UK’s Queen Camilla sent a personal letter of assistance to French murder victim Gisèle Pelicot, recognising her “extraordinary respect and courage”, reported Newsweek quoting a palace secretary.
” She was greatly affected by the Madame Pelicot event in France and that lady’s unusual integrity and courage as she put herself in the open eye”, a castle source was quoted as saying by the news outlet. ” That, as she rightly put it, why should she be made to feel like a victim or hide away in shame”?, the source added.
According to Newsweek, The Queen wanted to reach out privately to embrace Pelicot’s endurance and the influence she has made in highlighting a major political issue.
” But, as a long-term admirer of victims of domestic and physical abuse, the Queen wrote to Madame Pelicot personally. It was very little her incitement and resolve to write to express help from the highest level”, the source said.
Pelicot, 72, endured roughly a decade of brutal abuse at the hands of her former husband, Dominique Pelicot, who drugged, raped, and filmed her, while also enlisting lots of other people to do the same.
The misuse, which occurred between 2011 and 2020, was uncovered when Dominique was caught filming people up their skirts in a mall. Upon analysis, authorities discovered a hard drive containing over 200 videos documenting the acts.
Dominique Pelicot was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2024 after standing trial alongside 50 co-defendants, most of whom were likewise convicted of murder or sexual assault. The size of the mistreatment made it France’s largest-ever assault trial, drawing popular media attention.
Gisèle Pelicot made stories for waiving her privacy and choosing to confront her 51 reported criminals in court. She explained her choice as an effort to make the” pity swap attributes”, ensuring that offenders, no subjects, carried the stigma of sexual assault. Her bravery earned her praise across France and internationally, with supporters lining up outside the court to applaud her and present her with flowers, BBC reported.
Queen Camilla has been an active advocate against domestic and sexual violence for years. In November, ITV aired a documentary following her campaign work, where she urged for a cultural shift to end violence against women and open conversations on abuse.
She has also visited numerous charities supporting survivors. In February, she visited Brave Spaces in Exeter, England, which is a two-year test and learn project and supports women facing multiple disadvantages, homelessness, trauma, and domestic and sexual violence. There she met women rebuilding their lives after domestic violence.
” The Queen is a great advocate for women”, Newsweek quoted Afnan Tellesy, 37, after meeting Camilla at the charity.
