The Duchess of Cornwall tenderly embraced the teary wife of the Ukrainian ambassador this afternoon as she joined Prince Charles on a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London.
The royal couple were greeted by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski, Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko, and his wife, Inna Prystaiko, at the site near Bond Street.
Breaking from royal protocol, Camilla, 74, hugged Mrs Prystaiko, as the diplomat’s wife clearly looked emotional.
Inside the Cathedral, Their Royal Highnesses met children from the associated Ukrainian school in Holland Park, London and will receive a traditional offering of bread and salt.
In a small community room, the future King and Queen also met a group of Ukrainian school children, their mothers, leaders within the Ukrainian community, representatives across faith communities, volunteers helping the humanitarian effort, and leaders of His Royal Highness’s charities working to support the relief effort in Ukraine.
It comes just a day after Prince Charles said he ‘stood in solidary’ with Ukraine, in a rare political statement.
The Duchess of Cornwall tenderly embraced the teary wife of the Ukrainian ambassador this afternoon as she joined Prince Charles on a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London. Breaking from royal protocol, Camilla, 74, hugged Mrs Prystaiko, as the diplomat’s wife clearly looked emotional.
The royal couple were greeted by Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski (pictured) Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK Vadym Prystaiko, and his wife, Inna Prystaiko, at the site near Bond Street
Inside the Cathedral, Their Royal Highnesses lit a candle for under attack in Ukraine
The Prince of Wales said values of democracy are ‘under attack’ in Ukraine in the ‘most unconscionable way’ – as he blasted Vladimir Putin’s ‘path of violence’ for causing ‘appalling suffering and devastation’.
In 2014, the Queen’s first-born son allegedly compared Putin to Adolf Hitler during an official visit to Canada.
He reportedly made the comments while speaking to a former Polish war refugee about Russia’s actions in Ukraine – which saw Crimea annexed.
The Russian president said that if the prince had made such comments they were ‘wrong’ and ‘not royal behaviour’.
Charles and Camilla met with Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski (centre) and Vadym Prystaiko, and his wife, Inna Prystaiko (behind Charles and Camilla)
The trip comes as The Prince of Wales said values of democracy are ‘under attack’ in Ukraine in the ‘most unconscionable way’ – as he blasted Vladimir Putin’s ‘path of violence’ for causing ‘appalling suffering and devastation’.
Camilla shakes hands with Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski as the couple visit the Ukrainian Cathedral in London
Clarence House did not comment at the time.
It comes hours after Charles put on a dapper display as he attended the opening of a new cancer and surgery building at a London hospital.
The Prince of Wales, 73, showcased his charming style in a navy pinstripe suit and a polka dot tie when visiting the University College Hospital in Britain’s capital.
He officially opened the Grafton Way Building, which houses eight new theatres, a surgical ward, an imaging centre and a critical care unit.
Prince Charles (left) put on a dapper display as he attended the opening of a new cancer and surgery building at a London hospital
The Prince of Wales (left), 73, showcased his charming style in a navy pinstripe suit and a polka dot tie when visiting the University College Hospital in Britain’s capital
The royal (pictured left) officially opened the Grafton Way Building, which houses eight new theatres, a surgical ward, an imaging centre and a critical care unit
Mostly wearing a mask when walking around the hospital, Prince Charles spoke to hospital staff and unveiled a plaque to recognise the opening.
Elsewhere, consultant oncologist Dr Yen-Ching Chang, clinical lead for the Proton Beam Therapy service, showed the Prince of Wales equipment used in the treatment during the visit.
The royal also sat with Karen Dawson and her daughter, 12 year-old patient Louise Dawson, who is receiving Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) treatment (a type of radiotherapy) at the hospital.
On Tuesday the Prince of Wales commented on the Ukraine crisis as he officially made Southend-on-Sea a city following a years-long campaign by the late MP Sir David Amess – who was stabbed to death by a terrorist last year.
During his speech, the future King said he ‘stands in solidarity’ with the citizens of Ukraine as he praised Sir David for his dedication to the ‘values which underpin the society we share’.
Mostly wearing a mask when walking around the hospital, Prince Charles (left) spoke to hospital staff and unveiled a plaque to recognise the opening.
The royal also sat with Karen Dawson and her daughter, 12 year-old patient Louise Dawson, who is receiving Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) treatment (a type of radiotherapy) at the hospital
The Prince of Wales meets 12 year-old patient Louise Dawson, who is receiving Proton Beam Therapy treatment
The Prince of Wales unveils a plaque during a visit to open University College Hospital’s new flagship cancer and surgery building in London
He said: ‘We can only hope that those who are too often cynically dismissive of those in public life will look at his example of service.
‘No one could have given more for the values which underpin the society we share, values which appear all the more precious, at this present time, when we see more starkly than for many years, the appalling suffering and devastation caused when the path of violence is chosen.
‘What we saw in the terrible tragedy in Southend was an attack on democracy, on an open society, on freedom itself.
‘We are seeing those same values under attack today, in Ukraine, in the most unconscionable way.
On Tuesday the Prince of Wales (left) commented on the Ukraine crisis as he officially made Southend-on-Sea a city following a years-long campaign by the late MP Sir David Amess – who was stabbed to death by a terrorist last year
During his speech, the future King (above) said he ‘stands in solidarity’ with the citizens of Ukraine as he praised Sir David for his dedication to the ‘values which underpin the society we share’
Elsewhere, consultant oncologist Dr Yen-Ching Chang, clinical lead for the Proton Beam Therapy service, showed the Prince of Wales equipment used in the treatment during the visit
‘In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression.’
He added: ‘In the aftermath of Sir David’s brutal murder, the people of Southend-on-Sea came together in a remarkable and inspiring way to bring good out of evil.
‘In doing so, they demonstrated a deep truth: that what matters more than any name, whether of a person or a place, is the spirit.
‘Today, Southend becomes a city. As we celebrate and honour that fact, we remember that it is always, and crucially, a community.’
Charles is the first working royal to condemn Putin’s actions, which have seen hundreds of civilians killed – and thousands of soldiers slain.
