The Duchess of Edinburgh has arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina to deliver an important speech on behalf of the The King, marking the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide. The message addressed ‘the Mothers of Srebrenica’ and expressed King Charles’ hope ‘that we may all take inspiration from their incredible resilience under such unbearable circumstances’.

The Duchess spoke at the Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide and delivered a message on behalf of The King, who said he was ‘greatly saddened’ not to be able to be there in person on the day.

‘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,’ read Sophie. The speech praised the ‘extraordinary courage, compassion and dignity’ of the families affected, saying they were ‘a lesson to us all’. The King’s message also expressed his ‘hope that we may all take inspiration from their incredible resilience under such unbearable circumstances’.

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srebrenica, bosnia and herzegovina july 11: member of the british royal family sophie, duchess of edinburgh gestures after holding a speech at the srebrenica remembrance ceremony at the potocari memorial center, located in a former battery factory where un dutchbat troops were stationed in 1995 and where thousands of bosniak civilians sought refuge from advancing bosnian serb forces on july 11, 2025 in srebrenica, bosnia and herzegovina. on july 11, 1995, bosnian serb forces captured the eastern bosnian town of srebenica, then a un protected enclave. they began killing over 8,000 muslim men and boys (bosniaks) in what became known as the srebrenica massacre. the bodies were found in mass graves after the war had ended, and in 2004, the international criminal tribunal for the former yugoslavia (icty) defined the killings as genocide. this year is the 30th anniversary of the massacre and is marked with a service in srebrenica where newly identified remains of some of the dead will be buried and mourned by their families. (photo by pierre crom/getty images)
Pierre Crom

King Charles’ message, delivered by The Duchess, also said that while ‘many of the individuals responsible are now rightly facing justice’ for the genocide, ‘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’.

The speech closed with a message of hope and remembrance: ‘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.’

two women engaged in a handshake while others look on
PA Images

The Duchess met and embraced some of the families affected, as well as laying flowers in memorial. She also visited a UK-funded exhibition at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, which ‘displays the personal belongings of people who were killed by Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995, as well as items owned by people who survived,’ explains the Royal Family’s official website.

On Sophie’s arrival in Sarajevo, she walked around the Old Town with Velma Šarić, a local peacekeeper, who thanked Sophie for her work campaigning for the victims of sexual violence in conflict, according to The Mirror. The Duchess has travelled all over the world meeting affected communities and working with organisations on the subject. Sophie closely supports the UN’s Women, Peace and Security agenda and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative, which is led by the UK government.