In a groundbreaking new documentary, Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors, Queen Camilla takes a hard look at the devastating reality of domestic violence. The 90-minute film follows the Queen as she meets with survivors, advocates, and experts to shed light on the shocking horrors that many women face in the privacy of their own homes.
Brutal Accounts from Survivors
The documentary pulls no punches, featuring breathtakingly painful stories from domestic violence survivors. Diana Parkes recounts how her daughter Joanna Simpson was bludgeoned to death by her husband with a claw hammer in 2010. “Fourteen times he hit her,” Parkes explains with unflinching frankness.
Another survivor, Shana, describes the “invisible chains” of fear, responsibility for children, and lack of alternatives that keep victims tied to their abusers. Rosie Duffield, MP, shares her own terrifying story in a magnificently delivered speech in the House of Commons, portions of which are aired in the film.
Police Responses Under Scrutiny
The documentary also examines the often inadequate police response to domestic violence. Actor Patrick Stewart recalls how officers told him and his brother that “it takes two to make a quarrel” after an ambulance was called for their abused mother. “Forgive me – what bullshit,” Stewart remarks.
“Natalie” shares how her boyfriend was arrested but quickly released after telling police she had punched her own face.
Coercive Control: The Silent Torture
Experts like criminologist Professor Jane Monckton Smith explain how coercive control, the undermining behaviors that erode a victim’s confidence and sense of self, is the greatest predictor of homicide in abusive relationships. This silent torture, which follows a distinct pattern, has recently been criminalized.
Understanding and recognizing coercive control, experts argue, could help reduce the staggering toll of violence against women – two to three killed each week by their partners, with another three driven to suicide as their only escape.
Queen Camilla’s Advocacy
Throughout the documentary, Queen Camilla hosts receptions, speaks compassionately with survivors, and discusses the issue frankly, calling domestic violence and sexual assault “heinous crimes.” Her role, limited by her royal status, focuses on raising awareness rather than actively lobbying for legal changes or demanding police reforms.
While praised, some of the Queen’s efforts, like her “washbag initiative” providing toiletries to women in shelters, seem meager in the face of the £180 million experts say is needed annually just to meet the needs of the few women able to escape their abusers. In a grim statistic, 61% of refuge referrals are denied due to lack of space and funding.
A Call to Action
Above all, Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors is a sobering wake-up call, exposing the horrific reality of domestic violence that persists in our modern world. By giving voice to survivors and highlighting the vital work of advocates and experts, it issues an urgent plea for awareness, empathy, and meaningful change.
In a sane society, the film argues, each of these stories would be front-page news, sparking outrage and protests in the streets. Instead, they remain hidden horrors, endured in silence behind closed doors. Queen Camilla’s advocacy, while commendable, is only the beginning. It falls to all of us to bring domestic violence out of the shadows and work towards a world where no one has to suffer such inhumanity alone.
