Queen Camilla is praised for raising awareness of domestic violence as she speaks to a woman who witnessed her step-father kill her mother when she was just 15

Roann Court was just 15 when her mother Claire Marshall was killed READ MORE: Camilla says King Charles is 'fine' as he rests at Sandringham 

The Queen has been praised for her work raising awareness of domestic violence by the daughter of a woman murdered by her ex-boyfriend.

Roann Court, who was 15 when her 35-year-old mother Claire Marshall was killed by Benjamin Cooper in 2009 in Millom, Cumbria, said she spoke to Camilla about ensuring victims have a voice in death if they couldn’t in life.

Now 30 and the mother of two boys, Ms Court met the Queen when Camilla visited Swindon on Monday.

The monarch was marking the 50th anniversary of the Swindon Domestic Abuse Support Service, which she honoured with a trip to the charity’s refuge, before visiting a jewellery shop.

Describing their conversation outside Deacon and Son’s jewellers, which Camilla visited, she said: “It was brilliant, we spoke about domestic violence and the work that she does with that, because it’s a big thing that we support, we lost my mum 15 years ago to domestic homicide.’

Roann Court, who was 15 when her 35-year-old mother Claire Marshall was killed by Benjamin Cooper in 2009 in Millom, Cumbria, said she spoke to Camilla (pictured together) about ensuring victims have a voice in death if they couldn’t in life

Ms Court added: ‘I thanked her for all the work that she’s done to raise awareness for that and she thanked me for everything that I did, and it was very, very lovely, very cordial, and it was really nice.

‘I wasn’t actually going to come here today, I drove past and I felt like an instinct that I had to park up and come and stand outside.

‘I found out this morning that she was coming, and when I drove past I was like, you know what, I’m going to pull into the Co-op car park and stand around to wait for her, because I am so grateful for what she does for victims of domestic abuse.

‘It was almost like a gut instinct was telling me to come and stand in the cold. I told her that I lost my mum and she said that she was so sorry for that.

‘You don’t see a lot of people talking about domestic abuse, what happens behind closed doors stays behind closed doors.

‘We do everything we do in her name, we don’t want her to be just another name on the list. We want her to have a voice when she didn’t have one while she was alive, so she will have one in death.’

The anniversary of her mother’s death will be on Wednesday, she added.

A court at the time heard that Claire Marshall was repeatedly stabbed by her ex-partner Benjamin Cooper, also then 35, in an attack ‘of the utmost savagery’ – first with a pen-knife and then with a cleaver.

Roann (pictured) met the Queen during her visit to Swindon on Monday and discussed raising awareness of domestic violence with her

Roann’s mother, Claire Marshall (pictured left), 35, was killed at home in Cumbria in January 2009. Her ex-boyfriend Benjamin Cooper (pictured right) hacked at her throat with a pen knife before attacking her with a kitchen knife

When asked what he had done to Miss Marshall he boasted: ‘I have been doing a bit of butchery.’

She was preparing to leave home for her shift at the local off licence and was killed in front of her young children, including then 15-year-old Roann.

Cooper was charged with manslaughter and attempted murder, pleading diminished responsibility due to his mental illness.

He was sent to a secure hospital for a minimum of six years for public protection after admitting the manslaughter – with the caveat that if he was deemed well enough, he would be sent to prison.

Speaking on BBC Points West, Ms Court added of her meeting with Camilla today: ‘It was indescribable. I’ve never met a royal before, so to shake her hand and have a conversation with her was just absolutely amazing.’

Queen Camilla today said she hoped the ‘horrific’ scourge of domestic abuse would be ‘obliterated’ in the next 50 years, while making a speech at a domestic abuse charity

Her Majesty was seen leaving the women’s refuge this morning with a colourful bouquet of flowers

In 2017, Roann appeared on the 5STAR documentary When Dads Kill, presented by Maya Jama.

Talking about the horrific murder, Roann said she is still haunted by the memories of the day she watched her mother being killed in her childhood home.

‘The only way I could describe it, in the police interview, I said it was like a lion stalking his pray,’ Roinn explained of the moment her mother’s ex turned up at their house unexpectedly in January 2009.

She said her mother had ended the relationship following years of domestic violence, but he had still turned up unexpectedly at their home.