Duchess Sophie was a vision in blue as she travelled to Belgium to carry out a series of engagements focusing on causes that are close to her heart. The Duchess of Edinburgh headed to Brussels on Wednesday to attend an event highlighting the need to tackle child sexual abuse and exploitation online.
Joined by safeguarding minister Jess Phillips, Sophie told European politicians at an event hosted by the European Parliament intergroup on children’s rights that tackling online child abuse requires a “collective effort by all” including governments and technology companies. Prince Edward’s wife looked chic in a blazer suit by Victoria Beckham in bluebell blue, a Gabriela Hearst Floral shirt. She accessorised the look with a white Mulberry leather belt, a pair of Jimmy Choo Rosalia 65 heels in pink, and a new Sophie Habsburg Moneypenny bag in the colour “jeans”.
Royal fans were impressed with Sophie’s look and took to social media to praise her.
One user wrote on X: “Power Suit for #SuperSophie Love it!”
Another one added: “The suit color(sic) is beautiful!”
A third one said: “She manages to always bring a bit of color (sic) or pattern yet it never takes away from the seriousness of the issues she is passionate about. I love this woman and her work ethic.”
A fourth one commented: “Ooh I LOVE this colour on our Sophie!! Gorgeous.”
Sophie, in her role as the patron of the NSPCC and Plan International UK, two charities that are raising awareness about the dangers, said in her speech: “The last time I addressed policymakers here in Brussels was in 2021 when, sadly, the world was already far behind the curve in generating the tools needed to prevent the explosion in the abuse of children online.
“Today, children everywhere in the world are not only falling victim to adults wishing to groom them but are exposed to an enormous amount of dangerous, harmful and inappropriate content, including materials on suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, violence, and pornography, all with consequences which can prove devastating, and can even lead to them taking their own lives.”
More than 300 million children have been affected by online child exploitation and abuse in the past year, she said, citing the Global Child Safety Institute.
The duchess said 79% of teenagers are using generative AI (artificial intelligence) to learn but they also receive “misleading or dangerous information from chatbots on topics including mental health, suicide and grooming”.
“It is a challenge we need to tackle urgently, particularly given the emergence of generative AI”, she added.
She noted the introduction of Britain’s Online Safety Act but added that “neither the UK’s Government nor that of any one country can do it alone.”
Sophie said the victim, perpetrator and tech company hosting the online platform may all be in different countries, adding that protecting children “will take a collective effort by all, including governments, technology companies, regulators and legislators, civil society and law enforcement”.
Sophie concluded: “Therefore I implore you now, on behalf of the children of today and tomorrow, to redouble your efforts in prioritising their safety and well-being”.
Today, the duchess joined a roundtable discussion with global child rights NGOs on the shared aim of protecting young people from sexual violence and abuse.
The group discussed the evolving threat online, the importance of incorporating victim and survivor knowledge in tackling this crime and the shared responsibility for all areas of society to engage on the issue and find solutions.
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