Prince Michael of Kent, who is the cousin
of the Queen, has returned the Order of Friendship award he was
given by the Kremlin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The news was confirmed in a statement released on Thursday that simply
said: “I can confirm that HRH Prince Michael of Kent is returning his
Russian Order of Friendship. There will be no further comment.” Michael
was given the award, which is one of the top awards from Russia, in 2009 by
the then Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev.
Michael has close ties to Russia, and through his grandmother, the Grand
Duchess Elena Vladimirovna, he is related to the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas
II.
He attended the family’s burial in 1998 and is also patron to organizations
with close links to Russia like the Russo-British Chamber of Commerce and the
St Gregory’s Foundation.
The royals have been vocal in their support of Ukraine following
Russia’s invasion last week, with the Queen making a “generous” donation to
the Disaster Emergency Committee.
Taking to Twitter, the organization, which brings together 15 major UK
charities to quickly co-ordinate responses to overseas incidents, thanked Her
Majesty, tagging the royal family’s account.
 |
The royal has close links to Russia
They wrote: “Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to
support the Disasters Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to
the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. @RoyalFamily #UkraineAppeal.”
On Wednesday, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall paid a visit to the Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in
London.
The Prince spoke to invited guests from the Ukrainian community in the
UK in a heartfelt address.
He said: “I must say my wife and I have been deeply moved by
everything we’ve heard today during our visit and above all by the
extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community in
the face of such truly terrible aggression.”
 |
The royals have offered their support to Ukraine
Camilla appeared close to tears as leading members of the UK’s Ukrainian
community welcomed the couple by singing a mournful version of the song Chervona
Kalyna, Red Guelder Rose, which was sung by Ukrainian insurgents during
the Second World War.
Charles is understood to have approached the Ukrainian community
offering his support and he brought representatives from five humanitarian
organizations he is connected with to offer practical support.
And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy personally thanked the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their message of support.
The royal couple shared a personal tweet in support of Ukraine on
Saturday, 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.”
