Never-before-seen footage of ‘remarkable’ Camilla is powerful – hard-hitting doc shows her other side
A POWERFUL new documentary shows a completely different side to Queen Consort Camilla, says a royal expert.
ITV’s Royal Editor Chris Ship discussed how Camilla’s often overlooked work with domestic abuse victims is the main focus of a new hard-hitting film.
The royal expert made the comments while appearing on The Sun’s Royal Exclusive show.
He was joined by fellow royal correspondent Sarah Hewson, who agreed that Camilla, who is a long-time patron of SafeLives, helps to give a “voice to those survivors of domestic abuse.”
The film Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors premiered on ITV earlier this week.
Sarah said that you could “hear a pin drop” during a preview screening of the documentary at Buckingham Palace.
“There were audible gasps as some of the statistics came up, for example, there’s a call to the police every 30 seconds about domestic abuse and that’s just those who manage to make the call,” she said.
“That’s seen as being only a quarter of potential cases.
“And it was only in 1991 that rape became a crime within marriage and until then, it was just seen as a wife’s duty.”
Sarah felt “horrified” watching the film, explaining it had a “big impact” on her and other audience members.
She added that the Queen Consort’s passion for advocating for survivors was evident not just in the film but in her life.
“This is something so important to her, something she’s been doing for more than a decade and she has a remarkable platform to be able to raise awareness,” the expert explained.
As well as featuring the voices of survivors and family members who had lost loved one to domestic abuse, Camilla also made sure to include the perspective of the younger generation.
She spoke about the conversations she has had with her own granddaughters on the topic.
According to Chris, it was Diana Parkes, the mother of domestic abuse victim Joanna Simpson, who inspired Camilla’s work.
“The very first meeting she went to, she heard the whole story about how it happened and just how dreadful it was, she was openly crying in that room,” he explained.
“She says in the documentary that even the policemen and the journalists were crying as well.
“And you can see how she was just so moved by that, I think that was the moment she thought: ‘I’ve got this platform and I’m going to do something about it.’”
Chris also spoke about witnessing the Queen Consort’s victim advocacy during foreign trips.
How you can get help
Women's Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – messageinfo@supportline.org.uk.
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
“It doesn’t always get a lot of coverage but in Australia and in Samoa recently, she went to the charities that help women trying to flee abusive relationships,” he said.
“I thought [the documentary] was really moving, really powerful, and it shows Camilla in a completely different light.”
“It’s not just a professional connection of ‘I’m the Queen, I’m the patron of this charity,’ she has a real personal connection with the women and the survivors and you can see that.”
“It’s an incredibly powerful and hard-hitting watch,” agreed Sarah.
“We see never-before-seen footage of her going into a refuge, meeting survivors of domestic abuse and she when talks, you can hear the passion in her voice.”