Queen Camilla hosts Ukraine’s first lady at Clarence House
Queen Camilla hosted Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska at Clarence House on Thursday.
Camilla welcomed the wife of the Ukrainian president to her London residence where the pair were pictured in conversation as they sat in the garden room.
Their meeting came just days after the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The pair met previously in November 2022 at a Buckingham Palace reception to raise awareness of violence against women.
Ms Zelenska was also a guest at the King and Queen’s coronation last May, representing her war-torn nation with its prime minister Denys Shmyhal. She also attended the late Queen’s funeral.
The King, who is receiving ongoing treatment for cancer, was not present on Thursday.
Ms Zelenska thanked the Queen for the King’s message of support to Ukraine on the second anniversary of the conflict – and said how much it had meant to her nation.
Camilla spoke of how the UK was thinking of Ukraine as it marked the sad milestone.
They also discussed the bravery and resilience of Ukrainians and the UK’s determination to support the nation.
Camilla thanked Ms Zelenska for her presence at the late Queen’s funeral and at Charles’s coronation.
They are also understood to have spoken of the impact of the war on women and children, the mental and physical scars it has left, and how the UK can assist in caring for them.
Camilla has been dubbed the monarchy’s “saviour” and praised for keeping “the show on the road” in the King’s absence and while the Princess of Wales is recovering from abdominal surgery.
She led the royal family at the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece earlier this week, with the Prince of Wales also absent at the last minute due to an unexplained personal matter.
Camilla’s meeting with Ms Zelenska took place on the advice of Foreign Office and lasted around 30 minutes, the Palace said.
