Queen Camilla meets frontline staff on a visit to Refuge's Gaia Centre in Lambeth on January 23, 2024 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
Queen Camilla meets frontline staff on a visit to Refuge's Gaia Centre in Lambeth on January 23, 2024 in London, England. Photo / Getty Images
Warning: mention of sexual abuse
It has been revealed that Queen Camilla is set to feature in a documentary covering domestic and sexual abuse after she was seen today visiting survivors at a specialist centre.
Filming for the project has already commenced and is being brought to screens byproduction company Love Monday. Her Majesty has been spotted being followed by a film crew at some of her more recent events, reports Daily Mail.
The documentary is said shed light on the topic of domestic violence, rape and sexual abuse, and the royal and her work will appear in the feature a number of times.
Camilla has been a passionate advocate on the issue over the years, helping to banish the taboo often experienced by abuse survivors by working with several large organisations.
The royal even made wash bags to be handed out at UK Sexual Assault Referral Centres to victims after forensics examination. The bags contain items such as soap and shampoo in order to provide comfort and familiarity to survivors during what can be a very hard and dehumanising period in their lives.
Charity leader Ngozi Fulani, centre left, attends a reception held by Camilla to raise awareness of violence against women and girls as part of the UN 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, in Buckingham Palace in 2022. Photo / AP
While Camilla acknowledges that is can be a “gritty” topic that people have opted to shy away form in the past, she has promised that her work will continue, regardless of her new title as Queen.
Today, Camilla was seen visiting Refuge’s Gaia Centre in South London, a specialist service and community hub located in Lambeth that works to end gender-based violence while supporting and campaigning for abuse victims.
Officially opening in 2012, the Gaia Centre is one of the first services in Britain to provide a single point of access for victims of violence and abuse.
Refuge’s Gaia Centre offers confidential and non-judgemental support to more than 1500 adults and 2000 children annually, providing care for victims of domestic abuse, sexual violence, trafficking, modern slavery, sexual exploitation, female genital mutilation, forced marriage and honour-based violence.
Her Majesty met privately with several domestic abuse victims during her visit to the centre, who told the royal of their personal experiences and how Refuge has supported them.
The royal also visited a children’s playroom and spoke to specialist staff about how kids who have experienced domestic abuse and other forms of gender-based violence are supported by the Gaia Centre.
Queen Camilla and the chairwoman of Refuge's Board of Trustees, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton pose with frontline staff on a visit to Refuge's Gaia Centre in Lambeth in London. Photo / Getty Images
She was joined by the chairwoman of Refuge’s Board of Trustees, Hetti Barkworth-Nanton and interim CEO, Ellen Miller.
Refuge is the largest provider of special support for women and children who have been victim to domestic abuse and gender-based violence in the United Kingdom.
During her visit to the centre, the Queen recounted a previous visit to the Safe Lives organisation eight years prior, when she first became involved in the field, saying: “I think like a lot of people in this country, and all over the world, I certainly didn’t know very much about this abuse.
“I’d literally scratched the surface. It’s only when I sat down and listened to these really heartbreaking stories that I realised how terrible it was and how deep it was.
“I do remember saying at the time that I’d like to do anything I could to help and I’m not sure I’ve done a lot, but I’ve been trying to get out there and talk about it and make it a normal subject that people can talk about and stop it being a taboo subject; which it’s been for years.
“I particularly salute all the survivors who are able to get out there; to talk to me, talk to everybody and tell other people about what they’ve been through, because they are going to save lives by getting others to come forward.
“It’s wonderful to see everybody here today, to see a whole team working together, it’s obviously producing good results and will save lives. Thank you all very much for all you do in this field, because you are doing a brilliant job.”
