Queen ‘feeling tired but on the mend’ after pneumonia
Camilla met campaigners from Women’s Aid to celebrate the organisation’s 50th anniversary.
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Your support makes all the difference.The Queen has revealed she is feeling tired following her bout of pneumonia but is on the mend.
Camilla was asked about her health when she joined domestic abuse survivors, advocates and staff from Women’s Aid to celebrate the organisation’s 50th anniversary.
In an impromptu speech, the Queen, who has long campaigned on the issue, vowed to help end domestic abuse and said: “It’s terrible that after 50 years it still has to be eradicated but we are making progress.”
The Queen recently appeared in an ITV documentary about her work on domestic abuse which also featured Alice Liveing, a Women’s Aid ambassador and a survivor of an abusive relationship.
Ms Liveing spoke to Camilla as the 50th anniversary celebration began and said afterwards: “She said she was feeling pretty tired and she was on the mend, she (said) was trying to juggle some bits.
“She’s a long-standing supporter of Women’s Aid and, more widely, domestic abuse, it’s very clear it’s very close to her heart. I think the documentary showed that, and even if she’s not 100% she still comes – I think that’s wonderful.”
The Queen has had a busy week helping the King host the state visit of the Emir of Qatar over two days, only missing the open-air ceremonial welcome and one element of the state banquet to rest.
She looked relaxed as she joined the large group of women in central London and said in her short speech before cutting the 50th birthday cake: “I’ve talked to many, many women and men all around the country, all around the world, and you hear the same devastating stories time and time again. I was so moved by it.”
She got a loud round of applause when she added: “I’ve no intention now that I’ve started to stop now, I’m determined to put an end to this…”
“We’ve all got to pull together, and start hearing the voices of survivors, it’s so important because every time another survivor hears a voice it inspires them perhaps to get up and say something themselves.”
Women’s Aid was founded in 1974, bringing together nearly 40 independent refuge services and creating a national network that allowed women and children in abusive situations to move away and find a place of safety.
Today 180 organisations provide just under 300 services and Women’s Aid continues to campaign and work with policymakers to help eradicate the issue.
Television presenter Katie Piper, a survivor ambassador for Women’s Aid, spoke movingly about her own experience and the work of the organisation.
Piper, who suffered life-changing burns in an acid attack in March 2008, has spent years advocating for burns victims and set up a charity to support them.
She told the guests: “Women’s Aid has been a lifeline to women like me and many of you that are here in the room. Women who found themselves in situations where violence and control has become a normal part of their daily lives.
“They’ve been the ones to say, ‘you are not alone. you are not to blame’, and by doing that they’ve created a sisterhood.”
She added: “It’s not just about offering a place of refuge, but it’s also about empowering women to reclaim their lives.
“And Women’s Aid has been at the forefront of that, fighting for women’s rights, ensuring that every woman who seeks help is not just given a safe place to stay, but also access to legal support, counselling and, most importantly, a path to independence and strength.”