Queen Camilla reportedly shared a personal story from her teenage years in the upcoming biography Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street by Valentine Low, serialised in The Times. According to the book, while travelling on a train to Paddington as a 16- or 17-year-old, Camilla faced an attempted sexual assault and defended herself using the heel of her shoe. She immediately reported the incident to a uniformed officer, and the assailant was arrested.
The Queen reportedly discussed the event with Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, during conversations related to his plans to open rape crisis centres. Guto Harri, Johnson’s communications director, said Camilla’s early experience shaped her commitment to supporting survivors of sexual abuse. Buckingham Palace has declined to comment on the story.
Longstanding advocacy against domestic abuse
Camilla has spent years campaigning against domestic violence and sexual abuse, supporting charities such as SafeLives and Refuge. She has hosted key events at Clarence House and launched initiatives like The Wash Bags project, providing essential toiletries to assault survivors after forensic examinations.
She is also patron of The Mirabel Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, the country’s first sexual assault referral centre, and has traveled internationally to raise awareness, visiting centres in India, the Balkans, and the United States.
In her 2024 documentary, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, Camilla addressed coercive control and domestic abuse, calling violence against women a “global pandemic.” She highlighted how abusers isolate and manipulate victims, stripping them of friends, family, and financial autonomy.
Charities praised the documentary for raising awareness and providing tools for identifying abuse. Camilla continues to advocate for open discussion and better understanding of domestic violence worldwide.
