Content Warning: This article contains content which may be distressing to readers. Help is available.
Queen Camilla has spoken candiddly about for the first time about being the victim of an attempted sexual assault when she was a teenager.
“When I was a teenager, I was attacked on a train,” the Queen said in an interview with the BBC. “I remember at the time being so angry.”
The Queen was inspired by the bravery of BBC racing commentator John Hunt and his daughter Amy to share her story. The Hunt family were vicitims of a fatal domestic assault. Three members of their family, John’s wife Carol (61) and their daughters Louise (25) and Hannah (28), were killed by Louise’s ex-boyfriend Kyle Clifford in their home in July 2024.
Queen Camilla was speaking to the family and former Prime Minister, Baroness Theresa May, on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. After praising John and Amy for their bravery, she shared her experience.
She remembered arriving at Paddington station and being greeted by her mother, who asked, “‘Why is your hair standing on end and why is the button missing from your coat?’ I had been attacked.”
“I remember anger, and I was so furious about it, and it’s sort of lurked for many years. And I think, when all the subjects 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.”
The incident was first written about in Power and Place by Valentine Low. In the book, Valentine reports that Camilla was about 16 or 17 at the time, and when the man attacked her, she hit him with the heel of her shoe. The man was arrested when she reported the crime to station staff.
Queen Camilla is the patron of SafeLives, a domestic abuse charity and also works with other DV organisations like Refuge. She also recently hosted a reception for Surviving Economic Abuse, the only charity in the United Kingdom dedicated to raising awareness of economic abuse.
The Queen stressed that education is an important tool to prevent male violence.
“They may have had parents or relatives who’ve been abusive or done terrible things to them. So they’re almost brought up to believe that it’s a natural thing to do,” said the Queen. “But if you can get them early enough and teach them respect for women, I think that’s so important to get into schools… and the more I look at it, it is the most important thing we can do now.”
If you or someone you love has been impacted by any of the issues raised in this post, help is available. For support for anyone experiencing or at risk of domestic, family or sexual violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800respect.org.au.
