Duchess Sophie delivers personal message from King Charles on devastating anniversary

The Duchess of Edinburgh has delivered an emotional message from the King to mark the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide.

Sophie read the powerful address as tens of thousands descended on the small town in Bosnia, where 8,000 Muslim men and boys were brutally massacred in 1995 during the Bosnian War.

In the powerful address, the King said the international community must do "all we can to ensure it never happens again". Arriving in Srebrenica, the duchess was greeted by mothers and loved ones of some of those murdered, thanking them for inviting her and introducing herself as Sophie.

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She then entered the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, which is housed in an old battery factory, where thousands sought refuge in the lead up to the fall of Srebrenica before being murdered.

Once inside she paused to reflect on the belongings including shoes, jackets and shirts of some of those killed by Bosnian Serb forces that are displayed in a UK-funded exhibition.

Sophie also wrote a poignant message in a book of condolence writing: "Our duty must be to remember all those lost so tragically and to never let these things happen again. It is only by working together that we find peace." She signed it Sophie and afterwards greeted the Prime Minister of Croatia.

After she joined dignitaries from around the world for a sombre ceremony to mark the solemn anniversary, which included musical performances, readings and montages of haunting images of the war.

Sophie then delivered one of the commemorations most high profile messages from King Charles, reading it on his behalf as she told the attendees: "It is my honour to be here today and bring you this personal message from His Majesty King Charles."

She 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.”

Later Sophie will have another meeting with the mothers of those killed. Today marks the second day of her first ever trip to Bosnia. Yesterday Sophie heard stories from the families who still have relatives missing 30 years on from the Bosnian war.