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Queen Camilla speaks publicly for first time about teen train assault
London: Britain’s Queen Camilla has spoken publicly for the first time about how she had to “fight back” after being attacked by a stranger on a train in her teens.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, which aired on Wednesday, Camilla said, “When I was a teenager, I was attacked on a train. I had almost forgotten about it, but I remember I was absolutely furious at the time.”
She said, “It was someone I didn’t know. I was reading my book, and this boy/man attacked me, and I certainly fought back.”
After getting off the train, Camilla recounted that her mother asked why her hair was “standing on end” and why a button was missing from her coat, hinting at the physical nature of the assault.
The identity of the attacker is not known, but Camilla said he was “probably not much older than me,” though at the time she thought he was an “old man.”
She said the memory of the attack had been “hidden in the back of my mind for a very long time.”
The Queen revealed the incident during a radio discussion on the topic of violence against women. The discussion also included BBC commentator John Hunt, whose wife Carol and two daughters, Louise and Hannah, were killed by Louise’s former partner. The couple’s surviving daughter, Amy, also participated in the discussion.
Details of this train assault had previously been included in an excerpt from Valentine Low’s book “Power and the Palace,” which was released earlier this year. Valentine Low is the former royal correspondent for The Times of London.
Queen Camilla speaks publicly for first time about teen train assault
The book provided further details about the incident, which were relayed to Low by Guto Harri. Harri was the communications director for former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson during his tenure as Mayor of London from 2008 to 2016.
In the book, Harri told Low, “She [Camilla] was on the train to Paddington — she was about 16, 17 — and a man was slowly moving his hand up and forward.” This story was told to Harri by Camilla, who had reportedly told it to Boris Johnson at Clarence House.
Queen Camilla speaks publicly for first time about teen train assault
According to Harri, Johnson then asked what happened next. Harri said Camilla replied: “I did what my mother taught me to do. I took off my shoe and struck him hard on the head with the heel.”
Harri continued, “When she reached Paddington, she was so self-possessed that she jumped off the train, found a man in uniform, and said: ‘This man has just attacked me,’ and he was arrested.”
No official statement was issued by Buckingham Palace at the time of the book’s release.
Queen Camilla speaks publicly for first time about teen train assault
Camilla, who became Queen in 2022, has made raising awareness about violence against women and girls her mission. Last year, she partnered with an all-female production team on a powerful documentary in which she pledged to continue working to end domestic violence.
Queen Camilla speaks publicly for first time about teen train assault
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