'THANK YOU FOR KEEPING EVERYONE SAFE'

THE PRINCE OF WALES PAYS TRIBUTE TO TROOPS AND MEETS UKRAINIAN REFUGEES ON A SURPRISE VISIT TO POLAND

- LESLEY JONES

Prince William laid a wreath last Thursday at a monument in Warsaw dedicated to Polish soldiers. Paying his respects on the second day of an unannounced trip to Poland, the Prince of Wales cut a sombre figure as he laid the floral garland at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, just as his beloved grandparents, the late Queen Elizabeth II and Duke of Edinburgh, had done during their state visit to the country in 1996.

William, 40, was greeted by a guard of honour before carrying the wreath to the monument. It bore a note reading, "In memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice."

Curious bystanders stopped to watch as the prince, whose visit had not been announced in advance for security reasons, took part in the ceremony.

William then went on to meet President Andrzej Duda to thank him for the "ongoing generosity and hospitality of the Polish people". Since the start of the war between Ukraine and Russia in February 2022, it is estimated that more than 10 million Ukrainians have fled across the border into neighbouring Poland.