Queen Camilla offers 'grace, dignity' to Madame Gisèle Pelicot

Queen Camilla welcomed one of the most courageous women in Europe, Madame Gisèle Pelicot at Clarence House on Monday.

Pelicot, the 73-year-old French survivor whose bravery during France’s largest rape trial has resonated around the world.

She was awarded France’s highest honour, the Legion of Honour, in 2025, has become a global symbol of strength after waiving her legal right. 

During their conversation, the Queen did not hide her reaction.

“I never thought I could be shocked by anything before,” Camilla admitted. “But I was speechless.”

Her former husband is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence after drugging and raping her alongside other men in a case that shocked France and reverberated far beyond its borders. 

Speaking to the BBC, Pelicot described the moment she learned the full truth as catastrophic. 

“Something exploded inside me,” she said. “It was like a tsunami.”

One of the most painful moments, she revealed in her memoir A Hymn To Life, was telling her three children what their father had done. 

She remembered hearing her daughter scream “almost inhuman” while her eldest son sat stunned. 

Her youngest immediately focused on her wellbeing, worried she might harm herself in the aftermath of the revelation.

The Queen has spent decades advocating for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, using her platform to spotlight often hidden suffering. 

She previously wrote to Pelicot following the 2024 trial to express solidarity and support.

Today’s encounter marked the first time the two women met in person. 

Photographs released by the Palace on show the pair in warm discussion and smiling.