Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh was in tears after meeting refugees fleeing to Chad to escape the civil war in Sudan and hearing their experiences of violence.

This has been claimed by royal expert Richard Palmer, quoting the Press Association.

The royal expert also said Sophie has just finished a three-day trip to the African country on the first UK royal visit.

Also, according to the Daily Express, with tears in her eyes, Sophie said: "I daren't even describe to you what they've been doing to children. It's not just about the sexual violence, which is horrific because they're having to exchange food and water for sex, and if they don't they kill them.

"These women have no option but to leave. And even then they're lucky. If they can get away, because some of the villages and towns that they come from, they can't even leave their houses any more. If they leave their houses they get killed."

Sophie told The Sun after meeting with a "silent" girl on the Sudanese border: "It's heartbreaking. You have no idea what they have been through. That little girl was so silent and it worried me because of what I've just heard now.

"It really worried me. Because I haven't shared with you some of what they told me in there, which was why I was quite wobbly when I came in.”