Watch: Duchess of Edinburgh denounces Putin’s forces for using rape as a weapon of war

The Duchess of Edinburgh denounced Vladimir Putin’s forces for using rape as a “weapon of war” on her visit to Ukraine on Monday (29 April).

The Duchess, who is the first member of the royal family to visit Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, said “women and girls pay the highest price” in war.

In her speech at an evening reception at the residence of the UK ambassador to Ukraine, Martin Harris, she said: “Rape is used to demean, to degrade and to destroy. And we have to get better at trying to prevent that from happening.

“Where we cannot prevent it from happening. What we must do is put measures in place to support those who have fallen victim to such crimes.”