Queen meets Gisele Pelicot and praises rape survivor's 'extraordinary dignity'

The Queen has met French rape survivor, Gisele Pelicot, and told her she was left "speechless" by the account of her ordeal in her new memoir.

Ms Pelicot was drugged and raped by her ex-husband, who also allowed strangers to rape her while she was unconscious, for almost a decade. The Palace said in a statement on Monday that the pair met at Clarence House, the official home of the King and Queen, while repairs are made to Buckingham Palace.

The Frenchwoman's book, titled Hymn To Life: Shame Has To Change Sides, was launched at London's Royal Festival Hall on Friday, with readings given by Hollywood actresses Kate Winslet, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliet Stevenson. She has been touring the UK promoting it.

The Queen wrote to the 73-year-old last year to praise her "extraordinary dignity and courage" in a letter the survivor said left her "overwhelmed" and which is now framed in her office. When the two women spoke for 30 minutes over tea at Clarence House, Camilla said about the memoir: "I read it in the last two days, I couldn't put it down.

"I've met so many survivors of rape and sexual abuse I never thought I could be shocked by anything anymore, but I was shocked at your case - it left me speechless." Ms Pelicot was joined by her partner, Jean-Loup Agopian and her literary and legal team and she talked to the Queen through an interpreter. Camilla began speaking in French, joking that she had studied the language "60 years ago" but had "forgotten" it all.

During the informal chat, Ms Pelicot talked about receiving "incredible strength" from people, and in response, the Queen told her she had "so much support". Camilla mentioned the standing ovations the survivor received from audiences.

Read more on Sky News:From mass rape survivor to feminist icon Ms Pelicot received worldwide acclaim for her courage in waiving her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse. She had said the shame should fall on her abusers.

Her ex-husband Dominique Pelicot was jailed for 20 years after a three-and-a-half-month trial in Avignon, which ended in December 2024. Fifty men were found guilty of rape or sexual offences, receiving sentences ranging from three to 15 years..