Olena Zelenska has hailed attending Queen Elizabeth's funeral "a great honour".
The Ukrainian First Lady - who is the wife of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy - represented her war-torn country at the British monarch's state funeral at London's Westminster Abbey on Monday (19.09.22) and admitted she will always have "deep gratitude" for the support of the late ruler.
Olena tweeted after the funeral: "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."
On Sunday (18.09.22), Olena met with Catherine, Princess of Wales, at Buckingham Palace, hours after she visited Westminster Hall for the queen's lying in state.
Speaking ahead of the funeral, Olena explained she was in the UK to pay her respects "on behalf of all Ukrainians".
She said: "They know that the Queen shared the values that Ukraine stands for today: freedom, the right to one's own home, language, culture and country.
"We have repeatedly heard words of support from her.
"On Independence Day, she wished us better times in this extremely difficult year. In an address to the British Parliament, she spoke about supporting Ukraine.
"It is very important for us to know that such a world leader of an epoch, a leader with an impeccable reputation and morals, was with us."
