Queen Camilla Fended Off Assault as Teenager, Report Reveals
LONDON – Queen Camilla physically defended herself against an attacker while traveling on a train in the mid-1960s, reportedly striking the man in the groin with her shoe, according to an upcoming book detailing the British royal family.
The incident occurred as the then-teenage Camilla was a passenger on a train approaching London’s Paddington Station. A man seated beside her allegedly made an unwanted advance,attempting to touch her. Reacting swiftly, Camilla employed a self-defense tactic her mother had instructed her to use.
“Camilla said,’I did what my mother told me,I took my shoe off and whacked him in the nuts with the heel’,” author Valentine Low recounts in his book,Power and the Palace. Low, a former royal correspondent for the Times of London, details how Camilla immediately reported the assault to a uniformed officer upon arrival at Paddington Station, leading to the man’s arrest.
The story, excerpted in The Times, has garnered significant attention in british media, with headlines ranging from straightforward reporting to more sensationalized accounts.
According to Low, a former aide to then-London mayor Boris Johnson shared the story, suggesting it may have contributed to Camilla’s long-standing support for charities assisting victims of domestic violence. though, Low notes that Camilla has been hesitant to publicly discuss the incident, feeling her experience was less severe than those faced by other women.
“She didn’t want to draw attention to her at the expense of their experiences,” Low wrote.
Buckingham Palace has not commented on the report. power and the Palace, which also reveals the late Queen Elizabeth II’s reported opposition to Brexit, is scheduled for publication later this month.
