Queen Camilla meets with survivors of domestic abuse as part of a new documentary airing next week.
Isabel Infantes/ITV

Editor’s Note: This is a version of CNN’s Royal News, a weekly dispatch bringing you the inside track on Britain’s royal family. Sign up here. A list of resources for domestic violence victims follows this article.

CNN — 

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.

The film provides an insight into the Queen’s efforts at raising awareness of domestic and sexual violence – a subject she has devoted herself to for a number of years now. In 2020, she became patron of domestic abuse charity “Save Lives,” and back in 2017, she spoke to CNN about the subject in her very first TV news interview.

Queen Camilla, center, poses with (L-R) Rehema Muthamia, Emma Armstrong, Alice Liveing and Sharon Baker ahead of a special reception held on October 30 for the exclusive screening of the new documentary.
Chris Jackson/Getty Images

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.

In a conversation with CNN, Baker revealed she initially didn’t tell anyone about what she went through. She assumed “nobody was ready to hear that a cop like me could be a victim.” It was not until she heard the victim-blaming language of a fellow survivor – a member of her own staff – that she reflected on her own reluctance to speak out.

“There are so many myths about domestic abuse. That it’s going to be someone weak,” Baker told CNN. “Well, I was totally opposite. I was strong and powerful, going to disorders with my riot helmet on.”

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.