Camilla: We will put an end to domestic abuse

Recovering Queen's vow to Women's Aid

- RUSSELL MYERS

THE Queen yesterday spoke of "terrible" domestic violence against women, but insisted she had hopes of turning the tide.

Camilla, 77, who is recovering from a bout of pneumonia, declared "we are making progress" during a reception to mark the 50th anniversary of the charity Women's Aid.

And the Queen told those who asked after her health at the gathering: "I am still a bit tired. It catches up a bit."

Despite her post-viral fatigue, the Queen made time to attend the reception at the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, just a stone's throw from Clarence House, where she hailed the strides made by the charity over the last five decades.

Many attendees congratulated her on the success of her ITV documentary, Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors, which explored her many years of work in the field.

One of the survivors who took part in the event was Alice Liveing, who was abused by her partner at the age of 16.

Alice, who is now a Women's Aid ambassador, said: "I asked how she was feeling. She said she was feeling pretty tired but was trying to juggle some bits."