Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Hears 'Heartbreaking' Stories of Domestic Abuse at Powerful Photo Exhibit

"Domestic abuse can, and does, affect anyone," the Duchess of Cornwall said on Tuesday

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Photo: Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall is showing her ongoing commitment to supporting women affected by domestic violence.

On Tuesday, the royal visited a powerful and moving exhibition in Manchester that illuminates the issue of domestic abuse.

The "I Am" exhibition features 12 large portraits of survivors of domestic abuse that were taken by photographer Allie Crewe and displayed outside Manchester Central Library. The images will also be shown at 150 local transport locations around the city.

During the outing, Camilla met with survivors of abuse, including some of those who were featured in the exhibit, and representatives of the local SafeLives, of which she has been patron of since 2020. SafeLives is dedicated to ending domestic abuse.

In a moving speech at the event, Camilla said: "The stories we have heard today are heartbreaking, but they are not, by any means, unique. Domestic abuse can, and does, affect anyone."

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images

"The photographs are both incredibly moving and inspiring. Moving — because of the depth of pain and loss that the survivors have endured at the hands of those who claimed to love them, and inspiring — because these photographs show us how survivors can, and do, take back their own identity and their own stories, which have too often been eroded and taken from them by the abuse they have suffered," she continued.

"Part of the power of these photographs lies in the fact that the images are not of victims, as we might have supposed: but, in the words of one of them, 'strong, feisty, brave survivor, changing the journey from victim to victor…making it smoother, shorter and never lonely.'

She concluded, "In the same way, these photographs make us reframe the questions that we ask of those living with domestic abuse: rather than 'why didn't they leave,' we should ask, 'why didn't the perpetrator stop?' As one survivor wrote, 'He tried to kill me. He nearly killed me. That's his failure. My survival, my thriving again, is my success.' "

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images

During the lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic abuse helplines saw a significant surge in calls, and Camilla spoke out regularly to show her support for those who were trapped in abusive situations and the charities and organizations working to halt the problem.

In January, she hosted guests from Refuge at Clarence House, the London home she shares with Prince Charles, to honor the charity which has become the country's largest single provider of specialist domestic abuse services.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Phil Noble - WPA Pool/Getty Images

"Many of you were not even born then, but those of us who were around (in those far-off days) remember how different life was for women and, above all, for women living with abuse," Camilla, 74, said in a speech. "They were, effectively, prisoners in their own homes; held captive by the one person they should have been able to trust."

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

Camilla's outing in Manchester also saw her attend a community lunch. The royal is one of the leading figures in the Big Lunch, which encourages local groups to get together for an annual celebration. As the U.K. marks Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee, outdoor lunches and street parties will be held around the country on June 5 — the last day of the monarch's celebratory Platinum Jubilee weekend.

Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Chris Jackson/Getty Images

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In a café run by the homelessness charity Emmaus, Camilla sat with volunteers, Platinum Champion nominees and Big Lunch organizers. She also saw the Global Grooves carnival puppets that will be part of The Platinum Jubilee Pageant in central London in June.