November, he watched wheelchair rugby players in a school sports hall. He also met Valery Odainyk, a leg amputee and a former Invictus Games competitor. Wounded veterans hoping to win a place on Ukraine's Invictus team also came to meet him.

Speaking at a conference for medics organised by Superhumans, a group that provides medical care to injured adults and children affected by the war, Harry said: "You're going to win the war and then you're going to be set up for success." He also told the audience that he had "taken a risk to come here."

On Sunday, he watched pickleball, a paddle sport similar to tennis, and called Ukraine's wounded veterans "role models."

Ukraine plans to send 60 competitors to the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham, England. That would be the largest team the country has sent to the event. Harry said: "When the war is over and when Ukraine wins, we will be ready to support you in holding an Invictus Games."

For the veterans in Lviv, the visit put their training in front of someone who has spent over a decade building the Games. For everyone else, it was a reminder that the Invictus Games are not only a sporting event. They are also a way for injured people to meet, compete and set goals while they recover. Ukraine's team for Birmingham will be announced later, and the competitors will be training in the months ahead.