King consort Camilla
Meeting Queens and Crown Princesses
Queen Consort Camilla (3rd from left) with her guests (from left): Sophie of Wessex, Queen Mathilde of Belgium, Queen Rania of Jordan, Crown Princess Mary of Denmark, Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio and the Ukrainian First Lady Olena Selenska.
© imago/PPE
King Consort Camilla has invited royal women from around the world to a special reception at Buckingham Palace.
King consort Camilla (75) hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday, attended by female royalty and first ladies from around the world. in a group photo, that the palace shared on social mediain addition to the wife of King Charles (74), Sophie of Wessex (57), Queen Mathilde of Belgium (49), Queen Rania of Jordan (52), Crown Princess Mary of Denmark (50), Sierra Leone’s First Lady Fatima Maada Bio (42) and the Ukrainian First Lady Olena Selenska (44).
“16 days against gender-based violence”
At the event, part of the UN’s annual 16 Days Against Gender-Based Violence campaign, the Queen gave an impassioned speech on the “global pandemic of violence against women and girls” while calling for change. Camilla has long been a public advocate for victims of rape, domestic violence and sexual abuse.
Among the 300 people who attended the event were survivors and their families, celebrities, politicians and charities working for change. Ambassadors included Spice Girl Melanie Brown, 47, Commonwealth Secretary-General, Baroness Scotland, 67, and representatives from SafeLives, Women’s Aid and Refuge.
The United Nations campaign runs from November 25th, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10th, Human Rights Day.
Following the event, Queen Camilla shared a rare personal message on Instagram: “Today a remarkable group of people gathered at Buckingham Palace united in one goal – ending violence against women and girls. I was deeply moved and inspired by their stories. With determination and courage we will put an end to these heinous crimes forever,” she wrote, signing the message “Camilla R” — that “R” is Latin for Queen “Regina.”