Queen Camilla gets back to work after Easter break

• Camilla, 76, has long worked to end domestic violence in the UK
• READ MORE: ‘It’s incredibly moving’: Camilla hails bravery of domestic abuse survivors as she attends photo exhibition 

Queen Camilla beamed as she prepared to return to work following the Easter break today and began with an issue close to her heart – ending domestic violence.

The Queen, 76, patron of SafeLives, smiled as she left Clarence House to head for Buckingham Palace, where she has invited four young pioneers from the charity to discuss how violence and abuse in the home affects younger people.

Camilla has long been a prominent voice in calling for support for victims of domestic violence, a cause she has continued to champion since she became Queen.

Today, after a break for the Easter holidays and a trip to Scotland to celebrate her 19th wedding anniversary with King Charles who is having cancer treatment, Camilla ensured the issue remained top of her priority list.

The group of Changemakers from the SafeLives charity are aged between 14 and 20, and their role is to help inform and guide the charity’s work with young people.

Queen Camilla looked ready to resume work after the Easter break as she departed from Clarence House this morning

In particular, they help to inform SafeLives’s work in promoting healthy relationships among young people.

As they visit Buckingham Palace and are hosted by the Queen in the Music Room of the royal residence, the Changemakers are set to discuss their latest work and initiatives.

In 2022, Queen Camilla helped to host an art exhibition in collaboration with SafeLives which displayed portraits of people who had been subject to domestic violence. The exhibition intended to show that people of all genders, ages, and backgrounds could fall victim to domestic abuse.

Camilla, 76, will champion a cause very close to her heart today; ending the scourge of domestic violence in the UK

The exhibition featured heavily in a documentary broadcast on ITV that same year, Camilla’s Country Life. The programme followed the Queen as she guest edited an edition of Country Life magazine – and a report into domestic violence in rural areas took a double-page spread among the pages.

Speaking to the film crew Camilla said she wanted to draw attention to the problem of domestic violence in her issue of the magazine.

She said: ‘It’s incredibly moving. It’s so brave of these women… to get up and talk about it when some of them have sat on it for years and years and years.’

The Duchess added it was ‘a very brave thing to do’.

Speaking with a male survivor of domestic violence who appeared in photographer Allie Crewe’s exhibition, Camilla said she was ‘glad’ to meet him.

The Duchess told him: ‘You were the brave man in the exhibition.

Speaking to the cameras Camilla said she thought survivors of domestic violence were ‘very brave’ to speak about their experiences

Speaking to a male survivor of domestic violence the Duchess of Cornwall said she felt men were ‘overlooked’ when it comes to the issue

The Duchess of Cornwall, 74, met with Allie Crewe (left) who photographed survivors of domestic abuse as part of an exhibition

‘I sometimes think men get a bit overlooked. I think people think “it’s all women and it doesn’t happen to men” but it jolly well does.’

The Duchess confirmed she wanted to make a mention of domestic violence in her edition of Country Life – particularly in rural areas.

‘I wanted to point out that in the countryside, it’s not all rosy. There are darker things happening, especially in rural areas where they don’t get quite as much attention as they do in these big cities.’

As Camilla got back to work today, King Charles also made a brief appearance as he cheerfully waved to royal fans while leaving Clarence House.

Pulling out of his central London home in his maroon state Bentley limousine the monarch, who was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year, appeared in high sprits.

Excited royal watchers took photos of Charles as he passed, with many appearing shocked that they had been so lucky to get a glimpse of the King in real life.

Charles and Queen Camilla had returned from their short stay on the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire last night. It was his first visit to the country since he revealed his diagnosis and sent shockwaves around the world.

Whilst receiving treatment the King largely stepped back from his public facing duties, however, has continued to read his daily red boxes and have his weekly audience with the Prime Minister.

King Charles cheerfully waved to royal fans and tourists today as he left Clarence House this morning

Excited royal watchers took photos of Charles as he passed, with many appearing shocked that they had been so lucky to get a glimpse of the King in real life

In the coming weeks, however, it is understood Charles plans to ‘ramp up his schedule’.

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It comes after the King made an appearance alongside other senior royals at the Easter Sunday service at Sandringham, providing a much needed boost to the British public coming to terms with both his and the Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis.

The King was seen shaking hands and chatting to those royal fans who had lined the nearby road, with many wishing him well with one royal fan telling Charles ‘never give in’.

On Thursday night the King and Queen arrived at Aberdeen Airport from RAF Northolt in north-west London on Thursday evening, Charles and Camilla travelled to Birkenhall.

They were seen heading to Sunday service at Crathie Kirk over the weekend, smiling as they drove past.

Birkenhall was the home of the late Queen Mother on the Balmoral Estate and later came into the King’s possession.

It is seven miles away from the castle and is where the King and Queen spent their honeymoon after tying the knot on April 11 2005.

The monarch, as with his daughter-in-law Kate, has not disclosed what type of cancer he is fighting.

The King and Queen pictured arriving in Aberdeen for a romantic break at their beloved Highland retreat as the couple celebrate 19 years of marriage

Cancer-stricken King Charles smiled on Sunday while Queen Camilla gave a friendly wave to well-wishers as they drove to the Sunday Service at Crathie Kirk

The Princess of Wales revealed that she was receiving preventative treatment following her cancer diagnosis last month

It is unclear if he has completed his care or is convalescing in-between treatments as he visits the Scottish highlands.

Charles was previously advised by doctors to avoid any large-scale public events and visits to protect his health during a crucial stage in his treatment.

Despite this, he has remained within the public eye and it is understood that he will ‘ramp up’ his schedule in the coming weeks.

One insider previously told the Mail: ‘The idea of a monarch cloistered away just wouldn’t wash nowadays and will only create damaging speculation about His Majesty’s health.’

A source added last month: ‘While it is too early to confirm things – and, of course, it is relatively early in His Majesty’s treatment cycle – the patient is positive, the doctors are optimistic and the treatments are incredibly sophisticated.’

Before potentially taking more on in the public eye, however, Charles has retreated to the remote estate in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park.

Queen Elizabeth used to spend most of her summers on the estate, horse riding or taking long strolls.

Charles and Camilla, also celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary, at Birkhall, their home on the Balmoral Estate, on April 8, 2020

Looking up towards the house which dates from 1715, across the garden of Birkhall, on the Balmoral Estate in Aberdeenshire

Birkhall, which used to belong to the Queen Mother, is seven miles away from Balmoral Castle (pictured)

It is understood Charles previously used the Birkhall retreat to recover from a corrective procedure after being diagnosed with an enlarged prostate while he was staying there.

He also chose it as his honeymoon destination with Camilla after their wedding 19 years ago, and they spent New Year’s Day there last year.

The monarch is said to be ‘so optimistic’ about his treatment that he hopes to attend Royal Ascot this summer, as well as some of the garden parties at Buckingham Palace that honour community and military heroes.

The Balmoral estate has been home to the Royal Family for more than a century.

Earlier this month it was revealed that the King will open Balmoral’s interior to the public for the first time from July 1.

King Charles inspects Balaklava Company at the gates of Balmoral in 2023

Queen Elizabeth II waits to meet with new Conservative Party leader and Britain’s Prime Minister-elect Liz Truss at Balmoral Castle on September 6, 2022 – two days before she died

The Centre Room in the East Wing of Buckingham Palace, London, will open to the public this summer

Just days later it was announced that Buckingham Palace’s famous centre room where the Royal Family gather before appearances on the balcony would open to the public for the first time.

The decision to open both estates comes after the monarch announced he wanted to open the doors of official royal residences to the public.

Royal fans went wild, with tickets to the Scottish estate, which cost between £100 and £150, selling out in less than a day causing the website to crash.

Those who missed out on the opportunity, however, are now in luck as for the cost of £75 visitors will be able to take a guided tour around the London-based royal residence.

Members of the public will be able to take a look behind the scenes of Buckingham Palace’s east wing – the front façade which faces The Mall where crowds assemble on major occasions to see the monarchy.

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