Gisele Pelicot 'overwhelmed' after receiving letter of support from Camilla following husband's conviction

Camilla, who has long campaigned against domestic violence and sexual abuse, praised Ms Pelicot's "extraordinary dignity and courage" in the letter.

Ms Pelicot's 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, in abuse which lasted nearly a decade.

The 73-year-old, who waived her right to anonymity as a survivor of sexual abuse, said shame should fall on her abusers, not her.

Fifty men were found guilty of rape or sexual offences after a three-and-a-half-month trial in Avignon, which ended in December 2024.

The Queen said to Ms Pelicot in her letter: "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."

Speaking to Newsnight, 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."

Last year, Camilla praised the "brilliant" efforts of health workers and other staff supporting sexual assault victims at a specialist centre she officially opened in Exeter.

The Queen has dedicated her royal charity work to supporting victims of sexual assault and a number of years ago championed the idea of washbags for those attacked, an idea that has recently been revived.

In an ITV documentary last year, she vowed she will "keep trying" to end domestic violence, until she is "able to no more", and was followed over the course of a year for the programme looking at her work in the field.