Camilla fought off attacker with shoe as teenager, book says

"Much of the Queen's public work in recent years has been supporting the victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape. She is patron of the charity SafeLives and has visited women's refuges and rape crisis centres across the UK and globally. In a number of powerful speeches, she has spoken of the courage of those who have experienced domestic violence and why they should not feel fear or stigma in coming forward."

""Through my work, I have talked to many women who have lived with coercive control and domestic violence and, thankfully, come out at the other end as the victors not the victims. "They are some of the bravest people I have ever met. Their stories are harrowing and have reduced even the toughest of their listeners to tears. That is why it is so vital that these survivors should no longer feel any shame or any blame.""

Queen Camilla was the victim of an attempted indecent assault as a teenager on a train to Paddington Station when she was 16 or 17. She fought off her attacker by removing her shoe and striking him with the heel, following her mother's advice. On arrival in London she reported the incident to station staff and the man was arrested. She later recounted the episode to Boris Johnson in 2008 when he was mayor of London. Buckingham Palace has made no official statement but is not disputing the details. Much of her public work supports victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and rape, including patronage of SafeLives, visits to refuges and rape crisis centres, and public speeches urging survivors not to feel shame or blame.

Read at www.bbc.com