The Queen has spoken publicly of having to fight off a man who tried to attack her on a train when she was a young woman.
Queen Camilla said she was a teenager when a person she had never met before tried to grope her during a train journey.
Her Majesty spoke publicly of the incident for the first time during an emotional interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, during a conversation with John Hunt and Amy Hunt. John’s daughter and Amy’s sister, Louise, was killed by her ex-partner. He also murdered Carol Hunt, John’s wife and Amy’s mother, and Hannah, the third of the sisters.
The discussion was around domestic abuse and Queen Camilla was explaining why she felt so passionately about the issue, one she has long worked on.
As the debate continued, Queen Camilla said ”when I was a teenager, I was attacked on a train…I remember at the time being so angry.”
The attack had first been made public in the summer when it was reported in The Power and The Palace, a book by Valentine Low. This is the first time that Queen Camilla has openly talked about the attack.
As she spoke to BBC Radio 4 Today’s presenter, Emma Barnett, The Queen revealed a little more detail, saying she had been met off the train by her mother who asked her ”Why is your hair standing on end and why is the button missing from your coat?’
Emma Barnett mentioned it was physical with The Queen just continuing to talk and saying ”I had been attacked”.
In the book, it was reported that The Queen fought her attacker off with a shoe and that the assault was reported to station staff and a man was arrested.
As she discussed it, The Queen said ”when the subject 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.”
Amy Hunt, who has become a campaigner against domestic violence since the murder of her mother and sisters, told Queen Camilla ”it takes a lot to share these things because every woman has a story.”
The conversation was part of a wider discussion that also touched on the devastating loss of Carol, Louise and Hannah who were all murdered by Kyle Clifford at their home in Hertfordshire in July 2024.
Queen Camilla praised John and Amy Hunt for their bravery following the murders and for their work to put an end to domestic abuse.
The special BBC Radio 4 Today programme was guest edited by former Prime Minister, Theresa May.
Queen Camilla has previously spoken out about domestic abuse being a taboo subject and how that must end to help save more lives. In a special programme, Her Majesty The Queen: Behind Closed Doors, broadcast on ITV1 in November 2024, she said that ‘by scratching the surface you get a terrible shock. It’s such a heinous crime.”
