The Duchess of Edinburgh’s relationship with Ukraine’s First Lady has become notable, according to a royal commentator, with their friendship anchored in shared advocacy for women affected by war.
Author Sean Smith, whose 2025 biography Sophie: Saving the Royal Family charts her rise as a dependable modern royal, spoke exclusively to GB News about the friendship.
He said: “She is a personal friend of the First Lady, Olena Zelenska, another leading advocate for women.”
On 29 April 2024, Sophie made history by becoming the first member of the Royal Family to visit Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska in Kyiv.
The Presidential Office released details of the meeting, noting the Duchess’s longstanding advocacy for survivors.
The visit came during a time when both King Charles and Princess Kate had announced their cancer diagnoses and were taking a step back from the spotlight.
Mr Smith continued: “When it seemed the main actors were off stage for health and other reasons, Sophie was very much in the spotlight, especially when she was the first royal to visit Ukraine and met President Zelensky.”
The relationship between Sophie and Mrs Zelenska developed through the Duchess’s work on conflict-related sexual violence and Ukraine’s efforts to support survivors of war crimes.
Inside Sophie’s ‘personal friendship’ with Ukraine’s First Lady as advocacy work deepens
|
PA
During the visit, the Duchess paid respects in Bucha, spoke with survivors of torture and met volunteers supporting displaced families.
Her programme aligned with the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and the Women, Peace and Security agenda that has shaped her work for several years.
In subsequent months, the Duchess and Mrs Zelenska maintained contact through humanitarian initiatives.
The Ukrainian First Lady, who leads programmes on mental health and family reunification, has highlighted the Duchess’s contribution to awareness campaigns supporting survivors.
The Duchess of Edinburgh also travelled to Ukraine in April 2024 | GETTY
Officials in Kyiv have described their friendship as one grounded in shared priorities rather than protocol.
The friendship between the two women has likely strengthened Sophie’s international profile.
Often described as a modern working royal, the Duchess of Edinburgh likely tries to influence humanitarian policy through her multiple trips abroad.
It shows the value of royal soft diplomacy at a time when the monarchy seeks to project stability and service over spectacle.
The Duchess of Edinburgh became the first British royal to visit Ukraine | PA
In recent months, both Prince Harry and Princess Anne have also visited Ukraine, following in Sophie’s footsteps.
In autumn 2025, the Duchess carried out a humanitarian mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
She visited Panzi Hospital in Kinshasa and heard from survivors treated by Nobel laureate Dr Denis Mukwege’s medical team.
Since marrying Prince Edward in 1999, Sophie has been committed to improving protection for women and children in conflict areas.