Before she became Queen and a figure of steadfast support beside King Charles, Camilla lived through an ordeal in her youth that shaped both her resilience and her later commitment to causes close to her heart.
A painful memory from her teenage years has recently come to light, offering a new perspective on the Queen Consort’s quiet strength and her dedication to helping survivors of sexual violence. The disclosure came through Guto Harri, former communications director to Boris Johnson, who recalled how Camilla once confided in the then-Mayor of London during his early days in office.
An Awkward Introduction at Clarence House
Boris Johnson’s first formal meeting with then-Prince Charles in 2008 had been, according to Harri, “awkward at best.” After arriving late to Clarence House due to transport delays, Johnson was met with a cool reception. “There was never a lot of love for [Boris],” Harri remembered, noting that Charles appeared irritated by the lateness.
But Camilla’s reaction was quite different. Intrigued by Johnson’s larger-than-life personality, she reportedly asked her husband afterwards: “He looks like such fun. Can we have him over for tea?”
When Johnson and Harri later chose to cycle back to Clarence House to avoid another delay, Camilla welcomed them with amused disbelief as they stowed their bicycles in the shed. It was then that she took Boris upstairs for a private conversation — one in which she shared a story she had rarely spoken aloud.
A Teenage Ordeal Shared in Confidence
Camilla confided that, as a teenager of around 16 or 17, she had been traveling by train to Paddington when she became the target of a sexual assault attempt. “Some guy was moving his hand further and further …” she reportedly told Johnson.
When he asked how she reacted, her answer was unflinching. “I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel,” she said.
Harri recalled that even in recounting the painful experience, Camilla’s calm strength came through. At the time of the incident, she was composed enough to leap off the train at Paddington, find a man in uniform, and declare: “That man just attacked me.” The assailant was subsequently arrested.