I like to fly under the radar

THE Duchess of Edinburgh has opened up about her role as the Royal Family's "secret weapon".

- BY JENNIFER NEWTON

In a rare interview, Sophie told of her work highlighting the plight of women caught in conflicts around the world.

She spoke during a trip to Bosnia marking the 30th anniversary of the Srebrenica massacre - Europe's bloodiest since the Second World War.

The duchess delivered a personal message from the King to a group of mothers of some of the 8,000-plus Muslims who were killed.

They were shot and stabbed by Bosnian Serb troops during a three-day frenzy of rape and murder, then dumped in mass graves in July 1995.

Sophie paid her respects by laying a flower at the Srebrenica Memorial Cemetery near a factory where many hid before being dragged out and killed.

The duchess said: "Outside these walls there are 8,000 graves. You look at what is happening in Ukraine, in Sudan, in DRC [Democratic Republic of the Congo], these conflicts are huge and the scale is enormous.

"It would be too easy to give up. It does take its toll emotionally.