What you need to know
King Charles gave a guard of honor to President Volodymyr Zelensky at Windsor Castle on October 24.
In a previously unannounced visit, Zelenskiy, 47, arrived at England’s Windsor Castle, where he was greeted by the king. After the royal salute, during which the Ukrainian national anthem was played, President Zelensky was invited to inspect the guard of honor, equipped with the Grenadier Guards.
The 76-year-old king, who just returned from Italy where he had a historic audience with Pope Leo, has met with President Zelenskiy numerous times since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
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The parade and military welcome marked a new start, although previous meetings had been limited to conversations behind closed doors. The two were photographed chatting outside after inspecting security guards on the lawn of the nearly 1,000-year-old castle.
Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP (via Getty)
The two last met in June when Zelenskiy visited Windsor Castle.
King Charles met with the President of Ukraine at Sandringham’s private residence in Norfolk in March. The visit comes shortly after Zelenskiy participated in a heated Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in February.
Aaron Chown/Pool/AFP (via Getty)
President Zelenskiy is in the UK ahead of important talks in London this weekend on the latest developments in the war and efforts to end the conflict. He will participate in virtual talks with other European leaders.
Before that, he met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to the BBC.
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Britain is Ukraine’s European ally, helping train its military and supplying the country with weapons and support. In 2023, Prince William visited British troops supporting operations on the border between Poland and Ukraine.
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Prince Charles’ sister Princess Anne visited the capital Kiev in September. During the outing, Anne paid tribute to the Children’s Monument with Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska.
“That belonged to my daughter,” Anne said as she placed a teddy bear at a memorial to children who died since the invasion began.
Also in September, Prince Harry, 41, made a surprise visit to the country to speak to veterans and highlight the work being done to support their rehabilitation.
