Queen Camilla meets Gisèle Pelicot, a symbol of the fight against sexual violence

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PARIS (AP) — Britain's Queen Camilla told French rape survivor Gisèle Pelicot on Monday that she was left “speechless” by Pelicot’s memoir, as the two met over tea at Clarence House in a private meeting rich with symbolism.

Pelicot, 73, is in Britain at the end of a U.K. tour for her memoir, “A Hymn to Life: Shame Has to Change Sides,” which was launched Friday at London’s Royal Festival Hall.

The event drew a sellout crowd of more than 2,000, with readings by actors Kate Winslet, Kristin Scott Thomas and Juliet Stevenson.

Camilla welcomed Pelicot and her partner, Jean-Loup Agopian, and the two women spoke for about 30 minutes through an interpreter.

The queen opened in French and joked she had studied the language 60 years ago but had forgotten it.

Camilla, who has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse, told Pelicot she had read the memoir in just two days.

“I couldn’t put it down," Camilla said.

“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 added.

The meeting came at a fraught moment for the monarchy, as the royal family confronts renewed scrutiny over the fallout from the Andrew-Epstein scandal — a crisis that has again raised questions about accountability, privilege and how institutions respond to sexual abuse.

Against that backdrop, observers said that Camilla’s embrace of Pelicot carried added resonance for a royal household trying to show moral clarity on violence against women.

Pelicot became an international symbol of resilience after waiving her anonymity and declaring that shame belonged with her abusers, not with her.

Her ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, was jailed for 20 years for drugging and raping her and allowing other men to rape her while she was unconscious over nearly a decade.

Fifty men were found guilty of rape or sexual offenses after a trial in Avignon that ended in December 2024.

During Monday’s meeting, Pelicot spoke of receiving “incredible strength” from supporters.

Camilla replied: “you have so much support.”

Camilla had written to Pelicot last year praising her “extraordinary dignity and courage” — a letter Pelicot has said she now keeps framed in her office.