Queen Camilla has spoken publicly for the first time about being sexually assaulted as a teenager, recalling that she felt “so angry” and “furious” after the attack, which took place on a train more than six decades ago.
The 78-year-old queen shared her experience during a conversation on BBC Radio 4’s “Today” program, recorded last month at Clarence House, as part of a broader discussion on violence against women and misogyny.
“I remember something that had been lurking in the back of my brain for a very long time,” Camilla said. “That, when I was a teenager, I was attacked on a train. I remember at the time being so angry.”
She said the attacker was someone she did not know.
“I was reading my book, and this boy, man, attacked me, and I did fight back,” she said.
Camilla recalled getting off the train and being questioned by her mother.
“I remember getting off the train and my mother looking at me and saying, ‘Why is your hair standing on end?’ and ‘Why is a button missing from your coat?’” she said.
“I remember anger, and I was so furious about it, and it’s sort of lurked for many years,” Camilla added.
The queen said she had largely buried the memory but felt compelled to speak after hearing the story of BBC racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy, who also took part in the broadcast.
In July last year, Hunt’s wife, Carol Hunt, 61, and daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were murdered at their home in Bushey, Hertfordshire, by Louise’s former partner, Kyle Clifford. Clifford pleaded guilty to raping Louise and murdering all three women and was sentenced to life in prison.
“When all the subject about domestic abuse came up, and suddenly you hear a story like John and Amy’s, it’s something that I feel very strongly about,” Camilla said.
She praised the Hunt family’s courage and resilience.
“I’d just like to say, wherever your family is now, they’d be so proud of you both,” the queen said. “They must be from above smiling down on you and thinking, my goodness me, what a wonderful, wonderful father, husband, sister. They’d just be so proud of you both.”
The account of Camilla’s assault was first reported last year in the book “Power and the Palace: The Inside Story of the Monarchy and 10 Downing Street” by author Valentine Low. The incident was recounted by Guto Harri, a former communications adviser to then-London Mayor Boris Johnson.
According to Harri, Camilla told Johnson about the assault in 2012 after he informed her of plans to open sexual assault referral centers, prompting her to share her experience.
Harri said Camilla told Johnson she had been traveling by train to Paddington when she was 16 or 17 and that a man put his hand on her and began touching her. She told him she fought back by taking off her shoe and striking the attacker in the groin with its heel, then reported the incident to a police officer when she reached the station. The attacker was arrested, Harri said.
A spokesperson for the queen stressed that Camilla was not comparing her experience to the Hunt family’s tragedy.
“She was using her story to raise awareness and explain how women’s experiences of sexual harassment and assault can connect to broader issues,” the spokesperson said, adding that Camilla had previously avoided speaking publicly about the incident so as not to divert attention from victims of sexual violence.
While this marked the first time Camilla has spoken openly about her own assault, she has worked for more than a decade to highlight organizations supporting survivors of rape and sexual violence.
In recent years, she has visited charities working in the field, met survivors and advocated publicly against violence toward women. In 2014, she met actress Angelina Jolie to discuss efforts to combat sexual violence in conflict. During a 2016 tour of the Balkans, she met women who were raped during the Kosovo conflict.
In November 2022, Camilla hosted a reception at Buckingham Palace for organizations working to combat violence against women, addressing the global scale of the problem and the need to support survivors. Her advocacy was also highlighted in the 2024 ITV documentary “Her Majesty the Queen: Behind Closed Doors.”