Queen Camilla delivered a powerful plea to end the stigma surrounding violence against women on Friday, speaking at a day-long conference in Wiltshire near her private home. Her remarks came as Meghan Markle faced a family crisis involving allegations against her estranged father.
Addressing delegates at Marlborough College, the Queen declared that bringing domestic abuse out of the shadows could "put an end to it forever." She told the audience: "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."
Event Organized by Queen's Companion
The event was organized by the Queen's Companion Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, who chairs Wiltshire's Ending Violence Against Women and Girls (EVAWG) coalition. The multi-agency partnership aims to tackle domestic abuse, stalking, and violence against females across the county.
Looking at invited representatives from police, local authorities, and survivor support agencies, the Queen praised them, saying: "I would just say that there are so many heroes here." Camilla, a long-time campaigner on the issue, spoke of how she "realised the depth of the horror" when speaking to survivors from the domestic abuse charity SafeLives, of which she is patron.
Tribute to Diana Parkes
In a moving moment, the Queen paid tribute to the "fantastic" Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was killed by her estranged husband in 2010. "She lost her beloved daughter and a lot of people would have hidden away, shut the door just, you know, buried themselves forever," Camilla noted. "But she got up, she got out there, and she spoke to people."
Meghan Markle's Family Distress
While the Queen spoke, the Duchess of Sussex was dealing with her own ordeal. Meghan has been left "deeply distressed" after her estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr, was reported to police by his own son over the alleged possession of child abuse images.
Thomas Markle Jr claimed he found a stash of illicit material at his father's home and told the Sun he had "no option but to report" his dad. Meghan released a statement confirming she was informed of "troubling and disturbing allegations" about her father back in 2018, adding that she hoped the public would now understand her decision to cut ties with him.
Thomas Markle Sr has categorically denied the allegations. The 80-year-old branded them "sick lies," telling the Daily Mail: "I'm shocked, I'm hurt and I'm very upset that my son is making these accusations against me. I could never do what I'm being accused of. It's the worst thing anyone could accuse me of. This is bull****. It's just a bunch of lies. I have no idea why Tom is trying to destroy me with these lies."
