Prince Harry delivered an impassioned speech during a surprise visit to war-torn Kyiv, but his strong words about the US leadership may not go down well with President Donald Trump
Prince Harry’s latest visit to Ukraine could make things “uncomfortable” back home in California after his strongly-worded statement targeted US President Donald Trump.
The Duke of Sussex made the trip to Kyiv after he and Meghan Markle wrapped-up their four-day stay in Australia. In a lengthy speech at the Kyiv Security Forum this morning, Harry “laid down a challenge” for American leadership to play its part in ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
“This is a moment for American leadership, a moment for America, to show that it can honour its international treaty obligations – not out of charity, but out of its enduring role in global security and strategic stability,” he told the delegates.
READ MORE: Prince Harry ‘more unhappy than he’s ever been’ as ‘reason’ for sad outbursts explainedREAD MORE: ‘I worked for King Charles – detail in Prince Louis birthday photo surprises me’
Royal writer Richard Palmer tells the Mirror that Harry’s public display of support for Ukraine – and his “almost admonishment” of the US and UK – will likely not make him any friends in the US Government or amongst supporters of President Trump.
“He sort of laid down a challenge for the US, and that won’t go down well with Trump at all,” he said. “The MAGA [Make America Great Again] movement does not like Harry and Meghan, so this will probably only make things worse in that sense. It may well be a little uncomfortable for Harry because of the visa issue.”
Following the release of Harry’s memoir Spare, in which he admitted taking various substances such as magic mushrooms and marijuana in his youth, the right-wing think tank Heritage Foundation sued the Department of Homeland Security in an effort to force them to release his immigration papers.
Under US visa rules, even an admission of something that might constitute a violation of any American law – including consuming illegal substances – would usually result in refused entry. The Foundation questioned whether Harry disclosed the information in his visa application prior to him moving to the US with Meghan in 2020, and whether he had received preferential treatment – which the Trump Administration has denied.
Harry also directly addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin in his Kyiv speech, urging him to “stop this war” as he said “no nation benefits from the continued loss of life we are witnessing”.
Using words which bared a striking similarity to those delivered by his late mother, Princess Diana, during her campaign against landmines, the dad of two said he was not there as a politician, but “as a soldier, who understands service, as a humanitarian who has seen the human cost of conflict, and as a friend of Ukraine who believes the world must not grow used to this war or numb to its consequences.”
During her history-making trip to Angola in January 1997, Princess Diana told reporters: “I am not a political figure. I am a humanitarian figure and always have been and always will be.”
According to royal expert Richard, the Duke of Sussex deserves credit for undertaking the surprise trip to Ukraine’s war-torn capital.
“We haven’t seen King Charles or Prince William go to Ukraine, so fair play to Harry. His remarks will be celebrated by President Zelenskyy and his aides, and probably be a useful boost for Ukraine at this time.”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
