In a rare move, Prince William and Kate Middleton publicly supported Ukraine as Russia continues to invade the Eastern European country.
“In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future,” The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrote in a statement on social media on Saturday.
“Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future.”
They ended the post with an emoji of the Ukraine flag and their initials “W & C.”
The support is a surprising move as members of the royal family do not usually comment on political matters.
While Queen Elizabeth II — who is recovering from COVID-19 — and Prince Charles have not yet spoken about the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, ex-royals Prince Harry and Meghan Markle released a statement in support of Ukraine as well 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 breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same,” a statement on the pair’s website read.
The royal family has never voted in a political election, although the Queen has encouraged citizens to vote in the past.
“The Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters,” the official royal website reads. “By convention, The Queen does not vote or stand for election.”
It’s unclear what Prince William and Kate’s statement means for the future of the crown’s political involvement.
