The Queen has spoken out against the stigma surrounding violence against women and girls saying talking about the issue could “put an end to it forever”.
Camilla made her comments during a day-long conference tackling the issue in Wiltshire, where the Queen has her private home, and organised by her Queen’s Companion Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne.
Camilla, a long-time campaigner on domestic abuse, told delegates at the event staged at Marlborough College near Swindon: “Talking is what we have to do. Domestic abuse was a taboo subject that nobody talked about, it was hush hush, but now everybody is getting up there and talking about it.
“And hopefully if we keep on talking and having gatherings like this we will, I don’t know how many years, but we might be able to put an end to it forever.”
Camilla at the summit in Marlborough College in Wiltshire (Jacob King/PA)
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Lady Lansdowne chairs Wiltshire’s Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) coalition, a multi-agency partnership established in 2024 to tackle domestic abuse, stalking and violence against females in the county.
The Queen’s Companion said a “groundswell” was needed to combat violence against females and EVAWG was training Women’s Institute members to be a point of contact for Wiltshire women who may have been abused.
Camilla took to the stage to tell invited Wiltshire representatives from police, local authorities and other agencies: “I would just say that there are so many heroes here” referencing survivors of domestic violence in the audience.
She added: “And I’m very impressed that, as a resident of Wiltshire, that Wiltshire is leading the way in this quest to end domestic violence.”
Camilla meets Zara McDermott (right) at the summit (Jacob King/PA)
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Camilla said she “realised the depth of the horror” of the issue when talking to survivors from domestic abuse charity SafeLives, which she now supports as patron.
And she described as “fantastic” Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was killed by her estranged husband Robert Brown in 2010. Brown was convicted of manslaughter on the basis of diminished responsibility.
“She lost her beloved daughter and a lot of people would have hidden away, shut the door just, you know, buried themselves forever. But she got up, she got out there, and she spoke to people,” said the Queen.
Among the guest speakers was Dame Nicole Jacobs, domestic abuse commissioner for England and Wales, and Jess Phillips, former minister for safeguarding and violence against women and girls.
After the Queen left Lady Lansdowne said her organisation was talking to other counties: “If we can get groups like we’ve got in all the counties, that can just start filtering this message out – that it’s not acceptable.
“I think a groundswell from the bottom up is what we need to change attitudes.”