Queen Camilla has delivered a defiant and deeply moving plea to end the stigma surrounding violence against women, just as Meghan Markle finds herself engulfed in a fresh family headache. Looking resolute and elegant, Her Majesty spoke about a vital cause that is close to her heart during a day-long conference in Wiltshire, near her private home, on Friday. Taking to the stage at Marlborough College, the Queen made a powerful declaration that dragging the issue of domestic abuse out of the shadows could “put an end to it forever”.
“Talking is what we have to do,” Camilla told delegates. “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.”
The poignant event was organised 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 is fighting to tackle domestic abuse, stalking, and violence against females across the county.
Looking out at the invited representatives from police, local authorities, and survivor support agencies, the Queen was full of praise, declaring: “I would just say that there are so many heroes here.” Camilla, who has long been a passionate 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 proudly patron.
In a heartbreaking moment, she paid a special tribute to the “fantastic” Diana Parkes, whose daughter Joanna Simpson was brutally 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,” the Queen noted. “But she got up, she got out there, and she spoke to people.”
While the Queen made her speech, the Duchess of Sussex was dealing with a bombshell nightmare of her own, which was not mentioned by Camilla. 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.
Queen Camilla beams as she arrives at summit (Image: Getty)
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. Hitting back at the claims, the 80-year-old branded them “sick lies”. He told 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.”