King Charles III and Queen Camilla presented the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education to London Metropolitan University on Tuesday, February 24, 2026, recognizing the institution’s four-decade commitment to research and intervention in the areas of violence against women, and girls.
The ceremony, held at St James’s Palace, also included the Princess Royal and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. The award specifically honored the university’s Child and Woman Abuse Studies Unit (CWASU), which has been instrumental in developing interdisciplinary research, advocating for police intervention reform, and improving support systems for survivors, both nationally and internationally.
While the Duke of Edinburgh was originally scheduled to attend, he was not present at the event, according to reports.
Queen Camilla, a long-time campaigner against domestic violence and sexual abuse, engaged in conversation with Professor Fiona Vera-Gray, co-director of CWASU, and senior research fellow Jo Lovett following the presentation. The Queen had previously met with Vera-Gray more than ten years ago, around 2014, when Vera-Gray was involved with the Rape Crisis charity. Lovett’s work at that time focused on analyzing data collected by Rape Crisis centers.
“It was one of the first charities that she [Camilla] supported – not so publicly at the time, but it was there,” Vera-Gray said. “What we spoke to her about was how much that meant for ourselves as workers, but also for survivors, that someone was willing to seize up a public platform on an issue that is so unspoken and taboo.”
Lovett noted the significance of the award being given to a university like London Metropolitan, stating that the King expressed appreciation that a less traditionally prestigious institution was being recognized alongside others. “The King was also remarkably complimentary about the fact that a unit from a university such as ours, which is not the most prestigious compared to some others in the room, was also at the table,” Lovett said.
The award comes after Queen Camilla met with French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot at Clarence House on Monday, where Pelicot shared her experiences detailed in her new memoir. The Queen reportedly told Pelicot she was “speechless” after hearing her account.
CWASU’s work encompasses a broad range of activities, including criminal justice reform and research into effective interventions. The unit’s recognition with the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Education underscores the growing importance placed on addressing violence against women and girls through evidence-based research and collaborative efforts.
