Overview
- On Sept. 12 the duke visited Kyiv to meet veterans and families, where he hugged the mother of a former Invictus captain who was killed in the conflict.
- He traveled with the Invictus Games Foundation to emphasize recovery and rehabilitation programs for wounded service members.
- The trip was made at the invitation of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko and Superhumans trauma centre CEO Olga Rudnieva, including a fundraiser appearance in the capital.
- Invictus official Josh Boggi described an enthusiastic reception and cited a veterans’ ministry estimate of about 1.5 million Ukrainian veterans, with roughly 10% facing life‑changing injuries.
- En route he quietly stopped at a Polish border food truck, and after the Kyiv tour he returned to California for his 41st birthday, reportedly receiving numerous gifts including an ornate cane concealing a dagger.