King Charles has spoken out against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a wholly unprecedented move.
The monarch made the comments while delivering a speech at the French Senate this morning, and described the war as “horrifying”.
He said Ukraine must win its war and invoked the unity of Britain and De Gaulle’s Free French movement in the Second World War as an example of the need to stand together against “unprovoked aggression on our continent”.
Switching from speaking in English to French, he added: “Together we are steadfast in our determination Ukraine will triumph and that our cherished freedoms will prevail.”
It’s not the first time the King has spoken out against Russia’s invasion, in what has been seen as a huge shift from the subte statements his mother Queen Elizabeth had made on the war and other international crises.
Shortly after the war broke out in 2022 – when he was Prince of Wales – Charles referred to Putin’s actions as “brutal aggression”.
In a message to President Zelensky in August he referred to the war as “the challenging year” Ukraine has faced.
On the anniversary of the invasion, the King said: “The people of Ukraine have suffered unimaginably from an unprovoked full-scale attack on their nation.
“They have shown truly remarkable courage and resilience in the face of such human tragedy.”
MORE FOLLOWS…
