French icon Gisele Pelicot has expressed being "overwhelmed" by a personal letter of support from Queen Camilla, following her horrific nine-year rape ordeal at the hands of her depraved husband and fifty associates. The 73-year-old survivor revealed the heartfelt note in a remarkable new interview with the BBC, set to air on Sunday night.
Royal Support for a Courageous Survivor
Queen Camilla, 78, who has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse, sent the letter after Ms Pelicot's ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was jailed for twenty years in December 2024. He was convicted for drugging and raping her, while allowing other men to assault her while she was unconscious.
In the letter, Camilla wrote: "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." Ms Pelicot responded: "It was an honour for me to receive this letter, I wasn't expecting it at all. I was overwhelmed that the Queen could send me this letter."
A Harrowing Discovery and Legal Battle
The nightmare began when Ms Pelicot accompanied her husband to a police station in Mazan, southern France, after he was summoned for secretly filming women. A policeman showed her photos of a lifeless woman on a bed, which turned out to be herself, drugged and surrounded by strangers. "Something exploded inside me. It was like a tsunami," she described.
During a three-and-a-half-month trial in Avignon, fifty men were found guilty of rape or sexual offences against Ms Pelicot. She bravely waived her right to anonymity, attending court daily despite facing humiliation from defendants and their lawyers. "You go through hell in a courtroom," she said.
Family Trauma and Healing Journey
Ms Pelicot had to inform her three grown-up children—David, Caroline, and Florian—about their father's crimes. "I heard my daughter scream. It was almost inhuman," she recalled. Her daughter Caroline has suffered immensely, with photos of her asleep found on her father's laptop, though he has never been prosecuted for assaulting her due to lack of evidence.
Relations between mother and daughter were strained during the trial, but Ms Pelicot says they are now repairing their bond. "Each of us needed time to find our own path. Today, we're trying to bring each other peace," she added.
A Message of Hope and Resilience
Despite the trauma, Ms Pelicot has found new love with widower Jean-Loup, a retired Air France steward, whom she met in 2023. "We fell in love like teenagers," she shared. She also plans to visit her ex-husband in jail to seek answers about his actions and their daughter.
In her memoir, A Hymn To Life, and the BBC interview, she offers a message of hope: "I am healing. You always have to choose which path to follow. As for me, I have always chosen to walk toward the good." Her decision to go public has inspired many, with French women thanking her for her bravery during the trial.
