Queen Camilla has long been an advocate for those who suffer abuse, coercive control and sexual violence.

11:48, Thu, Feb 12, 2026 Updated: 11:51, Thu, Feb 12, 2026

queen camilla

Queen Camilla carried out the emotional visit (Image: PA)

Queen Camilla visited the headquarters of Avon and Somerset Police on Thursday morning to hear about how they are tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence, causes which are very close to her heart.

The Queen, who previously featured in the domestic abuse-themed ITV documentary Her Majesty The Queen – Behind Closed Doors, spoke with 999 call handlers and met members of the service’s survivors’ group during her poignant visit. She also had the opportunity to reunite with Chief Constable Sarah Crew and Superintendent Sharon Baker, who previously shared their heartwrenching experiences of domestic abuse in the ITV documentary.

Her Majesty has long been a passionate and vocal advocate for those who suffer abuse, coercive control and sexual violence.

During her visit, the Queen was joined by Head of Command and Control Tara Bryant for a tour of the control room and spoke with a call handler who has experience of dealing with domestic abuse calls. Camilla was then shown the systems used to respond to calls and Avon and Somerset Police’s vulnerable victim approach, which aims to further support victims during calls.

The Queen then learned about initiatives that have been developed by Avon and Somerset Police to support victims of rape and serious sexual offences (RASSO) and domestic abuse.

When she starred in the ITV documentary in 2024, the Queen spoke openly about why she is so passionate about increasing awareness around domestic abuse.

During one piece to camera, she said: “By scratching the surface, you get a terrible shock. It's a heinous crime. If we could just get more people discussing it, talking about it, people are so shocked by what they hear that, rather like me, they want to say ‘oh, hang on a minute’ perhaps there's something we can do to put an end to it.”

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queen camilla

The Queen listened to a domestic abuse call (Image: PA)

Her Majesty’s drive to use her platform in this way has often been the source of admiration. “The Queen is pushing the door wider and wider”, Jess Phillips MP previously said during a reception at Buckingham Palace, “having someone in the Queen’s position talking about rape is unimaginable.”

The Queen has worked closely with survivors and campaigners to shed light on the various forms of abuse, including coercive control, which was only criminalised in 2015. 

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Elsewhere in the documentary, she discussed the insidious nature of abuse: "You meet somebody, you think they’re wonderful and attractive and love you... and then, bit by bit, they start to undermine you. They take away your friends, they take away your family... and then when you start questioning it, these people become very violent."

The Queen has also praised survivors for having the courage to speak out. "I think that getting some of the wonderfully brave survivors to actually get up and talk about it has made people sit up and listen," she comments. "There are a lot of feisty women who have been through it, come out the other side and are now telling people how to do it – and that is what we want."