:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/volodymyr-zelensky-king-charles-III-guard-of-honour-102425-5-6ab58cd74ea0463a9e9ada512dc3e035.jpg?ssl=1 "King Charles Welcomes President Zelenskyy to Windsor Castle with a Regal Ceremony")
NEED TO KNOW
- King Charles met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of Ukraine on Oct. 24 at Windsor Castle
- Charles, 76, has met Zelenskyy many times since the start of the country’s war with Russia in 2022
- The president is in the U.K. ahead of crucial talks with European leaders in London
King Charles gave President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a Guard of Honor welcome to Windsor Castle on Oct. 24.
In a previously unannounced visit, Zelenskyy, 47, arrived at the castle in Windsor, England, where he was greeted by the King. After a royal salute in which the Ukrainian national anthem was played, Zelenskyy was invited to inspect the Guard of Honor put on by the Grenadier Guards.
The King, 76 — who is just back from Italy, where he had a historic audience with Pope Leo — has met with Zelenskyy multiple times since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.
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Meetings have so far been limited to conversations behind closed doors, but the parade and military welcome was a new departure. After the pair inspected the guards on the lawn of the nearly 1,000-year-old castle, they were pictured chatting outdoors.
AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty
The pair last met in June, when Zelenskyy came to Windsor Castle.
King Charles met with the Ukrainian president at his private home, Sandringham, in Norfolk in March. The visit came shortly after Zelenskyy was involved in a heated Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance in February.
AARON CHOWN/POOL/AFP via Getty
Zelenskyy is in the U.K. ahead of crucial talks on the latest in the war and the bid to end the conflict, which are taking place in London this weekend. He will join several other European leaders and others virtually for the talks.
Before then, he met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, according to the BBC.
Joe Giddens – WPA Pool/Getty
Britain has been a European ally of Ukraine, helping to train forces and supplying the country with weapons and support. In 2023, Prince William visited British troops, who are supporting the effort on the border between Poland and Ukraine.
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Charles’ sister Princess Anne visited the country’s capital, Kyiv, in September. On one of her outings, Anne paid her respects at the Children’s Memorial alongside Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska.
As she lay a teddy bear at the memorial, which honors the children who have died since the invasion began, Anne said, “That was one that my daughter had.”
Also in September, Prince Harry, 41, made a surprise trip to the country to talk with veterans and highlight the work being done to aid rehabilitation.
