After the death of Elizabeth II and a turbulent year, the heavyweights of British royalty are changing their way of communicating, establishing their narrative and making their work known. The conclusion is obvious: everyone is betting on documentaries as part of their public relations strategy, they are preparing for the future and want to give a more relaxed image. Prince William premiered a two-part series on homelessness in October and Prince Harry’s series on polo is supposed to premiere before the end of the year. Between one and the other it was Queen Camilla’s turn and the surprise was huge. Tears, pain and brutality make up a 90-minute story in which Carlos III’s wife exposes the reality of survivors or victims of physical, sexual and emotional violence in the domestic sphere. The documentary has obtained very good reviews, has convinced more than that of the Prince of Wales and has managed to label Charles III’s wife as the one who dared to discuss a topic that was outside the royal agenda. Camilla keeps her promise to bring violence to light, while making it clear that British Royal House seeks to empathize, modernize and get closer to its audience.
© Getty Images‘If we had been living in the fifties, you as a group of women wouldn’t have a film company and I wouldn’t be sitting here talking about domestic abuse’
“If we had been living in the fifties, you, as a group of women, wouldn’t have a film company and I wouldn’t be sitting here talking about domestic abuse. Of course, in those days it was a completely taboo subject. People just covered up “Deep down, people knew what was happening, but it was a topic that was never, ever talked about.” a candid look at queen camilla with forms that are not very solemn for the Windsors. That is to say, this is not a production aimed at displaying the attributes of the monarchy with pomp and pageantry, although the promotion does not lack the typical image of Camilla on the balcony of Buckingham Palace during the day of her coronation. This balance between the royal and the human is present from the owner himself –Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors (Her Majesty the Queen: Behind closed doors) -, which promises an intimate story while using the capitalized title of Queen Camilla, perhaps the woman who has most transformed the British monarchy.
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© Getty ImagesThe documentary was released a few hours ago on the ITV, the British channel that in recent times has been the one chosen by royalty. From Harry, who recorded with them the last trip he made as a member of British royalty, the much-discussed documentary in Africa in which both he and Meghan gave the first clues that something was not going well, to Guillermo, who chose them to give to learn about the initiatives of his foundation to help the homeless. The reason for this bet has not been made public but The discomfort, disappointment and anger of the children of Diana of Wales was evident. upon seeing his suspicions confirmed, through an investigation, that the journalist (Martin Bashir) used illegal methods to obtain the famous interview with Princess Diana for the BBC. An account that was left pending in 1995 and that was not settled (if that is possible) until 2021.
© Getty Images‘People were just covering their ears. Deep down, people knew what was happening, but it was a topic that was never, ever talked about.’
Queen Camilla (who curiously in 2024 has achieved something that seemed difficult, touching on issues outside the royal agenda, a strategy that made Diana famous when she started talking about AIDS or landmines) has garnered very good reviews in the United Kingdom. The Times and The Telegraph They give it four stars out of five, while in Guardian It remains at three, but praises the great space occupied by the survivors, victims, family members and professionals involved, as well as the analysis provided of a society that has evolved from the time in which domestic violence was a taboo or a reason joke even on television. “She speaks compassionately to the survivors and candidly to the camera, despite the inherent rigidity of her generation,” he notes. Guardian. While The Telegraphfrom its entertainment section, compares Queen Camilla’s documentary with the recently released Prince William documentary: “I dare say that the Queen’s is a more attractive program, the Prince of Wales tends to speak with phrases that seem rehearsed with a palace communications team, but the queen gives the impression of speaking from the heart.
© Getty Images‘I tried to put myself in your shoes and thought: What would have happened if it was my daughter?’
As a member of royalty, Queen Camilla focuses her efforts on raising awareness about the problem of domestic violence, since in legal and political terms it is more limited. Even so, the deficiencies on the part of the system and the authorities are made evident through certain stories. Camilla’s documentary does not use euphemisms or soften the story so as not to make the viewer uncomfortable: the survivors talk about point-blank shots, hammer blows and all types of physical, sexual or emotional violence. One of the protagonists is Diana Parker, whose daughter was beaten to death by her ex-husband in 2010, and who runs one of the organizations with which Camilla collaborates. “I tried to put myself in your place and I thought: What would have happened if it were my daughter? I don’t think I could have sat down and been as worthy and wonderful as you were,” Queen Camilla told him, remembering the first meeting they had in the year 2016. “I admire her more than I can say,” warned the queen, who must remember that She is the mother of two children, Tom and Laura.
© Getty ImagesCamilla’s documentary also features high-profile interviews, including domestic abuse survivor Rosie Duffield MP; the actor Patrick Stewart, who witnessed the violence that his father exerted on his mother during his childhood; Theresa May, one of the politicians who pushed for domestic abuse legislation; Cherie Blair, lawyer with extensive experience representing victims of domestic abuse and wife of former Prime Minister Tony Blair; and police inspector Sharon Baker, who for a time hid the abuse so as not to ruin her professional career.
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© Getty ImagesThis production is another example of how the Windsors seek to give a closer image and take an active part in the issues that affect and concern society. The change in terms of communication and the forms adopted by the Head of State have been evident since the death of Isabel II in 2022. Although 2023 was the year of the coronation, it was also organized with all the innovation that allows medieval ceremony; 2024 was the year to put the new strategies into practice, however, the health problems of Charles III and Kate Middleton delayed plans that are finally being fulfilled. Both the kings and princes of Wales are exploring new narrative forms ranging from the film production with which they announced the end of Kate’s cancer to this series of documentaries narrated in first person and close in appearance but focused on a specific professional work.