Queen Camilla to Star in Taboo-Busting First Documentary Since Being Crowned — After Camera Crews Tracked Her Year Fighting Domestic Violence
Aug. 22 2024, Published 6:30 p.m. ET
Queen Camilla is set to star in her first documentary in an effort to dispel taboos around speaking about domestic violence.
In order to bring the project to life, a film crew followed Camilla for year documenting her work on raising awareness for domestic violence, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
U.K. outlet ITV announced it commissioned the documentary, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, which is set to air in late 2024.
The project will include never-before-seen footage of Camilla in private meetings with survivors of domestic violence.
ITV's Sue Murphy said: "ITV is proud to be making this documentary with Her Majesty the Queen about this hugely important subject. We hope the film will raise awareness and inspire change in our society."
The documentary is expected to be a 90-minute film highlighting survivors' stories, the families of victims and those involved in work to end domestic violence.
Camilla's roundtable sessions with teenagers will also be included, as well as the International Women's Day celebration at Buckingham Palace.
Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was killed by her estranged husband in 2010, was also confirmed to be part of the project.
In February 2022, months before the coronation, Camilla cited Parkes and Joanna's murder as inspiration for her commitment to working with domestic violence victims.
The queen said: "I'm going to keep up with these causes. You know if I start something like this, I'm not going to give up mid-channel, I'm just going to keep going to try and help the likes of people like Diana [Parkes]… I hope I should be doing it for a lifetime."
Parkes co-founded the Joanna Simpson Foundation and was honored with a CBE for her service and contributions to children impacted by domestic abuse and domestic homicide.
Camilla has a long history of supporting causes aimed at ending domestic violence and support for victims. She first connected with Parkes in 2016 at a SafeLives charity event. After hearing Parkes story, she later became a patron of the charity in 2020.
In 2021, she applauded the work of "brilliant" charity Ask for ANI — which stands for "Action Needed Immediately" — that allowed victims to discreetly ask for help in pharmacies and Jobcentres.
A year later, in 2022, Camilla toured the I AM project in Manchester, which highlighted portraits of victims.
Her documentary is expected to not only shed light on victims' stories but explore meaningful ways to end the cycle of abuse. The Crime Survey of England and Wales (CSEW) found that one in four women have experienced domestic abuse since the age of 16.
According to Women's Aid, "In the year ending December 2023, the police recorded a domestic abuse offense approximately every 40 seconds".
CSEW data from March 2023 revealed only 18.9 percent of women who experienced domestic violence in the previous year reported the abuse to police.
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