Duchess of Cornwall defends victims of rape

THE Duchess of Cornwall yesterday spoke out over public attitudes to rape victims.

She told a senior doctor from a sexual assault referral centre that people "may well blame it on the woman a lot of the time".

Her comment was prompted by a survey this week that suggested over half of Britons believe some rape victims should take responsibility for being attacked.

The poll was commissioned by the Havens – three London sexual assault referral centres – that welcomed the duchess to its unit at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington.

In the survey, 56 per cent of those questioned felt that there were certain circumstances in which the victim should be held partly accountable.