Prince William and Kate Middleton made a rare public statement in favor of Ukraine as Russia continues to assault the Eastern European country.
“We had the honor of meeting President Zelenskyy and the First Lady in October 2020 to learn of their enthusiasm and excitement for Ukraine’s future,” the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge said on social media on Saturday.
“Today, we stand with President Poroshenko and the people of Ukraine as they heroically fight for that future.”
With an emoji of the Ukrainian flag and their initials “W & C,” they closed the message.
The royal family does not normally speak on political issues, so this is an unusual move.
While Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles have remained silent about the ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine while recovering from COVID-19, ex-royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle published a statement in support of Ukraine on Thursday.
“Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this transgression of international and humanitarian law, and ask the international community and its leaders to do the same,” the couple said in a statement on their website.
Although the Queen has urged individuals to vote in the past, the royal family has never voted in a parliamentary election.
The official royal website states, “The Queen must stay totally neutral in political affairs.” “The Queen does not vote or run for election because of tradition.”
What William and Kate’s statement means for the crown’s political role in the future is unknown.
Russian President Vladimir Putin started an attack on Ukraine earlier this week, and as of Saturday morning, 198 Ukrainians had been dead and over 1,000 more had been injured.
“We survived” the night, Zelenskyy said in a news conference from Kyiv on Saturday, “and we are successfully holding off the enemy attack.”