‘I will always be part of the royal family and I’m here, working’

Prince Harry arrived in Kyiv, Ukraine on Thursday. He gave the keynote address at a significant security conference, and he also spoke at an Invictus event. On Friday, Harry was in Bucha to meet with officials there, and he laid a wreath at a war memorial and did more work with veterans and the military. He met with some NATO commanders as well. Harry also did some work with his longtime patronage, The HALO Trust. The Russians have left mines across Ukraine, and the HALO Trust has been working tirelessly to demine. When Harry went to Kyiv last September, we learned that Harry is extremely popular within Ukraine, and that Ukraine’s Invictus team are all national heroes. This visit has solidified all of that – everyday Ukrainians have come out to see him, everyone wants to talk to him and one guy even got Harry to sign a hard copy of Spare.

For this trip, ITV’s Chris Ship traveled with Harry and Ship was given several big exclusives, including a one-on-one interview about the work of HALO and the war in Ukraine. The big moment, the moment everyone’s talking about, came in the second half of the interview. Ship asked Harry if he feels unburdened by not being a working royal anymore, and Harry first spoke about “I think the Overton Window has shifted somewhat over the past five years,” then said that he hopes everyone, especially people with power and influence, can freely speak their mind about injustice and “speak truth to power.” The “Overton Window” reference is FASCINATING!!! But the quote which has gotten everyone riled up comes around the 5:30-mark: “I will always be part of the royal family and I’m here, working and doing the very thing I was born to do. And I enjoy doing it.”

At the end, Ship asks Harry if he believes this Ukrainian visit will affect King Charles’s state visit to the US, and Harry hilariously shrugs off the question. Because… of course it won’t affect the state visit! Donald Trump has completely lost the plot in general, but specifically about Ukraine. And Charles won’t bring it up. Anyway, the usual suspects are hyperventilating about Harry’s answer that he’ll always be part of the royal family and he’ll always work. I heard glasses breaking in Forest Lodge! His brother has never, ever understood that Harry works because it’s his calling and he wants to make a difference. William has never seen his own work that way, as a calling, as a responsibility, as part of his noblesse oblige. William only sees work as something to be avoided at all cost.

Prince Harry: “It’s fantastic to see how HALO is using modern technologies to speed up the process of demining. The improvements and the ability to clear landmines faster is extraordinary.”

The Duke of Sussex today joined HALO for a demonstration of the latest demining… pic.twitter.com/0nMHHSozP3

— The HALO Trust (@TheHALOTrust) April 24, 2026

The People’s Prince.

Prince Harry greets Ukrainian military personnel. And signs a copy of his bestselling, record breaking book, Spare.#PrinceHarry pic.twitter.com/NQkSB9mQ3Y

— ChrisBaronSmith (@ChrisBaronSmit1) April 25, 2026

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, screencaps from The HALO Trust’s video.