Camilla: I know victims of abuse
THE Duchess of Cornwall yesterday told how she was inspired by the experiences of friends to campaign against domestic violence.
Camilla, who has made highlighting the issue of sexual and physical violence against women one of the main features of her official work, spoke during a visit to France with her husband Prince Charles.
The Duchess visited domestic violence charity VIFFIL-SOS Femmes in Lyon and told of her motivation.
She said: “I’d always known about domestic abuse.
“In fact, I knew people who had suffered from it.
“But I’d no idea of the extent or how many people, how many women actually around the world, are suffering from it.”
Set up in 1979 to provide refuge housing for victims of domestic violence, the Lyon charity also provides support for women without financial means to leave abusive partners.
Camilla, 70, praised the centre and said: “It’s incredibly well run, the lady who runs it is passionate about it.
“It’s been going for a very long time I think, long before a lot of people talked about domestic abuse.
“It’s also got the backing of the city and the mayor, so it’s financed by them and, talking to the ladies, they say it’s their safe haven.
“It’s the one place they feel safe – they can get back on their feet, back into work and back into a normal life again.”
Charles and Camilla also commemorated VE Day yesterday by laying a in Lyon.
The royal couple were greeted by mayor of the city Georges Kepenekian and David Kimelfeld, president of the Lyon Metropolitan Area, when they arrived at a monument in Parc de la Tete d’or.
The Prince laid a wreath at the foot of the grand monument, which was flanked by flag bearers, to mark 73 years since the end of the Second World War in Europe.
The couple joined hundreds of guests, including veterans, schoolchildren and members of the public, who were invited to attend the ceremony. They also shook hands with some of the veterans.
Lyon was once hailed as “the capital of the resistance” by the Free French leader and President Charles de Gaulle. wreath at a ceremony