Camilla, now Queen Consort, reportedly told Boris Johnson about an assault she experienced as a teenager during a meeting at Clarence House when he was Mayor of London, according to a new book.
The anecdote appears in 'Power And The Palace' by former Times royal correspondent Valentine Low, and was recounted by Boris Johnson’s former communications director Guto Harri, who recalled the conversation dating from around 2008.
Mr Harri said the pair “obviously got on like a house on fire”, adding: “He (Mr Johnson) was making guttural noises about how much he admired and liked her.” He then described how Camilla told Mr Johnson about the incident, which 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…” 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.”
The Queen has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse and has dedicated her royal charity work to supporting victims of sexual assault, including championing washbags for victims, an idea recently revived. In an ITV documentary last year, she vowed to “keep trying” to end domestic violence until she is “able to no more”.
