Princess Anne makes moving visit to Children’s Memorial in Ukraine and leaves personal tribute

The Princess Royal made a moving visit to the Children’s Memorial during her time in Ukraine and left a very personal tribute.

Princess Anne left a teddy bear at the memorial in Kyiv which commemorates all children and young people who have died since the start of the conflict.

The Princess visited the site with Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, during her time in Ukraine this week.

The two travelled to the memorial to make their tributes. Buckingham Palace said Princess Anne’s visit was to show support for children and families now living on the front line as the war which followed the Russian invasion of 2022 continues.

Anne bowed her head as she left the bear in memory of those lost. She was heard telling Olena Zelenska about the bear she left, saying it was ”one my daughter had” in reference to Zara Tindall.

The visit, made at the request of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Diplomatic Office, was only revealed after Princess Anne had returned.

The Princess met Ukraine’s President, Vlodomyr Zelenskyy, on her arrival and walked through part of Kyiv with him after presenting a letter from The King.

Their conversation covered the UK’s ongoing support for Ukraine in the war.

During her time in Kyiv, the Princess Royal also visited St. Sofia’s Cathedral which traces its history back 1000 years. It sustained minor damage from a blastwave following Russian strikes in Kyiv earlier this summer.

St. Sofia takes its name from the Haga Sophia in Constantinople and was originally designed to show Kyiv as a ”new” Constantinople.

It is is considered one of the most important historic landmarks in Ukraine and has been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. In 2023, as the conflict entered its second year, UNESCO placed St. Sofia on the List of World Heritage in Danger because of the threats posed by the war going on around it.

There was also a visit to a rehabilitation centre to meet some of those who have returned from fighting and who are recovering from injuries, both physical and mental.

The focus of this visit was support for families, young people and women involved in the conflict and Princess Anne met female representatives of the Ukrainian police and Armed Forces during her time in the country to hear about the protection of children, in particular, as the war continues.

Princess Anne visited the Child Rights Protection Centre where the difficult but vital work to return children taken from Ukraine to Russia goes on. Over 19,500 children have been forcibly taken to Russia since the start of the conflict. As work continues to bring them all home, the Centre is also involved in helping those who do return to settle back into everyday life in their home country.

During her time in Ukraine, the Princess Royal also travelled to the Kherson Cultural Exhibition which focuses on the spirit of the city which was occupied early on in the war and later freed by Ukrainian forces.

Princess Anne’s visit is the second to Ukraine by a senior member of the Royal Family following that of the Duchess of Edinburgh last year.

Sophie visited in April 2024, becoming the first member of the Royal Family to set foot in Kyiv since the start of the conflict. Like Princess Anne, the Duchess made her visit at the request of the Foreign Office. The focus of Sophie’s visit was to show solidarity and to highlight the impact of those affected by conflict related sexual violence.

Earlier in 2025, Prince Harry visited Ukraine and met members of the Invictus Games team there.