Prince Harry Makes Unannounced Stop at Polish Burger Truck Before Ukraine Visit
The Duke of Sussex briefly paused at a food truck near the Ukrainian border on Sept. 11 and left staff surprised after ordering a simple portion of chips
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, made an unannounced stop at a burger van in a Polish border village on the evening of Sept. 11, placing a simple order of chips before crossing into Ukraine to support wounded service personnel.
Owners and staff of the "FOOD TRACK" van told local media they did not initially recognise the visitor and only understood who he was after someone mentioned his identity. The stop came shortly before the group crossed the border and travelled on to Kyiv.
Ela Krupa, who runs the van, and relatives said a colleague placed the order in English for a portion of chips without sauce and a small beer for someone on the prince’s team. Staff described the encounter as low key: they did not take photographs, request autographs or immediately recognise him while serving other customers. Krupa said she first learned of the visit after reading news reports.
The brief stop was reported by the Daily Mail and by Polish outlet Fakt. The visit prefaced the duke’s first trip to Kyiv, which he reached the following day by overnight sleeper train. In Kyiv he participated in a panel discussion at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War and met veterans and others leaving military service while promoting the work of his Invictus Games Foundation.
On the panel, Harry urged returning troops to speak about mental-health struggles and to seek support. "You will feel lost at times, like you lack purpose," he said, advising veterans not to "stay silent" and encouraging openness with friends and family.
The trip was at the invitation of Superhumans, a charity that provides prosthetic limbs and rehabilitation to people injured in the conflict. Olga Rudnieva, founder and chief executive of the Superhumans trauma centre in Lviv, told the Guardian that Mr. Harry’s visit was seen by many Ukrainians as a symbolic demonstration of support and noted the attention his military background drew.
Harry has spoken previously about the personal importance of his work with the Invictus Games Foundation, saying the organisation "saved me" after a decade in the British Army. He has highlighted the long-term impact of conflict injuries and urged that people with disabilities be treated with respect rather than pity.
Local staff at the Polish van said they would welcome the duke back and joked they would treat him to a burger next time. The brief, informal stop was one element of a visit aimed at drawing attention to the needs of injured service personnel and the work of charities supporting rehabilitation in Ukraine.