The Duchess of Edinburgh started her four-day trip to Colombia on Tuesday. She’s here to continue her efforts on something she really cares about.
Sophie, who is 58 years old, is visiting the country because the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office asked her to.
While she’s here, the Duchess will do activities in Bogotá and Cali to support the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda (WPS). She wants to keep supporting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and fight for the rights of women and girls.
On Tuesday, Sophie met with the country’s first Afro-Colombian Vice President and environmental activist Francia Márquez. Sophie was wearing a black polka dot dress from Suzannah London. After that, she went to the Centre for Memory, Peace and Reconciliation. There, she joined women affected by the armed conflict, including survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, to see an art exhibition called “Spinning with patience to weave hopes for peace.”
The centre, made in 2008, promotes peace and respect for human rights based on memory and history. The Prince of Wales visited it in 2014.
The Duchess also went to a roundtable discussion hosted by the UK and Canadian Embassies. This was with women from the Colombian Armed Forces. The talk was about their work supporting the WPS and making sure women are part of peace processes at all levels.
Sophie, previously known as the Countess of Wessex, has always supported the WPS and the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI).
On International Women’s Day in 2019, she spoke at a Buckingham Palace reception. She said, “I firmly believe in the equality of men and women. I want to help raise awareness of your work.”
Sophie is committed to giving a voice to women and girls facing harm and violence due to conflict. She wants to support those working for peace and help others rebuild their lives. She publicly committed herself to championing WPS and PSVI, making it a central part of her work in the months and years to come.
Sophie has traveled worldwide for this cause, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Washington DC in the US last year.
