Princess Anne's poignant gesture on top secret royal Ukraine trip

Princess Anne made a secret trip to Ukraine at the request of the Foreign Office to meet President Zelenskyy and visit a memorial which commemorates the children who have died since the start of the conflict. On Tuesday, she went on a one-day visit to highlight "the traumatic experiences of children living on the frontline of the conflict".

The Princess Royal laid a teddy bear at the special memorial commemorating the children who have died since the start of the conflict with First Lady Zelenska having earlier met with President Zelensky to discuss the UK's support for Ukraine.

During the visit to Kyiv, Her Royal Highness met female Police and Armed Forces representatives and heard about their vital role in the protection of women and children.

Visiting the Child Rights Protection Centre, The Princess Royal heard from families and children who have been returned and reintegrated and spoke to those working tirelessly to return more Ukrainian children.

Her Royal Highness also visited a Rehabilitation Centre, where she met Ukrainian veterans returning from the frontline, including service personnel learning to live with injuries and conflict-related trauma.+

The Princess Royal witnessed a canine therapy session and spoke to veterans adjusting to civilian life with disabilities and injuries sustained in combat.

Anne's jam-packed day also included a tour of St Sofia's Cathedral and a visit to the Kherson Cultural Exhibition.

The 75-year-old has become the second working royal to visit Ukraine, after the Duchess of Edinburgh's visit last April.

Prince Harry, who stepped down as a senior royal in 2020, has also visited the country twice this year to support those injured in war.

During the trip to the Ukrainian capital, he and a team from his Invictus Games Foundation are set to detail new initiatives to support the rehabilitation of the wounded, with the eventual aim of providing help to all areas of the country.

Speaking to the Guardian on an overnight train to the capital, the Duke of Sussex said: "We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process."

Prince Harry added: "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."