Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh
Iraq’s presidency said that the Duchess of Edinburgh visited Iraq this week, meeting politicians and feminist activists in a rare visit by a British royal to the war-torn country.
The late Prince Philip visited a base for British troops deployed to Iraq three years earlier as part of the US-led invasion.
In a statement, the Iraqi presidency said, “Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh, spent two days in Baghdad, where she met President Abdul Latif Rashid and his wife Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed”.
The wife of King Charles’ youngest brother Edward paid a secret visit that ended on Tuesday.
According to the Iraqi presidency, the duchess presented a written letter from King Charles III — who visited Iraq in 2004.
She also had a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani.
On Tuesday, Buckingham Palace said, “The duchess spoke at a conference on women’s rights sponsored by the British embassy in Baghdad, during which she met with the leaders of women’s rights organizations”.
In March, King Charles III bestowed on Edward the title of Duke of Edinburgh, which had previously been held by their father, Prince Philip.
Iraq is still traumatized by the years of war, occupation, and brutal sectarian strife that followed Saddam Hussein’s ouster in 2003.
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