Queen Elizabeth Makes Private Donation to Ukraine Relief Efforts

The queen's donation comes days after Prince William, Kate, Prince Charles and Camilla showed their support for the Ukrainian people.

Queen Elizabeth II is lending her support to the people of Ukraine.

A Buckingham Palace source confirmed to ET that the queen has made a generous donation privately to the Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian appeal.

The donation is unusual for the queen, the source shared, who usually stays neutral when it comes to politics.

"This is unusual for the royal family as they typically stay out of politics and don’t provide monetary support," the palace's source told ET.

The queen's private donation comes after the royal family's outward support for the Ukrainian people, with Prince William and Kate Middleton and Prince Charles and Camilla Parker-Bowles, all putting on a united front amid Russia's unprovoked attacks on Ukraine.

Over the weekend, William and Kate issued a statement via their verified Twitter account, writing, "In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraine’s future. Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraine’s people as they bravely fight for that future 🇺🇦 W & C."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on Tuesday on his own Twitter account, writing, "Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge @RoyalFamily that at this crucial time, when Ukraine is courageously opposing Russia's invasion, they stand by our country and support our brave citizens. Good will triumph." 

William's father also spoke out on Tuesday during a visit to Southend-On-Sea honoring the late Sir David Amess, an MP who was murdered in 2021. In a speech, Charles called Amess' killing "an attack on democracy," adding, "We are seeing those same values under attack today in Ukraine in the most unconscionable way. In the stand we take here, we are in solidarity with all those who are resisting brutal aggression."

Meanwhile, Prince Harry, and his wife, Meghan Markle, who officially stepped down as working royals last year, also released a statement of solidarity on their Archewell Foundation website last week, writing, "Prince Harry and Meghan, The Duke and Duchess of Sussex and all of us at Archewell stand with the people of Ukraine against this breach of international and humanitarian law and encourage the global community and its leaders to do the same."

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