Queen Camilla Survived an Attack by a Stranger and Had to Defend Herself with Her Shoe. It turns out this happened during her teenage years, and the unsettling incident has only now become public.
The shocking episode from Camilla Parker-Bowles’ life is revealed in the new book Power and the Palace by Valentine Low, a former royal correspondent for The Times. He writes that in 2008, the Queen shared the story of her experience with Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London.
Camilla was 16 or 17 at the time, and the incident occurred on a train heading to Paddington Station. A man made inappropriate advances toward her, touching her. Camilla reacted quickly and decisively — she removed her heeled shoe and struck him. As she told Johnson, her mother had taught her this trick and explained what to do in such situations. When Camilla arrived in London, she reported the incident to station staff, and the man was arrested.
“She was not only resourceful and strong, but also a responsible citizen who ensured the man was apprehended,” Valentine Low concludes.
Interestingly, much of the Queen’s recent public work has been focused on supporting victims of domestic abuse, sexual assault, and rape.
