The Duchess of Edinburgh made 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 serious humanitarian crisis” and urged the world to pause and reflect on the magnitude 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 carts.
She heard heartbreaking testimonies from children who had lost entire families, from mothers who had seen their husbands and sons killed, and from 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 deck.
She visited her beloved patron’s newly opened Guildford center, The Lighthouse in Woking, which provides vital community services from mother and baby groups to bereavement support.
The Duchess previously visited the center in December 2025
