Sophie Duchess of Edinburgh delivers message from King Charles in Bosnia
The Duchess travelled for the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide
The Duchess of Edinburgh carried out a deeply moving royal engagement in Bosnia and Herzegovina this week, where she represented King Charles at the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Srebrenica Genocide.
Sophie, 60, travelled to the region for a three-day visit culminating on July 11 at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre.
During the solemn ceremony, she delivered a heartfelt speech on behalf of her brother-in-law, King Charles. She also laid a flower at the cemetery to honour the estimated 8,000 victims, mostly Bosniak men and boys, who were killed in July 1995 by Bosnian Serb forces under General Ratko Mladić.
Duchess Sophie delivers message on behalf of King Charles in Bosnia
Speaking at the official commemoration, the Duchess read the king’s message aloud.
“I am greatly saddened not to be with you in person today,” the king wrote. “Many of the individuals responsible are now rightly facing justice. But this does not absolve the rest of us of our duties: both to acknowledge the international community’s failure to prevent the horror and to do all we can to ensure it never happens again.”
He expressed deep admiration for the resilience of the survivors and the “extraordinary courage” of the Mothers of Srebrenica, many of whom continue to fight for justice while grieving the loss of husbands, sons, and brothers.
“It has meant a very great deal to me, in past years, to have met survivors, mothers and family members of the missing. For whom I have such admiration,” he wrote. “Their extraordinary courage, compassion and dignity are a lesson to us all.”
The king’s message was also a powerful call to action, emphasising that true reconciliation begins with truth and remembrance.
“There can be no shared future when the events of the past are denied or forgotten,” he warned. “Only by learning from the past does it become possible to share in each other’s loss and look together to the future.”
It was a powerful reminder that remembrance is not passive. As King Charles noted in his letter, it is an ongoing responsibility.
“As we remember the victims,” he concluded, “let us honour their memory by standing alongside each and every one of those who work so tirelessly to promote understanding and tolerance between all peoples, of all faiths, nationalities and ethnicities, in the ongoing pursuit of a just and brighter future.”
Duchess Sophie meaningful visit
Following the speech, Sophie met several of the surviving Mothers of Srebrenica.
A palace spokesperson said the Duchess was “profoundly moved” by the ceremony.
In the condolence book at the Memorial Centre, she wrote in her own words: “Our duty must be to remember all those lost so tragically and to never let these things happen again. It’s only by working together that we find peace. Sophie.”
Earlier in the trip, Sophie visited Sarajevo’s Old Town. The Duchess spoke with local female peace builders to better understand the lingering impact of the conflict and how women are contributing to reconciliation efforts.
She will also attend a meeting with the Missing Persons Institute of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Elsewhere, Sophie will hold private discussions with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, an issue she has long championed globally.
Sophie’s presence in Bosnia marks another quiet yet powerful step in her royal journey. In recent years, she has emerged as one of the monarchy’s most trusted and diligent senior working royals.
Her long-term advocacy for women affected by war and her empathetic approach have earned her widespread respect.
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