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Queen Camilla fought off a train assault as a teen, reveals a new book, which also details royal tensions with Boris Johnson, Brexit and the 2023 Coronation.
King Charles and Queen Camilla are seen. (Image Credit: Reuters)
Queen Camilla once fought off a sexual assault on a train as a teenager, using her mother’s advice to hit her attacker with the heel of her shoe, a new book about the royal family by journalist Valentine Low revealed. The book ‘Power and the Palace’ explores the monarchy’s private dealings with politicians and how they navigate public life. Valentine Low, a former royal correspondent for The Times, compiled a series of behind-the-scenes anecdotes- from Camilla’s candour with Boris Johnson to Queen Elizabeth II’s instincts on Brexit.
Queen Camilla’s Teen Ordeal
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The book recounts how Camilla, travelling to London in the 1960s, was assaulted on a train but managed to get the man arrested. She later described the incident to Boris Johnson in 2008, when he was London mayor. At the time, Camilla told Boris Johnson, “I did what my mother taught me to. I took off my shoe and whacked him in the nuts with the heel.” On reaching Paddington, she informed a railway worker which led to the attacker’s arrest.
Royal Family And Politics
The book highlights tense dynamics of the royal family with prime ministers. King Charles reportedly found Boris Johnson difficult, including over Rwanda asylum policies years later. On Brexit, Valentine Low writes that Queen Elizabeth was instinctively against leaving the EU, seeing it as part of the post-war settlement. She was said to be frustrated by Brussels bureaucracy but thought remaining was better overall.
She is quoted as personally calling Tony Blair after the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and even intervening on military culture- warning ministers that defence cuts should not imperil the Army’s School of Bagpipe Music.
King Charles And John Prescott
King Charles allegedly found Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott unsettling, asking Tony Blair, “Does he always do that thing with you?” The royal described John Prescott sliding down his chair with legs apart, teacup balanced on his belly. Tony Blair reassured him, saying, “He just likes drinking his tea that way.”
Money And Monarchy
The book claims that in 2012, when the Sovereign Grant was created, the Palace “played hardball” over funding arrangements tied to Crown Estate profits. The book also noted that the UK government, not the Palace, pushed for a lavish Coronation in 2023, costing £72m, despite King Charles’s concern about appearances during a cost-of-living crisis.
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United Kingdom (UK)
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