Prince Harry was better protected in war-ravaged Ukraine than on the streets of the UK, a source close to the émigré royal told MailOnline today.
The Duke of Sussex has been accused of hypocrisy after he met dozens of wounded soldiers in Lviv yesterday despite claiming he and his family cannot be safe in Britain without taxpayer-funded police bodyguards.
An insider has told MailOnline that it is 'simply incorrect' to suggest the Ukraine trip contradicts Harry's UK safety concerns or undermines his High Court case, claiming the team protecting him was 'more robust' than in Britain.
Lviv that has been pummeled by Russian jets, missiles and kamikaze drones at least 30 times since the war began in 2022 - with at least 33 civilians killed and hundreds more injured.
But a source close to Harry has claimed that the level of protection on his Ukrainian trip was better than what he receives in the UK.
'He can go to Ukraine - a country with an active warzone - because he has a robust security detail, one that he does not have in his home country', they said.
Harry left the UK secretly, and without informing Buckingham Palace, early on Thursday and is understood to have landed at an unnamed airport in Poland.
He was given a police escort to and from the Polish border and former Ukrainian military personnel accompanied him to the Superhumans rehabilitation centre in Lviv where he met adults and children who have been injured since war broke out in 2022.
'The work doesn’t stop because somewhere is dangerous – the responsibility is to have the appropriate safety measures in place, which this visit did. Similar to previous visits to Colombia and Nigeria in 2024', a source has claimed.
'Whilst in the UK, the Duke receives no such support that some other countries provide', they added.
Prince Harry talks with a person wounded in the war with Russia at the Superhumans Center in Lviv on Thursday
Harry just spent two days in the London High Court fighting for his security after quitting the Royal Family where his lawyer said his 'life was at stake'
The aftermath of a Russian missile attack on Lviv in September last year, where seven died including three children
'The Duke’s case in the UK is simple – he wants to be treated the same as everyone else that is being considered for protective security by RAVEC' - the Home Office's committee where it considers personal protection for royalty and other VIPs.
Harry's personal protection was downgraded when he and Meghan Markle quit as working royals and emigrated to the United States.
The British prince feels he has been 'singled out' for 'unjustified, inferior treatment' ever since and the UK is not safe for him to visit with his family.
An injured man walks with paramedics after a Russian drone and missile strike on Lviv last year
2022: 7 dead
APR 2022: Seven dead, 11 injured
2023: 16 dead
MAR 2023: 5 dead
JUL 2023: 10 dead, 42 injured
SEP 2023: One dead
2024: 10 dead
MAR 2024: Two dead
SEP 2024: Seven dead
NOV 2024: One dead
TOTAL: 33 deaths
Harry looked visibly moved as he met people who had been maimed by Russian attacks on Ukraine.
At least 33 people are believed to have lost their lives in bombings in the city since 2022 - in one attack late last year seven people were killed, including three children, and 50 were injured when Russia attacked with drones and hypersonic missiles. The last attack was in November.
Yet yesterday Harry flew in after two days in London to argue in the High Court that he, Meghan Markle and their two children are not safe to come to Britain.
His barrister claimed the prince, who is believed to have earned $120million from Netflix and Spotify and lives in a $15million Montecito mansion, must have his full taxpayer-funded bodyguards restored when in the UK because his 'life is at stake'. His lawyers said 'Al Qaeda called for the duke to be murdered' saying 'his assassination would please the Muslim community'.
Harry is now the most senior royal to visit Ukraine but is not believed to have informed Buckingham Palace in advance of his trip. It is also been branded 'highly political' in view of Donald Trump's policy on Ukraine.
Veteran royal correspondent and commentator Richard Palmer said: 'The reaction has been uniform. People are saying "hang on he's come over because he needs police protection because he's not safe in the UK. But then he's gone to a warzone in Ukraine".'
'While the city is not on the frontline - it is getting regular bombardments so is quite a dangerous place to go.'
He went on: 'I'm sure it will not go down with some in the Trump camp. It is a public show of support for Zelensky and Ukraine. So that may make life a little less comfortable for him in the US when he gets back.
'Harry has also wiped King Charles and Queen Camilla off some of the front pages today, which is unfortunate,' he added.
Piers Morgan went further and said he is a 'hypocrite' and claimed the Ukraine trip made Harry look as 'dumb as a rock'.
A resident runs away from a fire following Russia's drone attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine, last week
The Duke of Sussex on Thursday visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates injured military personnel and civilians.
Photos shared in the evening showed the royal with a smile ear-to-ear, posing with dozens of wounded soldiers.
One image showed the Duke with a solemn expression as he chatted to a visibly injured youngster.
The visit to the area in western Ukraine, that has frequently been targeted with Russian missiles, was not announced until after Harry was out of the country.
The Duke travelled to Ukraine after spending two days in the Royal Courts of Justice in London, where he is appealing the decision to strip him of his government-funded protection.
It came after he quit working as a member of the Royal Family in 2020 following Megxit.
The Duke flew 5,000 miles from his home in California to attend the two-day hearing to win automatic state security for him, his wife Meghan Markle and their two children Archie and Lilibet.
Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, has long made helping injured soldiers one of his most prominent causes - founding the Invictus Games in 2014 to offer wounded veterans the chance to compete in sports events similar to the Paralympics.
Harry visited the Superhumans Centre in Lviv, an orthopaedic clinic and rehabilitation centre
Tthe Duke of Sussex (front, centre right) during a visit to Ukraine to meet war victims
The Duke of Sussex during a visit to Ukraine to meet war victims in an unannounced trip
The prince was joined in Ukraine by a contingent from the Invictus Games Foundation, including four veterans who have been through similar rehabilitation experiences.
The centre offers prosthetics, reconstructive surgery and psychological help free of charge.
Harry was invited by the chief executive of Superhumans Centre, Olga Rudneva, a year ago and again at Invictus Games in February.
He was joined by a group from the Invictus Games Foundation, including four veterans who have been through similar experiences to the veterans and civilians who are being rehabilitated at this centre.
They toured the centre, met patients and medical professionals, and visited with the surgical team to better understand the state-of-the-art services being provided.
The Superhumans Centre's central clinic is on the grounds of Y.Lypa Veterans Hospital
The clinic sees more than 3,000 patients a year, according to the Superhumans website
The organisation provides specialist prosthetics, mental health support and physiotherapy
Injured veterans and civilians are helped free of charge by the Superhumans Clinic in Lviv
The orthopaedic clinic and rehabilitation centre is for adults and children
The organisation provides specialist prosthetics, mental health support and physiotherapy
The Duke also met with members of the Ukrainian Invictus community as part of the visit, underlining the Foundation's dedication to empowering individuals affected by conflict and injury.
Harry met with Ukraine's Minister of Veterans Affairs, Natalia Kalmykova and reconnected with members of the Ukranian Invictus Games community, including Yulia (Taira) Paievska, a Team Ukraine competitor.
While in London's High Court this week, the Prince claimed he was 'singled out' for 'inferior treatment' when the Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures (Ravec) stripped him of his top-level security in February 2020 after he moved out of the UK.
But Sir James Eadie KC, representing the Home Office, said it had discretion to strip his guaranteed full time police security without consulting the Risk Management Board (RMB) quango.
The Duke of Sussex met war victims in Ukraine in an unannounced visit
The Duke of Sussex met war victims in Ukraine in an unannounced visit yesterday
During the visit, the Duke toured the centre and met patients and medical professionals
Harry learn about the services that are provided at the clinic in Lviv
A spokesman for Harry said the visit was part of his ongoing work supporting injured veterans
Harry is a former British Army captain who served on the front line in Afghanistan
The Duke was joined by people from the Invictus Games Foundation on yesteday's visit
Harry has long supported former service personnel, having established the Invictus Games
The Duke toured the centre and met patients and medical professionals during the visit
The Superhumans Centre's central clinic is on the grounds of Y.Lypa Veterans Hospital
The Duke of Sussex met war victims in Ukraine in the unannounced visit yesterday
'RMB risk analysis is the usual approach in usual cases,' he told the High Court. 'But there is nothing about the appellant's [Prince Harry's] announcement in January 2020 that he was to step back from his role in the Royal family, and spend most of the time abroad, that was usual.'
The California-based royal is challenging the dismissal of his High Court legal action against the Home Office.
It stems from the decision by Ravec that he should receive a different degree of protection when in the country of his birth because he stepped down as a full-time royal. The case has cost the British taxpayer £500,000 so far.
Prince Harry's lawyer Shaheed Fatima KC insisted that Ravec failed to follow its own guidelines and should have commissioned an assessment of the Duke's security needs from the Risk Management Board (RMB).
The prince is no stranger to war, having served two tours in Afghanistan, where he flew missions as an Apache helicopter copilot gunner.
Harry, 40, is the second member of the royal family to visit Ukraine. His aunt, Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, became the first British royal to travel to the country since Russia's 2022 invasion when she made an unannounced visit to Kyiv last year.
The royal family has been outspoken in their support for Ukraine. King Charles warmly greeted President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a show of support at his estate on the North Sea coast just two days after his extraordinary dressing down by U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Harry's older brother, Prince William, met with Ukrainian refugees during a two day visit to Estonia last month.
