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Van der Wouden and Clarke Win 2025 Women’s Prizes as Queen Camilla Attends

The Trust marked its 30th anniversary with a London ceremony where van der Wouden used her acceptance to champion intersex healthcare.

Britain's Queen Camilla poses with Kit de Waal, chair of the fiction jury and the shortlisted authors for the fiction prize at the Women's Prize for Fiction and Nonfiction event in London, Britain, June 11, 2025.
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Overview

  • Yael van der Wouden secured the Women’s Prize for Fiction with her debut novel The Safekeep, which examines repressed desire and post-Holocaust aftermath in 1960s Netherlands.
  • Doctor Rachel Clarke won the Non-Fiction award for The Story of a Heart, tracing the human stories behind a century of heart transplant surgery.
  • Both authors each received £30,000 and a limited-edition art piece crafted by the Women’s Prize Trust in recognition of their literary achievements.
  • Queen Camilla made a surprise appearance at the London ceremony, underscoring the awards’ prestige in the Trust’s 30th year.
  • In her acceptance speech, van der Wouden revealed she is intersex and urged greater advocacy and healthcare access for the trans and intersex community.