Queen Elizabeth II Makes Unexpected Private Donation for Ukraine Relief

Queen Elizabeth II has made an unexpected show of support for the people of Ukraine following the invasion of Russian forces last week.

The Queen, who does not make political statements unless advised to by her government, made a private donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal it was revealed last night, Thursday.

In a tweet thanking the Queen, the DEC stated that the 95-year-old monarch had made a "generous" donation to the appeal.

The statement read: "Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to support the Disaster Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal."

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are also understood to have made a private donation to the appeal, according to The Telegraph.

The DEC is a committee which brings together 15 of Britain's leading charities, including the British Red Cross of which the Queen is a patron, in order to fundraise quickly and effectively in instances of worldwide humanitarian disasters.

This is the Queen's first public acknowledgement of the situation in Ukraine following its invasion by Russian forces last week. Other members of the royal family have released public statements of solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

This comes after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were the first royals to publicly speak out against the conflict.

A statement released by their charity Archewell read: "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."

The couple received a wave of backlash following the release of the statement with accusations of "jumping on the bandwagon" and "attention seeking" being charged against them online.

A vocal critic of Harry and Meghan, broadcaster Piers Morgan tweeted: "This will really rattle Putin."

Subsequent statements made by members of the royal family have not received such criticism.

In response to a tweet made by Prince William and Kate Middleton the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, sent a personal message of gratitude to the couple on behalf of himself and his wife.

It read: "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."

Prince Charles this week also made an impromptu speech in support of Ukraine, praising the "extraordinary bravery, generosity and fortitude of the Ukrainian community."

The Queen's reservedness to pass official comment on political issues forms part of her duty as a constitutional monarch.

However, her "generous" personal donation to assist humanitarian aid in reaching the Ukrainian people is a public display of humanity regardless of her official responsibility to remain apolitical.