Queen Camilla Fought Off Sexual Assault As Teen With High Heel, New Book Claims

Last Updated:September 01, 2025, 16:10 IST

The book claims that Camilla spoke about the incident to Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, between 2008 and 2016

Britain's King Charles III and Britain's Queen Camilla at the Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, central England. (AFP file photo)

Queen Camilla reportedly defended herself from a sexual assault when she was a teenager, using the heel of her shoe to stop the attacker, according to a new book about the Royal Family.

The account appears in Power and the Palace by royal author Valentine Low, and was recently serialised in The Sunday Times. The book claims that Camilla spoke about the incident to Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London, between 2008 and 2016.

At the time of the alleged assault, Camilla was around 16 or 17 years old and travelling on a train to Paddington. The man is said to have started touching her inappropriately. Following advice her mother had given her, she removed her shoe and struck him with the heel, The Guardian reported.

According to the book, Camilla later reported the man to railway staff when she arrived in London. He was arrested soon after. Buckingham Palace has not commented publicly on the claims.

Low says he heard the story from Guto Harri, Boris Johnson’s former communications chief. Harri recalled a meeting between Camilla and Johnson at Clarence House around 2008. The two reportedly got along very well, with Johnson later sharing Camilla’s story with Harri.

Harri described Camilla’s reaction during the assault. “I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel," he said.

He also noted her calm response afterwards, “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."

Now aged 78, Queen Camilla has long supported work to stop domestic violence and sexual abuse. Over the years, she has spoken out in support of survivors and worked closely with charities. She once backed a scheme to give washbags with essential items to people after an assault, a project that has recently been brought back.

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News world Queen Camilla Fought Off Sexual Assault As Teen With High Heel, New Book Claims

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