THE Duchess of Edinburgh gave a message of “hope” to families devastated by the war – as she arrived in Bosnia carrying a powerful and heartfelt message from the King.
Sophie, 60, will tomorrow address tens of thousands of people at a ceremony in Srebrenica marking 30 years since more than 8,000 were slaughtered in a Genocide – the worst war crime in Europe since the Second World War.
The Duchess of Edinburgh gave a message of “hope” to families devastated by the war[/caption]
The royal donated a scarf to a haunting exhibition marking the “resilience, courage and historical role” of women in war[/caption]
She arrived in capital city Sarajevo wearing a white ‘Srebrenica Flower’[/caption]
But ahead of the event the Duchess gave her support to the families of those whose bodies are still missing after being killed in the 1990s conflict.
And donated a scarf to a haunting exhibition marking the “resilience, courage and historical role” of women in war.
Sophie’s three-day trip to Bosnia comes as The Sun revealed the hard-working Duchess is set to play a bigger role in the Royal Family after previously being dubbed their ‘secret weapon’.
She arrived in capital city Sarajevo wearing a white ‘Srebrenica Flower’ on her dress in memory of those slaughtered in the 1995 Genocide.
The Duchess was given a warm welcome and handshake from Zeljko Komsic, one of the country’s three Presidents.
After a private briefing about tomorrow’s ceremony where Sophie will read out a special message from the King she was whisked across the city to meet members of the Missing Persons Institute.
In an emotional 45-minute heart-to-heart she heard how the remains of more than 7,000 killed in the devastating 1992-95 conflict are still missing.
Grieving family members told Sophie how they are struggling for funding, resources and political will to help their efforts find and identify remains.
It comes as the remains of seven people killed at Srebrenica 30 years ago will be buried during today’s anniversary ceremony.
Sophie – who has spent years raising awareness about sexual violence in conflict zones – promised to help “highlight” attempts to find missing remains “because it is a difficult task”.
The Bosnian war saw Bosnian Croats, Bosnian Serbs and Bosnian Muslims fighting each other after the break-up of Yugoslavia.
Bosnia and Herzegovina now has three Presidents representing all three communities.
The Bosnian Serb President Zelka Cvijanovic is not attending the 30th anniversary.
Sophie told the families: “I know the political landscape is very complex but as you say this is a human thing, this should transcend all politics.
The Duchess of Edinburgh tours the old town of Sarajevo[/caption]
The royal visited the Christian Orthodox Church to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide[/caption]
Tomorrow she will attend a service of commemoration[/caption]
She said: “This anniversary gives an opportunity to raise awareness.”
After the emotional meeting Sophie gave the families a warm hug.
And told them: “Whilst there is hope I’m sure you will continue to work together with such kindness and humanity.”
She was also given a walking tour of Sarajevo seeing how the city had survived and thrived from the war.
Joined by Velma Saric, of the Post-Conflict Research Centre, she was shown sites where artillery shells had killed locals in the conflict where the holes in the ground have been filled with red creating an appearance of splattered blood – but called Sarajevo Roses.
And was given a tour inside a Serbian Orthodox Church, shown a Catholic Cathedral, Jewish Synagogue and Muslim mosque, highlighting the city;s religious diversity.
Sophie also paused for reflection at the site where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914 – sparking the outbreak of the First World War.
And posed for a moment of reflection at the ‘Meeting of Cultures’ site in the centre of the city.
While walking through the cobbled streets of the Old Town she visited a souvenir stand and picked up a bullet crafted into a bottle opener.
She said: “Better that than bullets.”
At Sarajevo City Hall she donated a scarf to a travelling exhibition of donations from women across Bosnia and the world.
A senior official at the British Embassy in Sarajevo said: “It demonstrates the resilience and struggle women play in pushing for peace and justice,”
The Duchess will tomorrow attend the Commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, representing The King.
She will read a message written by The King.
Charles, when Prince of Wales, was due to attend the 25th anniversary in 2020 but was forced to cancel due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Srebrenica Memorial Centre, the location of the Commemoration, is housed in the old battery factory which served as the UN base in 1995 and where thousands of people sought protection leading up to the fall of Srebrenica.
In there she will view the UK-funded exhibition, “In the footsteps of those who have (not) crossed”, 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.
Some of the items were found on the path taken by the so-called ‘march of death’, a column of escapees who fled Srebrenica to Nezuk – many Bosniaks were killed on this route as they tried to escape to safety.
Following the Commemoration, she will visit the memorial cemetery, paying a silent tribute to seven Muslim victims whose remains have been identified and are being buried on the anniversary.
And she lay a flower in front of the Memorial to all the victims.
She will also meet a small group from the associations ‘Mothers of the Enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa’, hearing first-hand from the families of victims about efforts to heal the wounds of war and ensure justice is done.
The Duchess will read a message written by The King tomorrow[/caption]
Following the Commemoration, she will visit the memorial cemetery[/caption]
