Queen Camilla wrote a letter of assist to French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot, a royal aide has revealed.
The 72-year-old was drugged and raped by her ex-husband, who additionally invited dozens of strangers to abuse her for nearly a decade.
The contents of the non-public letter haven’t been disclosed.
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Gisele Pelicot leaving the French courthouse on the finish of her mass rape trial in December. Pic: AP Picture/Lewis Joly
However a Palace aide mentioned the Queen, who has lengthy campaigned in opposition to home and sexual violence, praised her “extraordinary dignity and courage”.
“And, in fact, she helped spotlight a really important societal drawback regardless of all the non-public struggling she’d been by way of.
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Queen Camilla is a long-term supporter of survivors of home and sexual abuse. Pic:Eddie Mulholland/The Telegraph/PA
“So, as a long-term supporter of survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, the Queen wrote to Madame Pelicot privately.
“It was very a lot her instigation and willpower to write down to precise assist from the best degree.”
Ms Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, had confessed to the costs in opposition to him and was sentenced to twenty years in jail after a historic mass trial final yr.
He additionally admitted to mixing sedatives into Ms Pelicot’s food and drinks so he may sexually assault her.
He was certainly one of 51 males who have been on trial for taking part in assaults in opposition to Ms Pelicot.
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Ms Pelicot waived her proper to anonymity through the trial. Pic: Reuters
The entire males have been discovered responsible of at the least one offence, with almost all convicted of rape, after a trial which shocked France and made headlines around the globe.
They have been sentenced to a complete of greater than 400 mixed years.
Ms Pelicot waived her proper to anonymity through the trial as she insisted it was for perpetrators to really feel “shame”, and never victims.
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The trial led ladies in France and different international locations to affix demonstrations in solidarity with Ms Pelicot and different survivors of sexual abuse.
The transfer led ladies in France and different international locations to affix demonstrations in solidarity together with her and different survivors of sexual abuse.
In December, after the sentences have been handed down, Ms Pelicot mentioned she had “wanted to put this struggle forward” for her kids and grandchildren.
The mother-of-three had insisted the trial was held in public and the court docket present the specific movies of the rapes recorded by her then husband as a result of she wished folks to “see the truth”.
When you suppose you are experiencing home abuse, you possibly can contact the Nationwide Home Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247
The Rape Disaster Nationwide Helpline will be contacted on 0808 802 9999.
