The Duke of Sussex’svisit to an area that is often targeted by Russian missiles was not announced until he left the country
Prince Harry made a secret visit to Ukraine on Thursday (10 April) where he met injured war victims.
The Duke of Sussex visited the Superhumans Centre in Lviv, an orthopaedic clinic and rehabilitation centre for adults and children affected by the war in Ukraine.
The organisation provides specialist prosthetics, mental health support and physiotherapy to injured veterans and civilians free of charge.
His visit to an area that is often targeted by Russian missiles was not announced until he left the country.
Prince Harry is now the second member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since it was invaded by Russia in February 2022 – after Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, travelled there in April last year.
The Duke toured the centre and met patients and medical professionals to learn about the services that are provided there.
Prince Harry also met Ukraine’s minister of veterans affairs Natalia Kalmykova, it is understood.
The Superhumans Centre’s central clinic is on the grounds of Y.Lypa Veterans Hospital and sees more than 3,000 patients a year, according to the Superhumans website.
Harry, a former British Army captain who served on the front line in Afghanistan, has long supported former service personnel, having established the Invictus Games in 2014.
He was joined by people from the Invictus Games Foundation on Thursday’s visit, including four veterans who have been through similar experiences to the civilians and ex-service personnel being rehabilitated at the Superhumans Centre.
Rob Owen, chief executive of the Invictus Games Foundation, said: “This visit to the Superhumans charity in Ukraine underscores the Invictus Games Foundation’s broader commitment to supporting recovery and rehabilitation for wounded injured and sick service personnel and veterans, even in the most challenging environments.
“Ukraine has been a vital part of the Invictus Games Foundation’s community since participating in the Invictus Games Toronto 2017, and this visit reaffirms our dedication to standing with those who are navigating life after injury, both at the Games and beyond as part of our year-round sport recovery programmes.”
The games, a Paralympic-style sporting competition for injured and sick military personnel and veterans, was last held in Canada in February and were attended by then-Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau.
Held in Vancouver, it involved more than 500 competitors from 23 nations, while Birmingham will host the next games in 2027.
The visit comes after the Duke appeared at court in London earlier this week at an appeal regarding his level of security in the UK.
Harry is challenging the dismissal of his High Court legal action against the Home Office over the decision of the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) that he should receive a different degree of taxpayer-funded protection when in the country.
The royal family has been outspoken in their support for Ukraine.
The King welcomed Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to his Sandringham estate in Norfolk in March, days after Mr Zelensky’s unprecedented public clash with US president Donald Trump and his vice president JD Vance in the White House’s Oval Office.
The Prince of Wales, Harry’s brother, met Ukrainian refugees during a two-day visit to Estonia last month.
Additional reporting by Press Association.