Skip to main contentSkip to footer
Duchess of Edinburgh wearing green coat in Birmingham© Getty

Duchess Sophie's heartfelt gesture sparks major reaction from royal fans

 The Duchess of Edinburgh viewed a moving exhibition in London

Danielle Stacey
Online Royal CorrespondentLondon
5 days ago
Share this:

The Duchess of Edinburgh is known for her kindness and once again displayed her compassion as she offered a comforting hug to Yazidi genocide survivor.

Sophie, 59, was pictured with her arm around Awaz Abdi who was captured and enslaved by so-called Islamic State (IS) in Iraq a decade ago when she was just ten years old.

The gesture was captured as the Duchess visited The Women Who Beat Isis photography exhibition at the Foreign Office in London on Wednesday.

It comes just weeks after she placed a supportive hand on the Princess of Wales's back at the end of the Remembrance Sunday service.

Sophie appeared deeply moved as she listened to Awaz share her personal experience, learning how her entire family was captured and enslaved and how she was separated from them for months.

She and three of her siblings managed to escape to Kurdistan, before they were all reunited in Germany.

Ms Abdi spoke emotionally of how their lives would never be the same again and how her family carried deep trauma from the horrific acts committed by IS, especially her parents, who endured unimaginable suffering.

The Duchess of Edinburgh speaking to Yazidi survivor Awaz Abdi© Alamy
The Duchess of Edinburgh speaking to Yazidi survivor Awaz Abdi

Sophie said: "[Awaz] and her family have lived with the ongoing aftermath and will do their entire lives.

"Communities of devastated families are torn apart.

"This is singularly the most effective weapon that the world has, and we don't do enough to deal with it because we don't do enough to prevent the violence from happening."

The Duchess of Edinburgh looking at exhibition© Alamy
The Duchess appeared moved by the images in the exhibition

The royal was praised for her benevolence and for highlighting the exhibition, with one social media follower writing: "Duchess Sophie tells us all about love and freedom. She is the epitome of care in the Royal Family. I understand why the Queen supported her and loved her. We can all learn a very important lesson from Duchess Sophie!"

Another said: "The Duchess of Edinburgh and The Queen are pioneers in the fight against gender-based violence and sexual assault. They really take up the causes of people we would otherwise never know existed. Real people, suffering real abuse at the hands of real abusers. I, personally, cannot praise them enough for what they bring to the table."

A third added: "The duchess is such a great asset to the royal family!! Such a gracious, gentle and caring human being."

The Duchess of Edinburgh speaking during her visit to view "The Women Who Beat ISIS" travelling photo exhibition at the Foreign, Commonwealth And Development Office, London© Alamy
The Duchess paid tribute to the brave survivors

The Duchess is a champion of the UN's Women, Peace and Security Agenda (WPS) and a supporter of the UK’s Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI).

Last month, she travelled to Chad in Central Africa where she was visibly moved to tears as she heard from refugees about their experiences of sexual violence after fleeing from the civil war in Sudan

Sophie attended the event as part of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence - an international annual campaign to challenge violence against women and girls.

LISTEN: Inside Princess Kate's carol service preparations

ROYAL FAN? JOIN THE CLUB

Welcome to The HELLO! Royal Club, where thousands of royal fans like you get to delve deeper into the wonderful world of royalty every day. Want to join them? Just click the button below for a list of club benefits and joining information.

COMING UP...

  • Kings who died in battle
  • Princess Catherine's festive wardrobe
  • Christmas at Windsor Castle

Sign up to HELLO! Daily for all the latest and best royal coverage

By entering your details, you are agreeing to HELLO! Magazine User Data Protection Policy. You can unsubscribe at any time. For more information, please click here.

More Royalty

See more