Queen Camilla welcomed one of Europe’s bravest women, Madame Gisèle Pelicot, to Clarence House on Monday.
Pelicot, the 73-year-old French survivor whose courage during France’s largest rape trial resonated around the world.
She was awarded France’s highest honor, the Legion of Honor, in 2025, and became a global symbol of strength after renouncing her legal rights.
During their conversation, the Queen did not hide her reaction.
“I never thought anything would shock me 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 had repercussions far beyond its borders.
Speaking to the BBC, Pelicot described the moment she learned the whole truth as catastrophic.
“Something exploded inside me,” she says. “It was like a tsunami.”
One of the most painful moments, she revealed in her memoir A hymn to life, told his three children what their father had done.
She remembers hearing her daughter scream “almost inhuman” while her eldest son stood stunned.
Her youngest immediately focused on her well-being, fearing harm to herself as a result of the revelation.
The Queen has spent decades advocating for victims and survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, using her platform to shine a light on often hidden suffering.
She previously wrote to Pelicot after the 2024 trial to express solidarity and support.
Today’s meeting marked the first time the two women met in person.
Photographs released by the Palace show the couple in warm discussion and smiling.
