The Queen Consort has highlighted stores of domestic abuse survivors and the work of charities that offer help as she appears on the cover of Good Housekeeping’s festive issue.
Camilla said that survivors’ stories “still haunt” her, after hearing “so many” people talk about their experiences.
As the patron of SafeLives, Camilla spoke of her support for the domestic abuse charity, which was founded by Baroness Diana Barran.
The 75-year-old royal said: “I have had the privilege of meeting so many women – and men – who live in an atmosphere of permanent fear. Their stories still haunt me.
“Over and over again, I have heard that what survivors want, above all, is for the wall of silence to be broken.”
Camilla added that the best part of her work as the charity’s patron is being “under the radar” with survivors who have “escaped abuse and rebuilt their lives”.
SafeLives established the “best friend rule”, which asks the public: “If your best friend was experiencing domestic abuse, what would you want for them?”
It provides a range of services for those who have endured domestic abuse and works with other organisations with the ultimate aim of eradicating the issue.
“17 years on, the best friend rule still applies,” Camilla said. “[It] makes all the difference in the world to more than 75,000 adults and 95,000 children each year.
“I firmly believe that volunteers are the backbone of this country and, often unseen and unsung, truly hold our communities together.”
She thanked volunteers “from the bottom of my heart” for “the hope they give to each one of us”.
One story that has stayed with the Queen Consort is that of Diana Parkes, the mother of Joanna Brown, who was brutally murdered by her husband in 2010.
Camilla first met Parkes in 2016 at the London office of SafeLives, when she first became interested in the issue of domestic abuse.
“Diana had to identify her daughter’s body and saw, in horrifying detail, what Joanna’s husband had done to her,” the wife of King Charles III recalled.
“Diana’s story has always resonated very deeply with me, partly, I think, because she and I are the same generation and are both grandmothers.”
Also featured in the 2022 festive issue of Good Housekeeping are interviews with the Princess of Wales, the Princess Royal, the Countess of Wessex, Princess Alexandra and the Duchess of Gloucester.
Each royal will speak about their causes, including dementia, carers, child safety and missing people.
Camilla’s cover on the magazine comes as the royal family faced a racism row over comments made by Lady Susan Hussey during a royal reception hosted by the Queen Consort last week.
Ngozi Fulani, a Black domestic abuse charity founder, accused the former lady-in-waiting of asking her repeatedly where she and her “people” are from. Lady Hussey, who is also Prince William’s godmother, stepped down from her role and apologised for the incident.
It also comes as the monarchy braces itself for the release of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s forthcoming Netflix documentary series, Harry & Meghan.
The series, which will premiere on Thursday (8 November), promises to tell “the other side” of Prince Harry and Meghan’s story and is expected to widen the rift between the royal family and the Sussexes.
Additional reporting by PA
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