Queen Camilla’s role in Andrew’s royal displacement: The activism behind the decision

In King Charles’ decision to formally strip his younger brother of all of his titles, including his status as a prince, Queen Camilla has emerged as an unexpectedly instrumental part of it.

Despite the unexpectedness of her role, it is a rather understandable one. The Queen Consort has long worked closely and tirelessly with survivors of sexual and domestic abuse.

According to The Telegraph, Andrew’s latest title loss was partially a consequence of “discussions about how the row over the King’s brother was affecting the Queen’s ability to fulfil her public role.”

What is this less discussed, yet well established, part of the Queen’s activism?

The Wash Bags Project

One of the key initiatives among Queen Camilla’s work for survivors of sexual abuse and rape is the Wash Bags scheme. This project provides bags filled with essential toiletries for women after their forensic examinations in cases of sexual assault.

Launched in 2013, the Wash Bags are delivered to Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) everywhere in the UK today, while it was geared towards the three “Havens” in the country’s capital initially. The royal family’s official website explains, “The ‘Havens’ is the name given to the three SARCs based in London, and where wash bags were first given to victims after they had undergone forensic examinations.”

While her majesty’s activism with survivors of violence was further traced back to her visit to the Croydon Rape and Sexual Abuse Support Centre in 2009.

“She has visited projects and initiatives across the world which are working to reduce rates of sexual assault, and support survivors, both in the immediate aftermath of their assault and longer-term,” the website states.

Queen’s personal history

Though empathy does not require a touch from the past, it is often enhanced because of it. Likewise, the Queen’s own history may have informed her fierce activism today.

In Power and the Palace by Valentine Low, the author included an incident from Camilla’s teenage years, when she had to fend off a groper during a train journey and her police complaint which led to the offender’s arrest.

The book records a response from Camilla to the former British PM, Boris Johnson, which was in turn relayed by his communications director, Guto Harri.

“She was on a train going to Paddington – she was about 16, 17 – and some guy was moving his hand further and further…,” Harri recalled Johnson’s conversation with the then Duchess of Cornwall in the book. Upon the former head of state’s inquiry about what happened next, “She replied: ‘I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel.’”

When she got off at her station, the future Queen found a police officer, pointed out her culprit to him, “and he was arrested.”

Queen Camilla’s judgement in Andrew’s case

In addition to her work with abuse survivors, it has been noted that in Andrew’s case, the Queen’s smart judgement of the “public mood” is something which also came in handy.

“The Queen is an extremely good judge of where the public mood is at any one time, and likewise the King is very tuned in to public sentiment because he meets so many people every day and is always out and about, so he knows what the temperature is,” a former courtier said.

Whereas Andrew’s presence around the family was understood by Queen Camilla and King Charles to be a factor which was “beginning to infect the whole institution’s ability to do its job”, while the public’s trust in monarchy “was being impacted.”