Duchess Sophie sounds alarm on Sudan families shattered by conflict

The Duchess of Edinburgh delivered a powerful call to action this week, highlighting the grim milestone of 1,000 days of conflict in Sudan.

Writing for The Telegraph, Sophie described the crisis as “the world’s most severe humanitarian crisis” and urged the world to pause and reflect on the scale of suffering that has unfolded largely unnoticed.

Recalling her visit to the Chadian border town of Adré about a year ago, the Duchess witnessed an endless stream of exhausted refugees arriving on foot or in donkey-drawn carts.

She heard heartbreaking testimonies of children who had lost entire families, mothers who had watched their husbands and sons killed, and women forced into sexual exploitation to survive.

Sophie stressed that even those who reach relative safety live in constant fear, and that emergency aid alone cannot meet the overwhelming needs of displaced populations.

Back in the UK, Sophie returned to her royal duties on Thursday with a lighter and more hands on touch.

She visited the newly opened Guildford hub of her beloved patronage, The Lighthouse in Woking, which provides vital community services from mother-and-baby groups to bereavement support.

The Duchess previously visited the centre in December 2025