Domestic violence should not be taboo subject, says Queen
Queen Camilla has been actively campaigning for many years to raise awareness about domestic and sexual violence, and in an upcoming ITV documentary, she speaks openly with some of its survivors.
“When you scratch the surface, you get a terrible shock. It’s such a heinous crime,” says Queen Camilla, emphasizing her belief that domestic violence should be discussed more openly.
In the film, Queen Camilla also shares an update on King Charles, who is undergoing cancer treatment, saying he is “doing really well” and humorously adding that “the problem is trying to stop him.”
Queen Camilla, a dedicated advocate against domestic abuse, uses this documentary to stress that the topic should not remain taboo.
“If only we could encourage more people to discuss it…” she says, explaining how abuse often includes psychological manipulation as well as physical violence.
“Coercive control is perhaps the most frightening part of domestic abuse,” she adds. “You meet someone who seems wonderful, attractive, and loving, and slowly they begin to undermine you.”
“They isolate you from friends and family, control your finances, and even influence your appearance. And yet, I suppose people believe they’re doing it out of love,” she reflects in the documentary, which is set to air later this month.
One of the survivors she meets describes the “invisible chains” that prevent victims from leaving, especially when children are involved.
There are also accounts of violence, aggression and threats – and the Queen visits a refuge for women seeking a safe place to escape.
Also appearing is former prime minister Theresa May who talks to human rights lawyer Cherie Blair about changing attitudes to domestic abuse.
“Domestic abuse was something that happened behind closed doors and you didn’t interfere,” she says. “Police always used that phrase, ‘oh, it’s a domestic’, and wasn’t anything to do with them.
“Over the years we’ve realised that domestic abuse is wider than what we used to call it… It’s about trying to take control over an individual person’s life,” adds the former PM.
“Domestic abuse doesn’t have to be physical. And it is actually all about power and control,” says Cherie Blair.
The documentary reports that in England and Wales last year more than two million people experienced some form of domestic abuse. And on average, every five days a woman was killed by a current or former partner.
In the documentary, the Queen meets Diana Parkes, whose daughter was killed by her estranged husband.
“I think she’s so strong because not many people would be able to survive the death of their daughter. I admire her more than I can say,” says the Queen.
The issue of domestic violence has been a consistent theme in the Queen’s visits – both in the UK and abroad, including her most recent trip to Australia and Samoa.
At an event at the Commonwealth summit in Samoa, she said there was a “gigantic task ahead of us”, needing the support of both men and women. “It is this: to end domestic and sexual violence across the Commonwealth, now and for ever.”
She had previously warned of a “pandemic” of violence against women and invited campaigners to Buckingham Palace.
In the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard, Camilla said that there was an urgent need to challenge a culture in which it seemed “violence against women is normal”.
