Queen Camilla wrote a letter of support to French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot, a royal aide has revealed.
The 72-year-old was drugged and raped by her ex-husband, who also invited dozens of strangers to abuse her for almost a decade.
The contents of the private letter have not been disclosed.
But a Palace aide said the Queen, who has long campaigned against domestic and sexual violence, praised her “extraordinary dignity and courage”.
The aide told Newsweek magazine: “[The Queen] was tremendously affected by the Madame Pelicot case in France and that lady’s extraordinary dignity and courage as she put herself in the public eye because, as she rightly put it, why should she be made to feel like a victim or hide away in shame?
“And, of course, she helped highlight a very significant societal problem despite all the personal suffering she’d been through.
“So, as a long-term supporter of survivors of domestic and sexual abuse, the Queen wrote to Madame Pelicot privately.
“It was very much her instigation and determination to write to express support from the highest level.”
Ms Pelicot’s ex-husband, Dominique Pelicot, had confessed to the charges against him and was sentenced to 20 years in prison after a historic mass trial last year.
He also admitted to mixing sedatives into Ms Pelicot’s food and drink so he could sexually assault her.
He was one of 51 men who were on trial for participating in attacks against Ms Pelicot.
All of the men were found guilty of at least one offence, with nearly all convicted of rape, after a trial which shocked France and made headlines around the world.
They were sentenced to a total of more than 400 combined years.
Read more:
Gisele Pelicot: Married to a monster
Inside the depraved mind of Dominique Pelicot
The men convicted of raping and assaulting Gisele Pelicot
Ms Pelicot waived her right to anonymity during the trial as she insisted it was for perpetrators to feel “shame”, and not victims.
The move led women in France and other countries to join demonstrations in solidarity with her and other survivors of sexual abuse.
In December, after the sentences were handed down, Ms Pelicot said she had “wanted to put this struggle forward” for her children and grandchildren.
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The mother-of-three had insisted the trial was held in public and the court show the explicit videos of the rapes recorded by her then husband because she wanted people to “see the truth”.
If you think you’re experiencing domestic abuse, you can contact the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247
The Rape Crisis National Helpline can be contacted on 0808 802 9999.
