This week, a female monarch took a stand on the controversial topic of sexual violence against women.
Instead of the usual polite banalities, grandstanding, and polite banalities that we have grown to expect from celebrities or royals on serious topics, she actually said something important and powerful.
She didn’t mince her words. She said, “How many more women must they harassed, raped, or murdered?” She stormed.
She stated that it was vital for women to get the “men in our lives involved with this movement”.
This seemed to indicate that most men didn’t care or were not bothered by women being raped or attacked. I don’t believe this to be true. But we are.
So who was the royal that dare to speak out so boldly in the face possible controversy? Kate, Meghan, Beatrice and Eugenie are all safe.
Zara, Sophie, no vent from a Kent, no Gloucester on the roster.
JAN MOIR – Yes, that was Camilla (pictured), a 74-year old royalette who gave one of the most remarkable speeches I can recall ever hearing.
The diatribe came not from the younger, more politically-correct set with their carefully curated grab bag of causes, platitudes, and hashtag activism. It came from the Duchess and Duchess of Cornwall, which is quite remarkable.
Yes, Camilla, a 74-year old woman, gave one of the most remarkable speeches I can recall ever being made by a royalette.
It wasn’t an easy topic. I wasn’t in agreement with everything she said. I disagreed with almost everything she said, even her bold assertion that society has become accustomed to violence against women.
Wait, what? Since when? Everyone knows that murdering and rape is a bad thing.
It is refreshing to hear a Duchess give such a powerful testimony, speaking words of substance about something that really does matter.
Camilla was speaking at a WOW Foundation (Women of the World), reception to launch the Shameless! Festival — a series of events taking place next month which will bring together art and activism to confront and change attitudes towards sexual violence.
It is hard to imagine ‘workshops’ or ‘wellness spaces’ that are aimed at this. But campaigners report that survivors of sexual violence can still feel the shame of being viewed as a stigma, which can cause them to suffer additional pain.
JAN MOIR
It is so heartbreaking. It’s so horrible to see these girls and women trapped in a spiral of self-blame, after being attacked.
Or — perhaps even worse — to be accused of somehow bringing the attack upon themselves.
Encouragement and support are key to helping them reduce their guilt.
During her speech the Duchess referenced several recent victims of violent crime, including Sarah Everard — kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens.
Couzens used Covid powers in a fake arrest of the marketing executive, 33, as she walked home from her friend’s house in March. He has now appealed against his entire-life sentence. He feels that he was wronged!
Is he appealing because of his belief that violating and killing women doesn’t deserve such punishment? Camilla fears that he believes violence against women is the new norm. Or is it because he is a psychopath, far beyond the reach and shame of reason?
This is vital because Camilla stated something quite remarkable: “rapists aren’t born, they’re constructed.”
Is this true? Isn’t it true that some people don’t become monsters through circumstance or corrupt influence but are simply born bad?
People who believe that no amount of Heads Together or workshop sessions will ever heal their mental disorder or cure them from their soul-sickness?
Wayne Couzens is a brute. The Duchess seems to suggest that he could be deconstructed at one point.
His appeal indicates that he is still far away from understanding or appreciating the gravity of his crime.
During her speech the Duchess (pictured) referenced several recent victims of violent crime, including Sarah Everard — kidnapped, raped and murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens
It is true that violence against women has been rampant in recent years. Sabina Nessa was the primary school teacher who was shot and killed just minutes after she arrived home. Geetika Goyal was stabbed to death at her home by her husband. Wenjing Lin, a schoolgirl, was found dead at home. Bennylyn Burke, a mother, was also shot. Each one of these deaths was terrible and tragic.
However, while duchesses, organizations, and other women’s safety advocates are doing their best, it is important that we remember that these cases are so rare.
Men are more at risk than women of being murdered in this country, with over 75% of the victims of murder being men. If I had kids, I’d be much more worried about my children than my daughters.
While I applaud her passion in this difficult subject, I am not sure if Camilla’s call for women to get involved with their menfolk is helpful.
A vast majority of men have never condoned or committed sexual violence against women, and would be horrified if they were to ignore such crimes. Let’s not make this a polarizing issue.
Our fathers, brothers, male friends and colleagues — we are all in it together. Let us not be apart on this particular issue.
Evans above, Alice!
Actress Alice Evans is now a hero with the Wronged Wives Club. She is a cheerleader for Sorrowing Sorority, Dumped Dames and a cheerleader for their Sorrowing Sorority.
I don’t know if to applaud Alice and urge her to shut down her keyboard for their sake.
She accuses estranged husband Ioan Gruffudd of cheating on her for at least a year — after he went ‘Instagram official’ with new love Bianca Wallace.
He wrote, “Thanks for making my smile again,” under a cozy photo of them together. Although he may have meant well, it was so hurtful for his wife (right, Ioan).
All over: Alice Evans shared a shocking statement on Twitter in January 2021 that confirmed Ioan and her split after 20 years. (Photos taken together in 2018
Alice’s refusal of going quietly into the long, dark night that is scorned is almost wild and exhilarating.
Many women who have suffered betrayal will feel a tiny bit of solidarity as she issues another online beating for her husband.
But there are two sides to every story — and we have only heard from Alice.
It seems unfair that he (The Man), can easily move on to a beautiful new life with a charming lover, while she (The Woman), is left to stew in the wreckage and care for their two young daughters.
While I sympathize with her pain, I urge caution. While vengeance is sweet, it will not help their children.
Aren’t they the most important thing of all?
Ewe take Invite TV cameras to your home.
Trouble down at t’farm. Amanda Owen, a ‘Yorkshire Shepherdess,’ has apparently moved out of the home she shares in her home with Clive Owen and their nine children.
Our Yorkshire Farm stars, the popular Channel 5 flyon-the shed series, have admitted that their marriage has been turbulent but not permanently.
It is not because of their 19‑year age gap or the pressures of the lambing season. Sadly, it is because of that old chestnut and dastardly devil — media intrusion.
Amanda Owen, a ‘Yorkshire Shepherdess,’ has apparently moved out of the home she shares in her home with Clive and their nine children
They stated that the media’s constant intrusion into their lives has made it more difficult for them to get through the rough patches they are currently going through.
I’m sad for their difficulties and hope they can work something out — but be fair.
It’s possible to blame the media for your problems if you invite a TV crew to your home to film every move for three years. This produces five television series that are watched by millions.
The COP26 conference is becoming more surplus to requirements every hour. Even more so now that Queen Elizabeth has cancelled her attendance, this great Glasgow green-in seems even less relevant.
The local SNP council in Glasgow is responsible for a city plagued by rodent infestations and a rubbish collection problem. Hundreds of patients have had their appointments cancelled or rescheduled to help reduce traffic during the conference. It is truly a terrible situation.
Yet again, ordinary citizens’ needs and comforts are being sacrificed for a greater, more sustainable ideal over which no one has any control.
“It’s really annoying when they talk, and they don’t do,” said the Queen, as she listened to world leaders spew platitudes about climate changes.
She is not surprised that she has checked her schedule and found she is washing her corgis before the conference. Hot air is the last thing we need.
Adele has released tickets to a Hyde Park concert next Summer
Tickets for Adele’s shows in Hyde Park, London, next year have gone on sale.
It’s basically a gig in a field, but promoters have dreamt up new ways to justify charging a fortune.
General admission is £90.45. After this is something called Primary Entry (sounds painful, £111.85).
Then there’s Gold (£273.95); Diamond VIP (£379.95); VIP Terrace (£434.95) and the Ultimate Bar Diamond and Ultimate Terrace — £579.95.
What? What is it like to watch a tiny Adele sing her heart out from half a kilometer away?
A run of concerts in a smaller venue would have been a better deal for her fans — but a lot more effort for her.
Princess Mako of Japan wed her commoner sweetheart, and she had to leave the royal family.
She didn’t have a problem with that. She made her decision and accepted the consequences. She went silently, into an anonymity life, all for the love of love.
Mako has no plans to give interviews, she doesn’t want to save the world before teatime and says that all she wants is a peaceful life with her love.
This so reminds me of Prince Harry, I don’t think.
There is a hideous new trend afoot in the U.S. — school photo retouching services, often being done without parents’ consent.
Children can have freckles removed, teeth whitening, skin tones adjusted, and their freckles trimmed.
It’s so sad! A photo of yourself in the fourth form — spotty, grotty , geeky, specky — is a rite of passage, a marker of time.
How Hollywood would you portray yourself as a teen student? It’s so terrible. I blame Kim Kardashian. It’s usually her fault