King Charles III met with Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska to officially open a new welcoming centre for Ukrainian refugees in the UK’s capital.
His Majesty and Ms Zelenska arrived at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in London, where they were welcomed by some of the people who work in the centre.
The duo had a chance to meet with staff and volunteers that run the facility, as well as listen to the stories of some of the families currently hosted in the centre. Many people have gone through the unimaginable just to get out of the country, which has seen increased shelling on vital civilian infrastructure, making life extremely difficult.
To conclude the event, the King and the First Lady unveiled a plaque commemorating their visit, which reads: “To commemorate the official opening of the Ukrainian Welcome Centre by His Majesty King Charles III on 30th November 2022.”
The Welcome Centre at the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral was created to be “a point of contact for all essential information on arriving, settling and long term living in the UK,” according to Buckingham Palace’s official statement.
But it also serves as a point for social contact between the displaced, which in turn helps them not to lose sight of their traditional culture and heritage, something that must be on their mind, particularly during these festivities.
The Ukrainian First Lady is in the UK for a couple of days to carry out a series of engagements focused on mental health after trauma. She also attended the conference hosted by Queen Camilla at Buckingham Palace to mark the UN’s “16 Days for the Elimination of Violence Against Women” campaign, which saw her meet other royals from Europe and the Middle East, like Queen Mathilde of the Belgians, Queen Rania of Jordan and Crown Princess Mary of Denmark.
The British Royal Family has been engaged in helping Ukraine since the very first day of the Russian invasion of the country, on 24 February. Even the late Queen Elizabeth II, who generally stayed out of politics, showed her support often by dressing in blue and yellow or displaying flower arrangements bearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag.
The Princess of Wales has been in constant contact with First Lady Zelenska to keep up the collaboration on children’s mental health following the trauma of war that turned their lives upside down.
