The Queen has suggested young advocates from a domestic abuse charity should host “pop-up shops” in schools to help their peers with important life issues.
Camilla’s comments came when she met Changemakers from the charity SafeLives to hear about their work providing the perspective of the next generation in the organisation’s work.
SafeLives campaigns to end domestic abuse and in 2020 Camilla became the patron of the organisation which recognises children and young people as victims in their own right.
The Queen hosted the four girls and young women, aged from 15 to 20, in Buckingham Palace’s music room and was told about their meeting with Education Secretary Gillian Keegan to encourage the Government to implement changes to the national curriculum.
“You’re virtually the same age as my granddaughters and I was talking to one the other day and I was suggesting to take sort of pop-up shops into these schools,” the Queen told the Changemakers.
“You know, say two or three Changemakers, it would be such a good idea because then they could all come and ask questions. To get around (all these) schools would be a brilliant idea.”
One Changemaker, Maya, told Camilla, 76, that they had recently taken the campaign to Parliament and met the Education Secretary to lobby for changes to national academic guidance.
The 20-year-old said: “Children need to feel less alone and feel stronger. Part of our work is about reach and that’s why we took our campaign to Parliament.
“We met Gillian Keegan and discussed ways they are trying to change the curriculum, it’s absolutely vital we can make changes.”
The young advocates want to see children taught about healthy relationships and the issue of coercive control, and want relationships and sex education taught at a younger age.
Ellen Miller, the SafeLives chief executive who joined the meeting, said: “Our research shows that children and young people are too often being let down.
“They want more from their relationships and sex education classes, and they are being continually missed by professionals and misunderstood by the adults around them. They rarely see themselves reflected in the domestic abuse services that exist.
“I know after meeting the Changemakers, Her Majesty felt energised and renewed in her commitment to stopping abuse before it starts, before it ruins lives.”