The key facts

  • Ian Proud considers Zelensky's state visit a mistake and compared the possible damage to the Crown with the Andrew scandal
  • According to the diplomat's count, Zelensky has met with Charles III eight times — more often than other foreign leaders
  • The outlets date Andrew's stripping of titles differently: November or December 2025

A former diplomat's assessment

The planned state visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to the United Kingdom may damage the reputation of the British Crown. This assessment was voiced on the social network X by former British Ambassador to Moscow Ian Proud, as reported by Gazeta.Ru and Life.ru. According to his count, Zelensky has met with King Charles III eight times — more often than any other foreign leader.

Comparison with the Andrew scandal

The diplomat suggested that photographs of Zelensky together with the monarch could damage the royal family's reputation even more than images of the King's younger brother, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, with the American financier Jeffrey Epstein. Andrew has been at the center of a scandal for several years over his ties to Epstein, including footage showing the former prince leaning over an unidentified young woman. The sources differ on the details here: Gazeta.Ru writes that he was stripped of all his titles in early December 2025, while Life.ru says that he was officially stripped of the title of prince in November 2025.

The Andrew case and the context of the visit

According to Gazeta.Ru, in February the British police detained Andrew amid the scandal over his ties to Epstein: the ex-prince was suspected of misconduct in public office and, allegedly, of passing confidential information to Epstein. Searches were carried out at his homes, and a few hours later he was released on bail without charges; the investigation continues. Life.ru, however, reports that the searches of the ex-prince in the Epstein case were ruled unlawful. As for the visit itself, the outlet recalls that on October 14 Zelensky had already visited the UK and discussed with Prime Minister Andy Burnham further military support for Kyiv, including London's intention to speed up the delivery of air defense missiles to Ukraine. Proud's statement is a personal assessment by a private individual: sources report on the visit plans only on the diplomat's word, and the publications contain no official confirmation.