Britain’s Queen Camilla has spoken publicly for the first time about being attacked by a man on a train when she was a teenager, recounting the incident in a BBC interview focused on violence against women.
During the discussion, broadcast on Wednesday, Camilla said the assault left her feeling deeply angry rather than fearful.
“When I was a teenager, I was attacked on a train… I remember at the time being so angry,” she said, adding that she had been quietly reading when a man suddenly assaulted her. “I did fight back.”
The Queen said she did not know her attacker. She recalled getting off the train and being questioned by her mother, who noticed her dishevelled appearance.
“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?’” Camilla said, adding that the incident had stayed with her for many years.
Details of the assault were first reported in September in a book about the royal family that was serialised in The Times, although the incident had not previously been officially confirmed by Buckingham Palace.
The book claimed the attack occurred on a train bound for London’s Paddington Station when Camilla was around 16 or 17, and that she fought back using her shoe before identifying the attacker to officials, leading to his arrest. Camilla did not confirm these specific details in the BBC interview.
Now 78, Queen Camilla has long supported charities and initiatives aimed at tackling sexual and domestic violence and assisting survivors. She is the second wife of King Charles III, who ascended the throne in 2022.
