Australia’s own Crown Princess Mary of Denmark joined Queen Consort Camilla, Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan and Queen Mathilde of Belgium at Buckingham Palace for a special women’s event last week.
The roundtable occasion was held to raise awareness of violence against women and girls as part of the UN 16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.
The reigning royalty in attendance also included Sophie, Countess of Wessex, Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska and First Lady of Sierra Leone, Fatima Maada Bio.
More than 300 guests including survivors of violence against women and girls, their families, politicians and charities working in the area were also in attendance.
Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan alongside Queen Consort Camilla and Princess Mary of Denmark.
(IMAGE: Instagram)
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Since being named Queen Consort back in September, in what was widely reported was a title the late Queen Elizabeth II ”dearly wished” for Camilla, the event was one of the most important engagements the royal in law has faced since her husband became king of the commonwealth.
The cause is equally close to the hearts of both Mary and Camilla, Mary making the subject an area of focus for her royal work in Denmark and abroad (with particular attention to developing countries), whilst Camilla supports survivors of rape and sexual assault through her patronage of more than 90 major charities.
Speaking to 9Honey about the significance of these royal women making gender based violence a core part of their portfolios, Camilla’s biographer Angela Levin said they were all, especially Camilla, ”genuine” in their approach to the issue.
Camilla, Queen Consort, at the Chelsea and Westminister hospital in London to meet domestic abuse frontline staff on October 13, 2022.
(IMAGE: Getty)”Her courage to take on charities the royal family would never consider doing and doing them very well – rape, domestic violence,” Levin said.
”She put her heart and soul into trying to build that up. She continued to do it even though it gave her sleepless nights, she thought it was important that she helped them.”
To drive home her dedication to the issue, Camilla has even climbed a ladder and through a window to avoid media attention whilst visiting a rape crisis centre a number of years ago, in order to keep the location of the centre secret to protect vulnerable women inside.
Queen Rania of Jordan with Camilla in Amman on November 16, 2021.
(IMAGE: Instagram)The Queen Consort also helped to create the ‘Washbags Project’, where a washbag of toiletries is provided free of charge to those who have undergone a forensic examination at Sexual Assault Referral Centres, allowing them to shower with new products.
Speaking at the event, the Queen Consort delivered a rousing address.
”We are uniting today to confront, rightly, what has been called a global pandemic of violence against women.
”Faced with such challenges, it can be hard to know what practical steps we can take to even begin to make a difference.
”Over the years, in my previous role, I had the privilege of meeting many survivors of rape and domestic abuse; and of sharing in the sorrow of people who had lost family members to violence. And again and again, I heard that two of the most powerful ways in which to help were to remember and to listen.”
Royalty from across Europe reunited at Buckingham palace for a very special cause.
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