Queen Camilla Left 'Speechless' by French Rape Survivor's Powerful Memoir
Queen Camilla has revealed she was left utterly "speechless" after reading the harrowing memoir of French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot. The Queen personally invited the 73-year-old author to her official London residence, Clarence House, as Pelicot's United Kingdom promotional tour for her book was concluding.
During a poignant thirty-minute meeting over tea, Camilla confessed to her guest that she had devoured the memoir in just two days, finding herself completely unable to put it down. "I read it in the last two days, I couldn't put it down," the Queen stated.
A Shocking Case That Stunned a Veteran Campaigner
Queen Camilla, a long-standing campaigner against domestic violence and sexual abuse, expressed profound shock at the details within Pelicot's account. "I've met so many survivors of rape and sexual abuse I never thought I could be shocked by anything any more, but I was shocked at your case – it left me speechless," she told the author.
The memoir, titled Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides, details the horrific abuse Pelicot endured for nearly a decade. Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was sentenced to twenty years in prison for drugging and raping her, as well as permitting other men to assault her while she was unconscious.
Royal Support and a London Book Launch
The audience at Clarence House was a culmination of royal support that began the previous year when Queen Camilla wrote a letter praising Pelicot's "extraordinary dignity and courage." The survivor described receiving that letter as "overwhelming," and it now holds a place of honour, framed in her office.
Pelicot's UK tour featured a major launch event at London's prestigious Royal Festival Hall. The evening included powerful readings by acclaimed Hollywood actresses Kate Winslet, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas, and Juliet Stevenson. The event was a sellout, with an audience exceeding two thousand people giving Pelicot multiple standing ovations, a fact the Queen noted during their conversation.
A Landmark Trial and a Message of Shame
The abuse detailed in the memoir led to one of France's most significant sexual crime trials. A three-and-a-half-month proceeding in Avignon concluded in December 2024, resulting in fifty men being found guilty of rape or related sexual offences.
Gisele Pelicot, who has bravely waived her legal right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse, champions a powerful message. She asserts that shame should rightfully belong to the abusers, not the victims. During the informal chat with the Queen, she spoke of drawing "incredible strength" from people, to which Camilla responded warmly, "you have so much support."
The meeting was conducted with the assistance of an interpreter, though Queen Camilla opened the conversation in French, humorously remarking that she had studied the language "60 years ago" but had since "forgotten" it all. Pelicot was accompanied by her partner, Jean-Loup Agopian, along with members of her literary and legal team.
