The Duke of Sussex has joined actors Sir Stephen Fry, Sharon Stone and Alyssa Milano in guest-curating a Ukraine photography exhibition in Los Angeles ahead of his return to the UK.
The collection of images is set to go on show in California on September 11, by which time Harry is expected to have set up home in the UK.
Former soldier Harry will miss the unveiling of Postcode Ukraine: Diary of a Volunteer, which has been put together to raise funds for frontline grassroots aid as Russia’s full-scale invasion nears its fifth year.
Harry's personal selection
Harry, the Duchess of Sussex and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, are to settle themselves in the UK for an “extended period” of time by the end of the month, with the children enrolled in British schools ready to start in September.
The duke selected a moving black and white picture by photographer Mark Neville of a schoolboy in a blazer and shorts standing in the rubble of a destroyed farm in the Kyiv region in October 2022 for the exhibition.
Harry, who travelled to Kyiv in April and made a direct appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop this war”, personally chose the image for the display by British Kyiv-based artist Neville.
Royal context and family tensions
News of Harry’s involvement followed a message from the King to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Charles shared his “sincere and special wishes” on the 35th anniversary of the war-torn country’s independence from the Soviet Union.
People magazine suggested on Tuesday that the monarch wanted to see his estranged sons Harry and the Prince of Wales “together over time”, but the report has not been confirmed.
According to Harry’s autobiography, Charles pleaded with his sons during a tense meeting after Prince Philip’s funeral in 2021: “Please, boys. Don’t make my final years a misery.”
The brothers no longer speak, having fallen out around the time of Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding, with the relationship worsening post-Megxit following Harry’s accusations against the royal family in his Oprah interview, Netflix documentary and memoir Spare.
Meghan's latest ventures
Meghan meanwhile has unveiled the latest addition to her As Ever range – Spiced Apple Butter.
The jar of “orchard apples and fragrant spices” is being launched on Wednesday, “just in time for fall”, with Meghan’s brand saying the product captures the season’s “promise of crisp mornings and changing leaves just around the corner”.
She also posted an Instagram story in which she chuckled at what appeared to be a tea towel with the message: “People who take care of chickens are literally chicken tenders”.
It follows news that the Sussexes’ brood of chickens are remaining at their home in California to be cared for there.
Some reports have suggested the Sussexes’ stay in the UK could last as little as anything from just the autumn to six months, or even a year or so, with the family retaining their houses in Montecito and Portugal.
Rumours have also swirled around Meghan’s plans to return to acting, with speculation she is in talks to star in the third series of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix gangster series The Gentlemen and counterclaims the deal could be off.
The Sussexes, who are remaining as non-working royals, stepped away from the monarchy six years ago for a new life in the US, from where they criticised the royal family and the institution.
Exhibition details
The photography exhibition, which focuses on Ukraine’s children, families and volunteers, opens at Westwood Contemporary Gallery in LA from September 11 to 30, and is the first major presentation of Neville’s Ukraine photography work.
Each guest curator, including Harry, separately selected a photograph by Neville that resonated with them personally and also contributed a reflection on the importance of that image.
Others who helped curate the display included comedian and author Sir Stephen, who is a friend of the King, as well as activists Stone and Milano; Oleksandra Matviichuk, who heads the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Centre for Civil Liberties; and Ukrainian poet Kateryna Babkina.
Neville said: “Through this exhibition, I hope audiences see not only what has been lost, but what Ukrainians continue to protect every day.”
