Olena Zelenska expresses gratitude to Queen for 'important signal of support' for Ukraine

Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady who attended the Queen's funeral on September 19, expressed gratitude to Britain's longest-reigning monarch for paying attention to Ukraine and termed it an "important signal of support" to the country. She called it an "honour" to be present at Westminster Abbey to attend the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. Taking to her Twitter handle, Zelenska stressed that the late British monarch wished for "better times and shared desire" of Ukraine for freedom. 

Olena Zelenska in a tweet wrote, "A great honor for me to be present at the farewell to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II on behalf of all Ukrainians. Her attention to Ukraine was an important signal of support. She wished us better times and shared our desire for freedom. We will always remember it with deep gratitude." Notably, Olena Zelenska travelled to the UK to attend the funeral of Queen Elizabeth while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not attend the ceremony as the war between Ukraine and Russia continues for more than 200 days. In a Facebook post, Olena Zelenska said that she was impressed by Queen Elizabeth II and her assistants as they managed to respond to letters from all over the world. 

Zelenska recalls letter for children from Queen Elizabeth

Zelenska recalled a letter received by a boy from Zaporizhzhia with the note "Royal Mail" and a girl from Kropyvnytskyi from Queen Elizabeth II. According to Olena Zelenska, Queen Elizabeth II had also responded to children who had congratulated the British monarch on her 90th birthday. She further said, "Today in London was able to say goodbye to Her Majesty on behalf of all Ukrainians. Thank you for your constant attention to Ukraine, for the inspired wishes we received from you on Independence Day: Let better times await in the future." As per the People report, Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales held a special audience with Olena Zelenska at Buckingham Palace on Sunday, September 18. 

Queen Elizabeth's funeral

The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II took place at 3:30 pm (IST) at Westminster Abbey in London. The funeral was attended by royal family members, including King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen consort at Westminster Abbey. A procession carrying Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin has entered St. George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle for the committal service, according to AP. Around 800 guests are attending the service, including Prime Ministers from Commonwealth countries. The Imperial State Crown and the sovereign’s orb and sceptre were removed from the top of the queen’s casket and placed on an altar.

(With Inputs from AP)

Image: AP/Facebook/@OlenaZelenska