Dr Charlotte Proudman joins Lucy Worsley on Lady Killers: Lady on Trial
Updated: Aug 5
Our founder, Dr Charlotte Proudman, joined Lucy Worsley on BBC Radio 4’s Lady Killers: Lady on Trial to discuss the historic legal battle of Georgina Weldon and the ongoing need for reform to ensure the justice system protects women and survivors.
The episode centres on Georgina Weldon, one of the first women to bring a legal action in the English courts. In the Victorian era, Georgina fought against attempts by her estranged husband to have her committed to a lunatic asylum, challenging a system that allowed women’s voices and autonomy to be disregarded.
Through Georgina’s story, Charlotte and Lucy explore how the law has historically been used as a tool of control and how, despite significant progress, legal systems can still be weaponised by perpetrators seeking to silence, discredit or intimidate victims.
Georgina’s determination to challenge injustice and demand accountability has a powerful modern parallel in Charlotte’s work advocating for family justice reform. Today, Dr Charlotte Proudman represents women who are navigating some of the most difficult legal battles of their lives, often requiring them to share deeply personal and traumatic experiences within family court proceedings.
Charlotte describes the women she represents as heroines. Like Georgina, they show extraordinary resilience and courage in seeking justice, despite the significant emotional, personal and financial costs involved.
The discussion highlights the importance of ensuring that survivors are properly protected within the justice system, that their experiences are taken seriously, and that legal processes do not become another means through which harm is inflicted.
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