Queen Camilla has made a thinly veiled reference to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal in a speech at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. Wearing a badge that reads “Shame Must Change Sides”, which French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot gave to her when they met for tea last month, Her Majesty delivered a punchy speech about violence against women and girls to those gathered at the Women of the World (WOW) reception on Tuesday afternoon.
“To every survivor of every kind of violence, many of whom have not been able to tell their stories or who have not been believed, please know that you are not alone,” the Queen said in an eight-minute-long speech. “We stand with you and alongside you, today and every day, in solidarity, sorrow and sympathy.”
Her comments are likely to be seen as a thinly veiled reference to the Epstein case, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s alleged role. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said: “I think Her Majesty’s speech speaks for itself.”
As President of WOW, Camilla hosted a reception to mark International Women’s Day and the fifteenth year of WOW – a global alliance of partners, working together to drive an equal and inclusive future for women, girls and non-binary people.
The Queen said: “Every woman has a story. And these stories must be told. Because when we live in a culture of silence, we empower violence against women and girls. It is for this reason that, for 15 years, WOW has been sharing women’s experiences through their festivals, inspiring thousands of people across six continents to take action.”
Camilla used her speech to highlight startling statistics about violence against women and girls. This includes that a woman is murdered by a man every three days in the UK and that 62% of these women are killed by partners or ex-partners.
“Almost a third of women in England and Wales have endured domestic abuse,” she says. “1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted. And over 70% of women in the UK say that they have been harassed in public.
“Each of us is, therefore, certain either to have experienced some form of abuse personally, or know a woman or a girl who has.”
It marks the 10th consecutive year hosting a reception for WOW, which was attended by leading women in their fields, such as Hannah Waddingham, Cherie Blair, Helen Mirren, Miriam Margolyes and Penny Lancaster.
Camilla hailed Ms Pelicot’s “grace and strength” after she waived her right to anonymity in a horrific mass-rape case involving her ex-husband and 50 other men in a bid to raise awareness of the horrific crimes against women and girls.
She also spoke about the brutal murders of Carol Hunt and two of her daughters, Louise and Hannah, by Louise’s ex-boyfriend in their home. Amy, the surviving sister, attended the reception today with her fiancé, Gareth.
The Queen also spoke of the common misconception that violence against women is “a woman problem”, saying: “This is unjust and untrue.”
“It is “everyone’s problem” and only by treating it as such can this scourge be eradicated for good,” she said. “It won’t be easy.”
Her Majesty was joined by the Founder Director of WOW, Ms Jude Kelly CBE, to meet guests including WOW supporters and staff, women leading in their fields from the arts to education and business, and people working to eradicate violence against women and girls.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
