LONDON — During a private tea meeting at Clarence House on Monday, Britain’s Queen Camilla expressed to French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot that her memoir left her completely “speechless.” The symbolic encounter highlighted both women’s commitment to addressing sexual violence.
The 73-year-old Pelicot is wrapping up her British book tour promoting her memoir titled “A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides,” which debuted Friday at London’s Royal Festival Hall. The launch event sold out completely, drawing over 2,000 attendees who heard readings from renowned actresses Kate Winslet, Kristin Scott Thomas, and Juliet Stevenson.
Queen Camilla received Pelicot and her companion Jean-Loup Agopian for approximately half an hour, communicating through a translator. The queen began their conversation in French, making a lighthearted comment about studying the language six decades earlier but having lost much of it since then.
Having devoted years to advocating against domestic violence and sexual assault, Camilla revealed she finished reading Pelicot’s book within just two days.
“I couldn’t put it down,” Camilla stated.
“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 continued.
The timing of this meeting carries particular weight for the royal family, which continues facing examination regarding the Andrew-Epstein controversy — a situation that has reignited discussions about responsibility, privilege, and institutional responses to sexual abuse.
Given this context, royal watchers noted that Camilla’s public support of Pelicot sends a powerful message from a monarchy seeking to demonstrate clear moral leadership on violence against women.
Pelicot gained worldwide recognition as a symbol of strength after choosing to abandon her legal anonymity and proclaiming that shame should rest with perpetrators, not victims.
Her former husband Dominique Pelicot received a 20-year prison sentence for drugging and assaulting her, while also facilitating other men’s attacks on her unconscious body across nearly ten years.
Following a trial in Avignon that concluded in December 2024, fifty men received convictions for rape or related sexual crimes.
Throughout Monday’s conversation, Pelicot discussed drawing “incredible strength” from her supporters.
Camilla responded: “you have so much support.”
The queen had previously sent Pelicot a letter last year commending her “extraordinary dignity and courage” — correspondence that Pelicot now displays in a frame within her office.
