French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot has said she is “overwhelmed” after receiving a personal letter of support from Queen Camilla following her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot’s conviction.
The Queen, a longtime campaigner against domestic violence and sexual abuse, commended Ms Pelicot’s “extraordinary dignity and courage” in the correspondence.
Ms Pelicot’s former husband was sentenced to 20 years in prison for drugging and raping her, and for allowing other men to assault her while she was unconscious. The horrific abuse spanned nearly a decade.
He had recruited other men in an online chatroom to rape her while she was unconscious; following a trial that took place in Avignon, 47 of them were found guilty of rape, two were found guilty of attempted rape, and two were found guilty of sexual assault. They were jailed for a total of 428 years.
Extracts from Ms Pelicot’s book, A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides, written with journalist Judith Perrignon and published by French newspaper Le Monde, explain how her then husband was summoned by police after a supermarket security guard caught him secretly filming up women’s skirts.
The 73-year-old bravely waived her right to anonymity, asserting that the shame should fall on her abusers, not on her.
In the letter, Queen Camilla told Ms Pelicot: “I very much wanted to write to express my heartfelt admiration for the courage, grace and dignity with which you have faced the horrific crimes committed against you.”
Speaking to the BBC’s Newsnight, Ms Pelicot described the letter as an “honour”, adding: “I was overwhelmed that the Queen could send me this letter. Although my words touched the whole world, I wasn’t expecting a letter from the Court of England. I felt moved and very honoured that she had become aware of what had happened to me. I am grateful to her.”
Camilla has dedicated her royal charity work to supporting victims of sexual assault. Last year, she praised the “brilliant” efforts of health workers and staff at a specialist centre in Exeter, which she officially opened.
The Queen has previously championed the idea of providing free toiletries to those who have been attacked, an initiative that has recently been revived. In an ITV documentary, she vowed to “keep trying” to end domestic violence “until I am able to no more”.
