She met with the President and First Lady, to whom she conveyed a private message from the King of Great Britain, and also visited the mass grave site in Bucha.
The Duchess of Edinburgh Sophie Gehlen arrived in Kyiv for the first time on Monday, April 29. This is also the first visit by a member of the British royal family since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in 2014, Sky News reports.
Duchess Sophie's visit, at the request of the British Foreign Office, was to "show solidarity with the women, men and children affected by war."
In Kyiv, the Duchess of Edinburgh met with President Vladimir Zelensky and First Lady Elena Zelenskaya. She gave them a personal message from the British King Charles III.
Sophie also met with internally displaced persons and visited the mass grave site in Bucha, where victims of the Russian occupation are buried.
“I have visited many countries that are in the midst of conflict or after it has ended, but unfortunately the situation is very similar wherever I go. It is true that women and girls pay a high price in terms of human costs when it comes to being used as weapons of war. Rape is used for degradation and destruction. And we must try to prevent this. And where we cannot prevent this, we must take measures to support those who have become victims of such crimes,” emphasized Sophie Gehlen.
The Duchess also met with residents of Irpin and Bucha – and noted “how they help their communities in times of despair and need.”
“I will take their stories home with me – in my heart,” she said.
Duchess Sophie also visited the St. Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv with Elena Zelenskaya.