The Duchess of Edinburgh has an more and more busy royal schedule, however her newest engagement is particularly private.
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that Sophie is at the moment in Iraq as she continues to champion the survivors of battle associated sexual violence.
The mother-of-two has already spent two days in Baghdad, the place she heard in regards to the challenges dealing with Iraqi ladies and ladies, and the continuing work to guard and promote their rights.
Sophie hung out at a highschool for ladies and spoke to college students and lecturers about training for younger ladies within the nation, and their hopes for the long run.
The Duchess additionally visited a household planning centre the place she noticed first-hand the work being carried out to help the reproductive well being and wellbeing of Iraqi ladies, and met ladies enterprise leaders to debate the significance of girls’s financial empowerment.
© Jonathan Brady – PA PicturesThe unannounced journey was made on the request of the International, Commonwealth and Growth Workplace, in help of the Ladies, Peace and Safety Agenda (WPS), the Palace mentioned.
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And her go to has been notably effectively acquired. Whereas in Baghdad, Sophie was acquired by the President of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid and the First Woman, throughout which she shared a message of greeting from His Majesty King Charles.
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The Duchess was additionally acquired by Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al Sudani.
© Jane Barlow – PA PicturesSophie is following within the footsteps of her brother-in-law, King Charles. He grew to become the primary member of the Royal Household to go to Iraq in 2004 when, as Prince of Wales, he visited navy personnel in Basra.
In 2006, Prince Philip, the late Duke of Edinburgh, made a shock journey to see British troops in Basra when he was 85.
The difficulty of sexual and gender-based violence in battle is a topic near Sophie’s coronary heart.
She has campaigned on the problem for a few years, travelling to international locations together with Kosovo, Lebanon, South Sudan and Sierra Leone to fulfill ladies peacebuilders and survivors of sexual violence.
© Jane Barlow – PA PicturesIn June final yr, Sophie spoke in regards to the profound affect of listening to accounts of sexual violence first hand, admitting she had been “in floods of tears”.
“Once you hear someone’s story of gang rape and actually bodily what has occurred to them, it completely brings you to your knees,” Sophie mentioned in a wide-ranging interview with BBC Radio 5 Stay’s Nada Munchetty.
And through a London College of Economics webinar discussing selling peace after conflicts, Sophie spoke candidly about “tears dripping off your chin” when chatting with survivors of sexual violence. Watch the shifting clip beneath…
“To listen to their tales, you recognize once you’ve bought tears dripping off your chin, I imply you simply, you possibly can’t assist however weep with them as a result of they’re so horrible, these tales,” Sophie shared.
She added: “It truly is heartbreaking and I’ve gone to some very darkish locations, you recognize, internally.
“However I’m not dwelling it and subsequently if they will survive, if they will put one foot in entrance of the opposite, then for goodness’ sake in fact I can.”
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