For years, Queen Camilla has championed the fight against domestic violence, making it a cornerstone of her royal work. This mission was central to her first solo engagement as Queen in October 2022. She has visited refuge centres across the UK and globally, aiming to raise awareness about what she calls the ‘global pandemic of violence against women’.
‘We remember those women who have lost their lives at the hands of a stranger, or of the person who should have loved them best. In so doing, we refuse to be desensitised by cold facts and figures and we resolve to keep the names and the memories of these women alive.’ – Queen Camilla speaking at a ‘Violence Against Women and Girls’ reception at Buckingham Palace.
But what sparked her interest in such a hard-hitting topic? What have been some of the key moments in her work to end domestic violence? We’ve taken a look at Her Majesty’s work in this area in this explanation article….
What made Queen Camilla want to choose domestic violence as a key theme of her work?
In a 2022 interview with Emma Barnett for BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Queen Camilla revealed that Diana Parkes CBE, mother of Joanna Simpson—who was tragically killed by her estranged husband in 2010—sparked her commitment to addressing domestic violence.
The two women first met in 2016 at SafeLives, a UK charity focused on ending domestic abuse. Reflecting on their meeting, Camilla imagined herself in Diana’s shoes: ‘That could have been me; that could have been my friends.’ Tearing up, she told Diana, ‘I think it’s awful what has happened to you. I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I’m going to do something’.
Camilla pictured with Diana Parkes during a recording of Woman’s Hour. (BBC)
Their connection deepened in 2020 when Diana shared her story during a live broadcast of The Emma Barnett Show, with Camilla as a guest. Touched, Camilla responded: ‘Diana, if she’s listening, I just want to say how impressed I was with you when I met you. Being a grandmother myself, I can’t imagine what you’ve gone through. You inspired me—I just knew I had to do something.’
Key moments in Her Majesty’s work to tackle domestic violence
Since Camilla worked to make domestic violence a key theme of her work, there have been many key moments in her work to raise awareness around domestic violence:
Partnering with Boots, Camilla spearheaded the creation of wash-bags for victims of sexual violence undergoing medical examinations. Inspired by accounts of survivors feeling “dirty” after examinations, the initiative started in 2013 and expanded under her advocacy.
Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall at the opening of the Shameless ! Festival in London.
In 2020, the then-Duchess of Cornwall announced that she had became the Patron of SafeLives during the online edition of the Women of the World Festival, where she was discussing her longstanding work on domestic abuse. During the virtual discussion, Camilla said: ‘It’s not a nice subject to talk about and I think that’s been one of its problems. It’s been a taboo subject for so long that people just haven’t talked about it.’ A few months prior to the announcement, Camilla held a reception at Clarence House to mark 15th anniversary of SafeLives.
In 2021, Camilla gave a passionate speech about domestic abuse at the Shameless! Festival, where she paid tribute to the women whose lives have been ‘brutally ended’ and ‘endured unimaginable torment’ at the hands of abusers. The then-Duchess highlighted how ‘this country has been appalled and saddened by the loss of women to violence this year.’ She shared the shocking statistic that ‘on average, one women is killed by a man every three days.
The then-Duchess of Cornwall visited domestic violence charity, Voices. (Clarence House).
In 2022, Elizabeth II used her message on the eve of her accession to make it her ‘sincerest wish’ that Camilla should be known as Queen Consort when Charles accedes to the throne. In her first engagement since the announcement, Camilla used the opportunity to continue to raise awareness around domestic violence by visiting Voices which provides early help and recovery work for women, as well providing a platform for those affected by domestic abuse to influence policy.
Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors
Royal watchers were given unprecedented access to Queen Camilla’s work in raising awareness around domestic and sexual abuse.
‘Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors‘ followed Her Majesty over the course of a year as she attends official engagements and never before seen private meetings with survivors and change makers who are trying to achieve progress in this field.
Pictured: Her Majesty The Queen meets survivors of domestic abuse. (ITV Press)
A particularly poignant moment featured her visit to a Housing for Women refuge, where Camilla met a survivor rebuilding her life. The Queen was deeply honoured to hear the survivor share her story for the first time, emphasising the importance of services enabling women to escape abuse.
One survivor who was staying in the refuge had bravely told their story for the first time, to which Camilla said she was ‘very honoured’ that the service user was telling her story for the first time to Her Majesty.
Taking the issue of domestic violence to the global stage
When given the opportunity, Queen Camilla has always spotlighted domestic violence & violence against women on a global scale both when she was the Duchess of Cornwall and as The Queen.
In 2021, the then-Duchess of Cornwall was announced as patron of Nigeria’s first sexual assault referral centre – Mirabel Centre. Speaking about being appointed as Patron, Camilla said she was ‘delighted’ to be Patron of ‘a truly trailblazing organisation’ and that ‘their vital work means that women need no longer suffer in silence’.
On the second day of Charles and Camilla’s royal visit to Rwanda in 2022, the then-Duchess of Cornwall gave a speech at a Violence Against Women and Girls event at the Kigali Convention Centre. She took the opportunity to call for action and ‘solutions’ from Commonwealth nations to tackle domestic violence and sexual violence against women and girls.
Camilla highlighted how the global figures are ‘shocking’ as nearly 1 in 3 women have been abused in their lifetime. She added how ‘across the Commonwealth, calls to domestic violence helplines have increased by up to 500% over the past two years. Whether we are aware of it or not, we all know someone who has endured sexual or domestic abuse. We can, therefore, all be part of combatting these heinous acts’.
The Queen went on to talk about the importance and power in the alliance of the Commonwealth in tackling violence against women and girls. She commented: ‘In the strength of our unity, we, the women and men of the Commonwealth, stand with victims and survivors, who, despite the temptation to hide away in silence, speak up so that others know they aren’t alone – whether in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific or the Caribbean and Americas.’
Camilla at The Situation Room. (Royal Family).
During Their Majesties’ State Visit to Kenya in November 2023, The Queen visited The Situation Room in Mombasa. The Situation Room aims to create a safe space for women and has grown from 50 women in 2001 to a movement with more than 8,500 members.
Her Majesty joined staff and volunteers from the organisation, who were singing songs about the power and importance of women in society. Camilla had heard that 40% of Kenyan women suffer abuse in their lifetime and was told how she was helping to ‘break barriers’ in Kenya against the stigma of gender-based violence.
Inside the organisation’s Social Hall, Camilla was shown ‘survivor kits’, which include sanitary products, shawls, toys, soap, snacks and other grooming items – a similar initiative to one that Her Majesty established in 2017.
During the state visit to France in 2023, The Queen conducted a solo engagement with a visit to join women who have been supported by La Maison des Femmes – a social and medical unit attached to Saint- Denis hospital that is designed as a one-stop-shop for vulnerable women.
Camilla heard the ‘brave’ domestic abuse victims who she acknowledged had ‘been through hell’ after being introduced to some of the women by the unit’s founder, Dr Ghada Hatem. Alongside Brigitte Macron, Camilla was joined around 10 women in Saint Denis town hall.
Queen Camilla’s work highlights her unwavering dedication to raising awareness about domestic violence and supporting those affected. Through both public engagements and private meetings, she continues to break barriers and advocate for lasting change.
Stay tuned with The Crown Chronicles for updates on her progress in this vital mission.
