Why Prince Harry’s surprise Ukraine visit left Prince William frustrated with palace officials
Prince Harry’s recent surprise trip to Ukraine has rubbed his estranged brother Prince William the wrong way, according to a report.
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Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, 40, travelled to the war-torn country last week to meet with dozens of wounded soldiers in the Ukrainian city of Lviv.
But his trip seemingly left the Prince of Wales, 42, “fuming” at palace officials after the future king had previously been denied a similar trip, the New York Post reports.
Prince William had reportedly been campaigning to make a similar visit to Ukraine ever since Russia launched its invasion in February 2022 — but officials “firmly rejected” the prince’s request to make a similar trip over safety fears.
The prince is said to have voiced his frustration to Kensington Palace staffers and was left “rankled” when he found out that the Invictus Games founder had made the unannounced journey as part of his ongoing work with wounded veterans.
Still, Prince William did pay a visit to Estonia, one of Ukraine’s neighbours, last month, where he donned combat fatigues and rode in a tank as he joined British troops on a field exercise.
The future king braved the freezing temperatures to meet with soldiers and military servicemen near the Russian border.
The father of three was photographed in a Challenger 2 tank before boarding an armoured fighting vehicle.
Prince William, 42, also visited 900 British troops stationed near the Russian border, including soldiers of the Mercian regiment — of which he is colonel-in-chief.
Prince Harry, for his part, visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians, to see top-notch services provided in a country in the midst of war.
The centre provides prosthetics, reconstructive surgery and psychological help free of charge.
The Duke of Sussex, who served 10 years in the British Army, has made helping injured soldiers one of his most prominent causes.
His surprise Ukraine trip came after he spent two days at a London court appealing to win back a taxpayer-funded security detail for him and his family, which they were stripped in 2020.
The feuding brothers have become increasingly estranged since Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, quit royal life in 2020 and hightailed it across the pond. The final nail in the coffin proved to be Harry’s bombshell memoir, “Spare,” which hit shelves in January 2023 and left no stone unturned on life in the palace.
HARRY AND CHARLES ‘DISTANT’ AS RIFT DEEPENS: REPORT
Prince Harry remains “distant” as ever from his estranged father, King Charles, as the royal’s fight to win back taxpayer-funded security in the UK significantly contributed to the breakdown of their relationship, according to a report.
The Duke of Sussex, 40, has been completely estranged from his relatives ever since he and his wife, Meghan Markle, quit royal life in 2020 and moved to the US.
Last week, the Invictus Games founder spent two days at a London court appealing to win back a publicly funded security detail for him and his family, of which they were stripped five years ago.
He has notably received zero help from the royals.
According to palace insiders, the lack of help from members of the Firm signals just how strained the relationship between both camps continues to be.
“I don’t think there is any rapprochement,” a source told People magazine. “Nothing has changed.”
Another insider provided some insight into the duke’s scarred relationship with his cancer-stricken father, saying the pair remain “distant.”
Prince Harry previously expressed disappointment at his estranged family’s lack of help amid his various legal battles.
King Charles, for his part, had been reluctant to even speak to his estranged son over fears there could be “serious legal jeopardy” given the duke’s ongoing legal case against the UK government.
Still, Prince Harry “feels very strongly this is something he must fight for,” a source told the outlet.
Communication between the father-son duo is virtually non-existent, as Prince Harry is no longer on speaking terms with his ailing father, 76.
What’s more, King Charles no longer takes his son’s calls or responds to his letters, according to those close to Harry.
In fact, Harry learned of his father’s hospitalisation on March 27 through the news, after Buckingham Palace didn’t let him know to avoid adding “to the drama.”
As a result, Harry remains in the dark about his father’s ongoing cancer battle.
“[The legal battle] puts Harry in direct contact with the people who are carrying out the king’s orders,” royal author Sally Bedell Smith told the outlet.
“If his father was to say something even seemingly innocuous, it could end up landing in the middle of the court case.”
Following the Sussexes’ US move, Harry and Meghan Markle, 43, released a series of tell-all projects about their time in the palace.
Their already damaged relationship with the royals was made worse with the release of their tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey in March 2021, and later their six-part Netflix documentary, Harry & Meghan, in which they dished on life in the palace.
But the final nail in the coffin proved to be Harry’s bombshell memoir, Spare, which hit shelves in January 2023.
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Originally published as Why Prince Harry’s surprise Ukraine visit left Prince William frustrated with palace officials
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