ROYAL FAMILY NEWSQueen Camilla Addresses Train 'Attack' Incident From Her Teen Years for the First Time: 'I Did Fight Back'
Queen Camilla talked about an assault incident that she endured as a teen for the first time in decades.
Dec. 31 2025, Published 11:34 a.m. ET
Queen Camilla is getting candid for the first time about a physical assault she suffered when she was just a teenager.
The monarch, 78, opened up about the traumatic experience in a new interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today program.
Queen Camilla Blocked Out the Memory for Decades
Queen Camilla opened up about the traumatic experience that occurred when she was a young girl.
Camilla spoke about being "attacked" on a train by a male individual, noting she had “sort of forgotten” about the painful moment.
However, the memories still lingered on after decades.
She went on to describe the incident, saying: “Somebody I didn’t know … I was reading my book, and you know, this boy, man, attacked me, and I did fight back."
The incident occurred when Camilla was on a train.
“And I remember getting off the train and my mother looking at me and saying: ‘Why is your hair standing on end?’ and ‘Why is the button missing from your coat?’ But I remember anger, and I was so furious about it, and it’s sort of lurked for many years," Camilla recalled.
Her story was shared in author Valentine Low's royal book Power and the Palace, which was released this past September.
Low wrote: "She was on a train going to Paddington — she was about 16, 17 — and some guy was moving his hand further and further."
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Queen Camilla Fought Her Assaulter by Kicking Him With Her Heels
Queen Camilla fought off her attacker by hitting him with her shoe.
Camilla had then "took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel."
"She was self-possessed enough when they arrived at Paddington to jump off the train, find a guy in uniform and say, 'That man just attacked me', and he was arrested,'" Low penned.
Earlier this year, an insider told Daily Mail that Camilla, who married King Charles in 2005, had shared her experience with her inner circle in the hope that it could have a “positive outcome” by supporting other women.
The insider noted that Camilla doesn't avoid talking about the incident out of “shame,” but rather because “it simply happened a very long time ago.” She has always maintained that “other women's stories are much more important than her own.”
Queen Camilla has been an advocate for victims of abuse for decades.
One of Camilla's biggest patronages and charity work involves working with victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault and violence against women.
The former Duchess of Cornwall also became patron of the U.K. charity, SafeLives, in February 2021. She helped curate their photography exhibit titled, "I Am": Portraits of Survivors of Domestic Abuse, which featured survivors of abuse and their stories.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
