Prince Harry admits he needed Meghan's permission to visit Ukraine for key reason

Prince Harry is visiting Ukraine with the Invictus Foundationto help promote the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers, in a surprise visit to Kyiv following his rare UK trip.

He previously visited the country in April, when he went to Lyiv in the west of the war-torn country, where he visited the Superhumans Trauma Centre that treats amputees.

The Duke of Sussex has long worked closely with wounded servicepeople through the Invictus Games, which he launched in 2014 after leaving the Armed Forces himself.

This time, he has gone closer to the conflict by visiting Kyiv, where key government buildings were hit by Russian missiles last weekend. But, he admitted, he had to ask his wife, Meghan, one crucial question before making the journey to Ukraine.

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The Duke told the Guardian that the idea of first visiting Kyiv was floated by Olga Rudnieva, who is the CEO and Founder of the Superhuman Centre, after he ran into her in New York in a "chance meeting".

Harry made it clear he wanted to do whatever he could to help her organisation, and Olga told him that bar none, a real-life visit to Kyiv would help them out, bringing the bright spotlight that is constantly trained on the Duke with him.

But Harry admitted, "I had to check with my wife and the British government to make sure it was OK."

Once both Meghan and the UK government had given his visit the all clear, he was officially invited by the Ukrainian government.

His visit comes only two days after three Russian drones were shot down from Poland's airspace - and NATO members are sending weapons, troops, and air defence systems to secure its Eastern flank, with a UN Security Council session due to take place today about the seeming incursion into NATO territory.

Alongside Invictus, Harry is set to announce more details about programmes to help those wounded by the conflict, aiming to provide support throughout the entire country. Current estimates are that 130,000 people are permanently disabled from the war, and Harry said he was determined to help the injured.

"We cannot stop the war, but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process," he told the Guardian.

"We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through. We have to keep it in the forefront of people's minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on."

During his four days in the UK, Harry took part in several engagements with charities he has long worked with, including the WellChild Awards, and announced a whopping £1.1 million donation to Children in Need.

The Duke of Sussex, who came to the UK solo, leaving his family behind in California, also reunited with his father, King Charles, for the first time in 19 months while he was in his home country. The last time the pair met was shortly after the monarch announced he had been diagnosed with cancer.

Harry spent nearly an hour with his father at Clarence House, but has yet to reconcile with his elder brother, Prince William, with whom relations remain pretty icy.

William, like his brother and father, has shown major support to Ukraine during the conflict, visiting British troops in Poland near the border with the wartorn country back in 2023 and thanking them for "defending our freedoms".

He also spent two days in Estonia, strategically crucial in NATO's eastern flank, where he met with troops and Ukrainian refugees. The heir to the throne reportedly also wanted to visit Ukraine itself, but his visit was blocked due to "security concerns".