Queen Camilla has teamed up with an all-female production crew in a powerful new documentary, airing next week, in which she vows to eradicate domestic abuse.
“Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors” follows Camilla as she meets survivors of abusive relationships, including a member of the UK parliament, a senior police officer and a former Miss England.
According to UK government data, on average, a woman is killed by a current or ex-partner every five days in England and Wales but the 77-year-old royal’s new film stresses that violence may not be part of the abuse until it is too late to save the victim.
The film’s campaigners highlight the role that coercive control plays in domestic abuse, with perpetrators not necessarily targeting the obviously vulnerable. One survivor who can attest to this is Chief Inspector Sharon Baker of Avon and Somerset Police, who features in the documentary.
When the chief inspector decided to share that she had also been in an abusive relationship, her colleague told her, “If this can happen to you, it’s OK that it’s happened to me.” Motivated by this, Baker shared a six-minute video within her police force and was astounded when more than 130 other survivors came forward. They began meeting monthly and still do.
Baker believes the issue is “much more prevalent than we think” and hopes Camilla’s documentary will raise awareness.
“Coercive control is the biggest indicator of future homicide. I didn’t suffer any violence until I tried to leave. The time you see violence could be too late.”
In 2015, coercive control became a criminal offense in England and Wales. Baker describes how her ex sowed seeds of doubt in her personal relationships, slowly isolating her from her support network. “There are red flags everywhere, but your perpetrator gives you rose-tinted glasses,” Baker continued. “You can’t see the red flags.”
She hopes part of the conversation to emerge as a result of the documentary will be around coercive control, as well as helping people to speak up when aspects of their relationships concern them.
For Camilla, she accepts that there has been progress but insists that there is still a lot of work to be done to eradicate domestic abuse.
It’s a promise she makes in the documentary, saying: “And I shall keep on trying until I am able to no more.”
“Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors” airs on November 11 at 9 p.m. on UK broadcaster ITV1.
Getting help around the world
If you or someone you know is being affected by domestic violence, a worldwide list of directories is provided by UN Women. You can also find a list of national agencies on The Pixel Project.