Princess Kate meets Ukrainian refugees who have moved to the UK

There Princess Kate visited some Ukrainian families who have settled in their new homes in the UK, continuing to show his support for refugees in the country.

On Thursday the princess stopped at Reading Ukrainian Community Centre to meet those who have been displaced from their homes by the ongoing war with Russia. During the visit, she also learned how the community center is helping these refugees establish their new lives in the UK and put down roots. Upon her arrival, the royal was greeted with a traditional Ukrainian cake and she learned how the organization has adapted its services and offerings to better support this influx of families.

Kate has met with some of these families to hear their first-hand experiences and has even joined their children for an art lesson. The community center hosts these kinds of creative sessions monthly to give the kids the opportunity to connect with each other, express their emotions about everything they’ve been through in the past few months, and most importantly, have fun. A 5-year-old girl in the class took the princess particularly to heart, drawing a heart and a rainbow and writing ‘Kate I love you’ next to her. The little girl then posed for a photo with the royal sitting on her lap. Kate wore a special dress for the occasion, opting for a blue dress with yellow polka dots as a subtle nod to the Ukrainian flag.

Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, Princess Kate and her husband, the prince william, expressed their support for the Ukrainian people. In February, shortly after the initial invasion, the royal couple released a joint statement saying they stood by the Ukrainian people, writing on Twitter: “In October 2020, we had the privilege of meeting President Zelensky and the First Lady to learn about their hope and optimism for the future of Ukraine. Today we stand by the president and all the Ukrainian people who are fighting courageously for that future,” concluding with a Ukrainian flag emoji and their initials W & C.

A couple of weeks after this announcement, the Prince and Princess of Wales also paid a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Center in London, where they helped sort and pack donations intended for some of the more than 1 million refugees who have fled the country since it began. of the Russian invasion. For the occasion, Kate and William wore matching blue and yellow Ukrainian flag pins and Kate also wore a bright blue Alexander McQueen sweater. The royals also contributed by offering homemade brownies and granola bars to share with all the volunteers.

Last week, their Royal Foundation hosted a virtual roundtable to share best practices in support of the Ukrainian First Lady’s mental health strategy Olena Zelenska. This initiative was launched in August as a means of addressing the emotional and mental impact the ongoing war is having on all Ukrainians.