Queen Camilla left in tears after emotional encounter during domestic abuse documentary
Queen Camilla has made a powerful statement, opening up about her decade-long commitment to combating domestic and sexual violence in a new ITV1 documentary. She reflects on the cause that she has held close to her heart with the heartfelt declaration.
“It’s such a heinous crime,” Queen Camilla says early in the documentary. “If we could just get people discussing it and talking about it, people are so shocked by what they hear that – rather like me – they want to say, ‘Hang on a minute, maybe there’s something we can help with to put an end to it.’”
The 77 year old Royal is featured attending various events and engaging directly with survivors and activists to break down barriers surrounding the topic. Queen Camilla recounts attending a SafeLives event - a pivotal experience marked by a moving speech that ignited her passion for the cause.
There she met the mother of a mum-of-two who was murdered by her partner, and listened to a speech by the victim’s best friend. “My reaction I’m afraid was to cry,” Her Majesty admits. “I looked around and there were quite a lot of police and quite a lot of quite hard-nosed journalists around and there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. We were all so shocked by what we heard. It was certainly my reaction. I thought, ‘I just want to do something about this.’”
The mother Camilla met was Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was beaten to death by her estranged husband in 2010. Last month, Diana and Joanna’s best friend Hetti Barkworth-Nanton accepted Pride of Britain’s Special Recognition Award for their work with the Joanna Simpson Foundation. Both credit Queen Camilla’s unwavering support from that initial meeting onwards as invaluable in their mission.
“She always says to me, ‘You are the one who made me want to get involved in this issue,’” Diana says of Her Majesty. “She is the most compassionate lady, she understands totally how I am feeling.”
The Queen has worked closely with survivors and campaigners to shed light on the various forms of abuse, including coercive control, which was only criminalized in 2015. Her Majesty poignantly describes the insidious nature of abuse: "You meet somebody, you think they’re wonderful and attractive and love you... and then bit by bit, they start to undermine you. They take away your friends, they take away your family... and then when you start questioning it these people become very violent."
By supporting organizations that help victims of domestic violence and abuse, The Queen aims to show them that there is a way out. "You can imagine how terrifying it is for a woman to be stuck with a very violent partner and feeling that fear every single day," she says. "And they think to themselves, ‘Maybe there is a way out.’"
In a women's refuge, resident Natalie – who remains anonymous for her safety – bravely opens up about the severe abuse she endured from her partner. "The odd slap turned into a punch and then beating," she reveals. "The [violence] went on sometimes for days. I was embarrassed and ashamed so I just kept it to myself. I couldn’t get out, I was a prisoner." It was only after a friend called the police that Natalie was connected with a support worker and found safety in a women's refuge.
Queen Camilla has praised the courage of survivors speaking out. "I think through getting some of the wonderfully brave survivors to actually get up and talk about it has made people sit up and listen," she comments. "There are a lot of feisty women who have been through it, come out the other side and are now telling people how to do it – and that is what we want."
Watch Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, Monday 11 November, 9pm, ITV1 and ITVX
