Did Zelensky just snub Meghan and Harry in front of the whole world?
It sure looks like it.
See why and more, right here.
The royal family typically stays out of politics, but Prince William and Kate Middleton recently
broke ranks to share their support for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following the
devastating invasion of his country by Russian troops.
"We are fighting… just for our land… and for our freedom."
In a statement on their official Twitter account, the couple wrote:
"In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelensky 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."
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge met Zelenskyy and his wife during a visit to Buckingham
Palace as part of an audience with the queen.
It's worth noting the monarch herself has yet to comment on the unfolding situation,
but, considering her ongoing health troubles, that won't come as much surprise.
Elsewhere, royal breakaways Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made a powerful joint statement
on their Archewell website.
Describing the invasion as a "breach of international and humanitarian law," they wrote:
"We stand with the people of Ukraine."
However, one of these couples was noticeably left out when Zelensky praised the royals
for speaking up.
He took to Twitter to thank Prince William and Kate Middleton for their recent support
of his nation, writing:
"Olena and I are grateful to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge 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."
Zelenskyy has also tweeted his thanks to King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the
Netherlands for their support during the crisis.
However, he hasn't mentioned Prince Harry or Meghan Markle.
It's entirely possible the Ukrainian leader privately thanked Meghan and Harry, or perhaps
he didn't feel it was necessary to publicly acknowledge their statement.
After all, the Sussexes gave up being working royals over a year ago and are therefore free
to comment on any political situation they like.
In contrast, William and Kate are taking something of a political risk by giving their take on
the ongoing crisis, since they're still active members of the royal family who generally
refrain from weighing in on such matters.
It's worth noting that Meghan and Harry reiterated their public support of Ukraine while accepting
the President's Award at the recent NAACP Image Awards on February 26th.
In the three minutes of speaking time the couple were given, Harry encouraged people
to stand with Ukraine.
He said:
"We would like to acknowledge the people of Ukraine who urgently need our continued support
as a global community."
While Ukraine's president may not have acknowledged Harry and Meghan's efforts in drumming up
support for the besieged nation, the rest of the world has made note of their efforts.
As one Twitter user said:
"I applaud Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan for standing up for [...] Ukraine.
It was a beautiful speech, and I know they stand behind their words."
Another supporter of the couple wrote:
"Harry and Meghan are indeed leaders leading with compassion."
Unfortunately, the President of Ukraine was not the only person to dismiss Harry and Meghan's
message of support.
In fact, some outright condemned it.
The couple's Archewell non-profit was created to focus on issues in the United States, after
all, and some U.K. residents were disappointed by the charity excluding Harry's home country,
only to rally support around Ukraine.
Perhaps least surprisingly of all, the couple received backlash from several prominent British
commentators.
TV personality Piers Morgan, who has always been first in line to criticize the Sussexes,
sarcastically responded to their Archewell post:
"This will really rattle Putin."
Meanwhile, Richard Eden, a Daily Mail editor, made pretty much the exact same joke, writing:
"It's all over for Putin."
The response to Meghan and Harry's show of support for Ukraine certainly serves as a
sharp contrast to the response Kate and William received.
Not only were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge acknowledged by President Zelensky, but Meghan
and Harry's message was met with a far less pleasant response, overall.
People were quick to point out the discrepancy, with one person noting on Twitter that the
British tabloids have "praise[d] the Cambridges for doing the same thing they ridicule the
Sussexes for doing."
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