The Duchess of Edinburgh has issued a heartfelt plea after stepping up for King Charles.
Sophie delivered a message from the King at a service commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide, where thousands were killed. She described the honour of representing His Majesty at the memorial.
"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," she told the Sun after reading the King's message at the packed ceremony.
She explained that the King "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."
Duchess of Edinburgh issues heartfelt plea after stepping up for King Charles.
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The Duchess issued a heartfelt plea to people back in the UK to prevent future atrocities.
Speaking at the cemetery, she said: "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."
Sophie expressed pride in Britain's support for Bosnia and Herzegovina. "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," she said.
"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."
The Duchess of Edinburgh laying flowers at the memorial, taking a moment for reflection at the cemetery.
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Sophie met with the Mothers of Srebrenica, who have campaigned for justice for three decades. The Duchess embraced the women and spoke with them over coffee at the cemetery where 7,000 victims are buried.
"For myself, meeting with the Mothers of Srebrenica, they are very much the peace builders here," Sophie said.
"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."
The scale of loss was staggering. "For many of them, we are talking about families who have lost from one, two to 30, 40 or 50 members of their family," the Duchess noted.
The Duchess of Edinburgh met the mothers of victims of the Srebrenica Genocide.
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The Duchess of Edinburgh speaking at the Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide.
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The Mothers of Srebrenica had expressed gratitude for UK support, with Sophie noting: "We've been with them right from the beginning."
The King's personal connection to the region was evident in his message. When greeting the Mothers of Srebrenica, Sophie told them: "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."
The Duchess emphasised that meaningful change often comes through modest gestures. "It can be small acts that can make the biggest differences."
Sophie also queued alongside other dignitaries to lay flowers at the memorial, taking a moment for reflection at the cemetery where the commemoration took place.