THE Duchess of Edinburgh spoke of her pride after delivering a message of “hope and reconciliation” from the King at a service in the memory of thousands killed in the Srebrenica genocide.
Sophie, who fights to raise awareness of female victims in war zones, hugged and chatted over coffee with the brave Mothers of Srebrenica who have campaigned for justice for the past 30 years.
The Duchess laid a wreath commemorating the 30th anniversary of the atrocity[/caption]
She met with the grieving Mothers of Srebrenica[/caption]
The women campaign for those who lost their lives in the genocide[/caption]
And speaking to The Sun at a cemetery for the remains of 7,000 slaughtered, she said: “through educating ourselves about the sadness” that has happened we become “stronger” and “ensure it doesn’t happen again”.
She also told The Sun: “It can be small acts that can make the biggest differences.”
Sophie also queued with other dignitaries who attended the 30th anniversary commemorations to lay flowers and have a moment of reflection at a memorial in the cemetery.
She later read the King’s powerful message at a packed commemoration ceremony.
Speaking to The Sun afterwards, she said: “Whenever I’m asked to deliver a message on behalf of the King it’s a huge honour and I think his words always carry a lot of weight.
“He has a personal affiliation for this part of the world, he feels very deeply and passionately about what happened, but also about peace and reconciliation.
“So it was a real pleasure and honour to deliver those words.
“For myself, meeting with the Mothers of Srebrenica, they are very much the peace builders here.
“So they’ve managed to live with their grief but alongside all of that they’ve been sending a very clear message that they need resolution, reconciliation and need to bury their loved ones.
“And they’ve helped so many thousands of families find that peace and reconciliation.
“For many of them we are talking about families who have lost from one, two to 30, 40 or 50 members of their family. It’s shocking to think it happened.
“To see those images (in the factory exhibition) I remember watching the footage on television, of the men and boys behind the wire in the factory thinking they were somewhere safe, never really understanding what had happened. Knowing about it and not understanding.
“I would hope that people take note of this commemoration and perhaps do a bit more research because I think only by educating ourselves about the sadness that has happened to others that we become stronger in trying to ensure it doesn’t happen again.
“I’m hugely proud of what the United Kingdom does because our embassy here, successive ambassadors and their teams, work really hard to work alongside Bosnia and Herzegivians, and heard from the Mothers how grateful they are because we’ve been with them right from the beginning.
“And I know that the UK is held in high regard for that.
“And I know sometimes in the United Kingdom we get very focused on what we do in our own country but I’m lucky enough to be able to travel abroad and I see what we do from off our shores and I think we rightly be able to be proud of what we do because it does make a difference.
“And it can be small acts that can make the biggest differences.”
Inside the battery factory hall at the Srebrenica Genocide Memorial she read a message to other world leaders and human rights campaigners from King Charles.
Standing on a stage where around 25 speakers also spoke she told hundreds in the main hall that she had travelled with a “personal message” from “His Majesty King Charles”.
It read: “I am greatly saddened not to be with you in person today, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. I am most touched and grateful to be able to share these words as we pay our respects.
“I have spoken before about the terrible events of thirty years ago, confirmed as genocide by international courts. 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.
“I humbly salute the Mothers of Srebrenica, and all who do so much, despite their continuing anguish, to preserve the memory of those who died. 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.
“Their extraordinary courage, compassion and dignity are a lesson to us all, and it is my hope that we may all take inspiration from their incredible resilience under such unbearable circumstances.
“Let us also take inspiration from those who bravely speak out in pursuit of justice and those who dedicate their lives to rebuilding trust between communities for the sake of a better, shared future.
“These praiseworthy individuals can be found from all walks of life, and from across all ethnic groups, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and around the world.
“But there can be no shared future when the events of the past are denied or forgotten. Only by learning from the past does it become possible to share in each other’s loss and look together to the future. Only by working together to find the missing can there be closure for those still seeking answers.
“Three decades on, it is ever more important to remember all those who suffered, and to redouble our efforts to ensure a peaceful, stable future for all the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“Today, as we remember the victims, those who so tragically died and those who were left behind, 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.”
Sophie was greeted at the commemoration by members of the Mothers of Srebrenica and given a warm hug.
She also warmly embraced some of the grieving Mothers of Srebrenica who for 30 years have been campaigning for help to find remains of their missing loved ones.
She heard from one who had lost 23 members of her family.
She later discussed their efforts to find the remains of the missing killed in the 1992-95 Bosnian war.
And told them: “At least your voices can be heard and you aren’t just shouting in the wind. Your messages can be understood by people who make decisions.”
Telling them of the King’s warm words she said: “He has a fondness for this part of the world which is why he wanted me to deliver his message. It was a personal message from him.”
She earlier signed a condolence book which read: “Our duty must be to remember all those lost so tragically and to remember never let those things happen again. It’s only by working together that we find peace. Sophie.”
Tens of thousands of people attended the 30th anniversary commemorations held to remember and pay tribute to those lost in the 1995 genocide, which is the worse war crime on European soil since the Second World War.
The Duchess will finish her three-day trip to Bosnia on behalf of the King on Saturday July 12.
The 1995 genocide is the worst war crime on European soil since the Second World War[/caption]
Sophie spoke at a cemetery of 7,000 slaughtered[/caption]
Her three-day trip to Bosnia will finish on Saturday[/caption]
