Beyond the frivolous trappings of royalty—the jewels, the clothing, the dishy behind-palace-walls gossip—is a woman who has been using her platform increasingly for topics that greatly need the centre stage.
One of the Duchess of Cornwall’s latest engagements supporting domestic violence survivors saw her at the opening of a photographic exhibit called “I Am” in Manchester that features 12 portraits of survivors taken by acclaimed photographer Allie Crewe. The exhibit was commissioned by SICK! Festival and supported by Camilla’s patronage, SafeLives.
In a speech at the opening of the exhibit, Camilla said: “The stories we have heard today are heartbreaking, but they are not, by any means, unique…I am therefore deeply grateful to Allie, the SICK Festival and to SafeLives for this exhibition, which so effectively opens our eyes to the reality of living with, and surviving, abuse. The photographs are both incredibly moving and inspiring. Moving – because of the depth of pain and loss that the survivors have endured at the hands of those who claimed to love them, and inspiring – because these photographs show us how survivors can, and do, take back their own identity and their own stories, which have too often been eroded and taken from them by the abuse they have suffered.
“Part of the power of these photographs lies in the fact that the images are not of victims, as we might have supposed: but, in the words of one of them, “strong, feisty, brave survivor[s], changing the journey from victim to victor…making it smoother, shorter and never lonely”. In the same way, these photographs make us reframe the questions that we ask of those living with domestic abuse: rather than ‘why didn’t they leave,’ we should ask, ‘why didn’t the perpetrator stop?’. As one survivor wrote, ‘He tried to kill me. He nearly killed me. That’s his failure. My survival, my thriving again, is my success.’”
Camilla speaks in stark terms when discussing her support for domestic violence survivors and charities. There is no sugar coating, but there is compassion laced with facts and urgency. For Camilla, this is her life’s work, and it’s clear that she’s dedicated to doing what she can to eradicate domestic violence.
Earlier this year, the proclamation by The Queen that she wishes, when the time comes, for Camilla to be known as Queen Camilla caught many off guard. It is objectively true that at the time she married Prince Charles public opinion was firmly against her; but with the passage of time, her dedication to royal work, and her steadfastness in simply being herself, the general public is finally starting to see what a queen Camilla can be.
