Queen Elizabeth Has A Message For Ukraine

Queen Elizabeth II plays an important, but ceremonial, role in the U.K. government, and like many monarchs before her, she has kept her political opinions private (via CNN). But that doesn't mean she doesn't pay attention to politics — the queen gets private dispatches about what's going on in parliament, according to Politico. And she scans through the daily British newspapers (per The Telegraph).

Traditionally, the rest of the royal family is also held to the standard of political neutrality. But that doesn't always happen. For example, the heir to the throne Prince Charles has gotten a slap on the wrist for writing letters to ministers and politicians voicing his opinion on a range of topics, per The Guardian. He also publicly railed against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling it "unconscionable," Vanity Fair reported. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, posted in support of Ukraine after Russia invaded in February 2022. Queen Elizabeth II has also shown her support for Ukraine. When she had her first in-person meeting since recovering from COVID-19 in early March, she met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and there was a bouquet of yellow and blue flowers — the colors of the Ukrainian flag, Marie Claire noted.

Queen Elizabeth sent another message of support to Ukraine on their Independence Day. The British Embassy in Kyiv tweeted Queen Elizabeth's words for Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 

"It gives me great pleasure to send Your Excellency and the people of Ukraine my warmest greetings on the celebration of your Independence Day. In this most challenging year, I hope that today will be a time for the Ukrainian people, both in Ukraine and around the world, to celebrate their culture, history and identity. May we look to better times in the future." She signed the address the way she signs official documents: "Elizabeth R", according to Harper's Bazaar. The queen doesn't specifically reference the Russia and Ukraine conflict, but it seems logical to assume that's what she's referencing when she said "this most challenging year."

And it's not all talk. Queen Elizabeth donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, as People reported.