Gisele Pelicot says she was ‘honoured’ and ‘overwhelmed’ to receive a letter from Queen Camilla calling her an inspiration.
The 73-year-old rape survivor became a figurehead for women around the world after she waived her right to anonymity at the French trial of her husband and dozens of men he invited to abuse her after drugging her.
She also tells The Mail on Sunday’s You magazine today that she did so at the sensational 2024 trial to make ‘shame change sides’.
In a television interview yesterday, Ms Pelicot said: ‘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. Although my words touched the whole world, I wasn’t expecting a letter from the Court of England.
‘I felt moved and very honoured that she had become aware of what had happened to me. I am grateful to her.’
The Queen, a supporter of charities helping rape and sexual abuse victims, wrote to Ms Pelicot, a mother of three who has seven grandchildren, after the trial which saw her ex-husband and 50 other men convicted of rape and sexual offences.
The attacks took place over a decade.
The 73-year-old rape survivor Gisele Pelicot became a figurehead for women around the world after she waived her right to anonymity at the French trial of her husband and dozens of men he invited to abuse her after drugging her
The Queen, a supporter of charities helping rape and sexual abuse victims, wrote to Ms Pelicot, a mother of three who has seven grandchildren, after the trial which saw her ex-husband and 50 other men convicted of rape and sexual offences
She told her: ‘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.’
The Queen wrote she has ‘inspired women across the globe’ creating ‘a powerful legacy that will change the narrative around shame, for ever’.
In today’s You magazine, Ms Pelicot details for the first time life with her new partner, ex-Air France steward Jean-Loup, whom she met through mutual friends after moving to the French resort of Ile de Re in 2023.
She says: ‘It happened almost by accident, because I never thought I’d fall in love again or would even want to. Neither of us expected it at all. And we thought, “Why not? Why not allow ourselves to be happy?”‘