Queen Camilla told Boris Johnson she was attacked on a train as a teenager, new book claims
According to Power And The Palace, an extract of which has been published in a national newspaper, Camilla is said to have told the then Mayor of London: "I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel."
Monday 1 September 2025 17:03, UK
Queen Camilla used a shoe to hit a man who tried to touch her on a train, according to a new book about the monarchy.
The Queen told then Mayor of London Boris Johnson about the attack that occurred when she was a teenager, Power And The Palace claims.
Its author, the former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low, spoke to ex-Downing Street communications director Guto Harri who said Mr Johnson told him about a conversation at Clarence House in around 2008.
A source close to the Queen told the PA news agency: "If some good comes of this publication, which is that the wider issues are discussed, it de-stigmatises the whole topic and empowers girls today to take action and seek help, and to talk about it, then that's a good outcome."
In an extract published in The Sunday Times, Mr Harri said the Queen and Mr Johnson "got on like a house on fire".
"He (Mr Johnson) was making guttural noises about how much he admired and liked her," Mr Harri said.
He went on to speak about the conversation between Camilla and Mr Johnson, about an assault that she said occurred when she was a schoolgirl.
"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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Mr Harri said that after Mr Johnson asked what she did next, Camilla replied: "'I did what my mother taught me to. I 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."
Revelation indicates insight and understanding
This isn't a story the Queen has publicly told, but it touches a cause she's personally prioritised and long championed.
Her work against domestic and sexual abuse is the cornerstone of her royal duties.
It was no coincidence her first official solo engagement as Queen was an engagement involving the support charity SafeLives, of which she is patron.
And on royal tours overseas, we often see her itinerary including a visit to local groups helping survivors of abuse.
It is also a subject she has often spoken out about. At the annual Women of the World festival in 2020, she gave a powerful speech opening with: "Charity begins at home. But so does domestic violence."
The following year, at the same event, she was praised for her speech which questioned if people were "too indoctrinated into believing violence against women is normal".
Camilla has broken taboos with this part of her royal portfolio. It is a topic that wasn't talked about for many years, let alone by senior royals. She has helped end the silence on the subject.
There's been no comment from Buckingham Palace, but the details haven't been disputed. She's never made it public.
And although it didn't inspire her involvement, the encounter perhaps gave insight and understanding into her most critical and respected work.
The Queen has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse and has dedicated her royal charity work to supporting victims of sexual assault.
A number of years ago she championed the idea of wash bags for people who have been victims of sexual assault, an idea that has recently been revived.
Paste BN has approached Buckingham Palace for comment.
