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TheArchduchessMadamelaDauphineTheLittleQueenMadameDeficit

TheAustrianWomanTheWidowCapet

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MarieAntoinette'sParisAuthor'sNoteIllustrations

MarieAntoinetteAnIntimateHistory(From Teen Queen to

MadameGuillotine)

MelanieClegg

Bythesameauthor

The Secret Diary of aPrincessBloodSistersBeforetheStormMinetteFromWhitechapel

Copyright 2015 MelanieClegg

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For my wonderful blogreaders,withallmylove.

TheArchduchess1755-1770

‘Borntoobey.’

In later life and like mostother children, the youngArchduchess Maria Antoniawould love to hear the storyof her own birth, which hadinterrupted the work of hermother Empress MariaTheresa,whowasbusily and

with her usual tireless singlemindednessworking away ather mountain of officialpapersanddispatchboxesonAllSoulsDay, 2November1755, when the pains oflabour finally began tooverwhelm her. Keen asalways to use her precioustime as productively aspossible, the resourcefulEmpresscalledforherdentistand asked him to pull out apainful tooth, reasoning that

she would not notice thisadditionaltormentagainstthepangsofchildbirth.The baby, an unusually

tiny girl, was born at aroundhalfpasteight in theeveningandafteraninspectionbyherproudparents,MariaTheresaandherhusband,theEmperorFrancis, and the attendingphysicians, was whiskedaway to the soft and mutedworldoftheroyalnurseriesatthe Hofburg Palace, which

currently housed four oldersiblings (the last of theEmpress’ children, theArchdukeMaximilian,wouldbe born a year later), whileher mother returned onceagain to her papers andcarried on working. Thirtyeight years old and in theprime of life, the EmpressMaria Theresa had alreadygiven birth to fourteenchildren, of whom elevenwere still living. This new

babywashereighthsurvivingdaughter and although herarrival was undoubtedlypleasing to both her parents,it was not exactlyextraordinarily excitingeither, although theEmpress,who loved gambling, mayhave experienced an extralittle fillip at having won abet against one of hercourtiers, CountDietrichstein, who hadwagered that theforthcoming

babywouldbeaboy.However, commonplace

though the arrival of yetanother imperial baby mighthave seemed, it was still anoccasion that required properand formal celebration andthe new baby was dulybaptised a day later in thepresence of her proud fatherat the Church of theAugustine Friars in Vienna,where she was given thenamesMariaAntoniaJosepha

Johanna. The prefix Mariawas a Hapsburg custom,designed to show theirreverence for the VirginMary,butwasnevernormallyused - instead the daughtersof Maria Theresa werereferred to within the familybytheirsecondnames,inthisinstance,Antonia.While Maria Theresa

recovered from the birth andimmediately returned to herwork, her new daughter was

beingtendedtobya troopofnursemaids in the royalnurseries.Lateronshewouldbe under the charge of agoverness, who wouldoverseehereducation,butfornow shewas primarily caredfor by her wet nurseConstance Weber, amagistrate’s wife who hadbeen specially selected asmuch for her beauty, ‘pureprinciples’ and goodcharacter (it being rather

improperly believed that theappearanceandpersonalityofawetnurse couldbe imbuedalong with her milk, whichwas probably fair enough ifonewas sounwiseas tohirean alcoholic or opium eaterfor the job)as for thequalityof the nourishment that shewasexpectedtoprovide.FrauWeber moved into theHofburg with her own babyson Joseph, who was justthree months older than her

royal charge and, as was theusualarrangement,sharedhermilk between the two withJoseph becoming known asthe little Archduchess’ ‘frèrede lait’, her milk brother, abond that would lastthroughouttheirlives.However, although Maria

Theresahadnodirect part inthe upbringing of herdaughters, she still kept aclose eye on the royalnurseries and personally

supervisedtheappointmentofstaff and the programme ofeducation. The sixteenthcentury vogue for scholarlyprincesses as exemplified bythe likes of Elizabeth I andLady Jane Grey was longsince over and by the timeMaria Antonia was born itwasn’t considered importantfor the imperialArchduchesses to have morethan basic literacy and asmattering of Italian and

French. The more courtlyskills of dancing, music,conversation and singingwere considered of far moreimportance for a group ofgirls who were beingcarefully groomed forinsertion into the mostexalted courts in Europe,wherewomenwereexpected,without exception, to bepleasing to both the eye andearandwouldrarelybecalledupon to participate in

anything more onerous thanthe most basic social chitchat.However, although the

Empress’ ambitions for herdaughters were extremelygrand, their upbringing wasrather less so, albeit in thesplendid surroundings of theimperial palaces: the statelyHofburg, a massive 2,600roomed edifice in the centreof Vienna where MariaAntonia was born and the

family usually spent theirwinters; the charming, airysummer palace ofLaxenburgand the beautiful andenormousSchönbrunnon theoutskirts of Vienna, with itsgorgeous gardens andwonderful menagerie of rareand domestic animals,whichwas a sourceofgreat delightto the imperial children. Aswas the custom, the imperialhousehold moved betweentheir different residences

dependingonthetimeofyearbut seemedmost particularlyhappy when they werespending time at Laxenburg,which was by far the leastformalandmost laidbackofall the royal palaces, wherethe royal children had abeautifulseriesofplayrooms,thewallsandceilingspaintedwith charming rustic scenesand fanciful trompe l’oeilbirdsandflowers.Itwasherethat Maria Theresa and her

FrenchhusbandFranciscouldmostly fully indulge theirtaste for an almost bourgeoisinformality and what theEmpress would refer to as‘gemütlich’ or rather‘cosiness’, a taste that theywould pass on to theiryoungest daughter, MariaAntonia.Of course it was nothing

new for a royal family tohave a favourite countryhideaway where they would

takeonlythemostselectbandof courtiers, who atLaxenburg were all requiredto follow a strict dress codeofredcoatsforthegentlemenand redgowns for the ladies,and frolic in a world ofbucolic make believeinterspersed with vigoroushunting excursions into thesurrounding countryside. Fortime immemorial, monarchshavedonetheirbesttoescapefrom the pressures of royal

life by creating private littlebolt holes for themselves ofadmittedlyvaryingdegreesofmagnificence and privacy.After all, Versailles hadstartedlifeasahuntinglodgebeforebeingtransformedintoa bulging great monstrosityand cathedral to excess, andbythelateeighteenthcentury,withinitswallsandbehinditssplendid state rooms thereexistedsecretlittlewarrensofroomswheretheroyalfamily,

who couldn’t even havedinnerwithoutbeingstaredatby multitudes of reverentstrangers, could retreat totheir more privateoccupationsandhobbies.However, the tone at the

imperial court was far moreinformal than that atVersailles, although theywere still capable of puttingon a proper andextraordinarilylavishshowofalmost byzantine

magnificence when theoccasioncalledforit.Overallthough the Viennese courtwas gossipy, fun loving andlow key, with the imperialfamilythemselvesleadingtheway in the enjoyment ofsimple pleasures like sleighrides in the snow atSchönbrunn, picnics on thebanks of the Danube river,exchanginggiftsatChristmasanddressingup in capes andmasks for the famous

Viennese carnival. As ayoungwoman,MariaTheresawas almost as light heartedand pleasure seeking as herdaughters but things changeddramatically after thepremature death of herbeloved husband Francis atthe celebrations for theweddingofhissonArchdukeLeopold to the InfantaMariaLuisa of Spain in August1765.Consumedbygrief,shecut off her lovely fair hair,

eschewed the grand dressesand jewels in which she hadtaken so much delight infavourofheavymourning,nolonger danced at balls orappeared at the theatre andbecame even more austereandformidablethanever.IfMaria Theresa’s love of

simple living away fromcourt, numerous offspringand exclusive and certainlyexcessive delight in herhusband were reminiscent of

her distant relative QueenVictoria, then so toowasherall consuming manner ofmourning him as she gaveherself wholeheartedly up togrief, noting despondently inher prayer book that her‘happymarried life lasted29years, 6 months and 6 days;this is 335 months, 1540weeks, 10781 days and258744 hours.’ That herbelovedFrancishadnotbeenan entirely perfect husband

and had indeed beensomething of a womaniser,who conducted liaisons withmuch younger women atcourt, was now discreetlyswept under the carpet andforgotten.Obviously, the unexpected

deathofEmperorFranciswastohave sad repercussions forall of his children,particularly his eldest sonJoseph who now foundhimself Emperor and in the

unhappypositionofactingasa rather superfluous co-rulerwith his domineeringmotherattheageofjusttwentythree,but the nine year old MariaAntonia was especiallydistraught as she had longbeenherfather’spetandwassaid to be his favourite childand most particularmignonne. In later years shewould tell her friends aboutthe last time she saw herhandsome, cheerful father

when he set out with hisgentlemen to travel toInnsbruck for her brother’swedding but then suddenlyturned back to embrace heronelasttime,almostasif,shewould later recall, he hadsomehow known that hewould never see her againandhadhadapremonitionoftheterriblesorrowthatwouldbeherlotinlife.The imperial family’s love

of simplemiddle class living

isperhapsperfectlyillustratedbythefamilyportraitpaintedby Maria Antonia’s eldersisterMaria Christina,whichdepicts the family on StNicholas Day in 1762. TheEmperorisshownathiseasebefore the fire, lookingpositively rakish in hisdressing gown, slippers andnight cap and with a clearstubbleonhischin,whilehisdevoted wife, the Empressstandsbehindhischair in the

simplebluedressofawelltodoAustrianhausfrau,lookingpleased as punch as shesmilesoutofthepainting,herhands resting on the back ofhischairassheserveshimhismorningcupofhotchocolate.Only four of the imperialchildren are depicted in thepainting, the rest presumablygetting up to mischiefelsewhere: eight year oldFerdinandisshowncryingashis pretty elder sister Maria

Christina,who at first glancelooksmore likea freshfacedand charmingly dressedyoung governess than anArchduchess of Austria,presents him with hisKrampus gift of birch rodsarranged as a switch in hisshoe,obviouslyapunishmentforactsofnaughtiness,whilethe youngest imperial child,six year old ArchdukeMaximilian, who has clearlybeen much better behaved

than his elder brother rathersmugly tucks intoadeliciouslooking pile of iced heartshaped gingerbread biscuitsonthecarpet.Mostcharmingofallthoughisthediminutivefigure of the seven year oldMaria Antonia, who peepsoutfrombehindhermother’sskirts and proudly holds upher splendidly dressed newdoll to the viewer, clearlythrilled with her latestacquisition.

However, aswith the laterVictorian court, this nearobsession with appearing asmiddleclassand‘ordinary’aspossiblehadadarkerflipsidein that it also fostered acertainrestrictive,stifflippedand often depressinglynarrow minded bourgeoisattitude towardsmorality andduty, thatwouldall toooftencastacloudover the livesofMariaTheresa’s childrenandin particular her daughters,

who were raised to have anequal fear of God and theirmother, considering both asomniscient and terrifying asthe other. As might beexpected at the imperialcourt, there was always aheavy emphasis on religiousobservation with daily Massand devotions and a strictadherencetothetimetablesofthe church, which includedfasting for Lent and beingmarked with a cross on the

foreheadonAshWednesday.HoweverafterFrancis’death,thecourtbecameincreasinglygloomy which would have amarked effect on the moodsof the young Archduchesses,who now became evenmoreterrified of drawing theirmother’s censorious eye,always so quick to find faultandsharplycommentuponit,uponthemselves.However,atthe same time they weredesperate for her affection

and there can be no doubt atall that for all her scoldingand nit picking, MariaTheresa loved her childrendeeply.At the time of Maria

Antonia’sbirthin1755,therewere already seven survivingArchduchesses, the eldest ofwhom, Maria Anna, was atseventeen, old enough to beher youngest sister’s motherand would probably havealready beenmarried off had

she not unfortunately beenphysicallydelicatesincebirthand prone to debilitatingbouts of ill health, whichrendered her sadly quiteineligible in an age whenEuropean princelings werelooking about for robustwives who could hopefullyprovide them with lots ofchildren. Maria Anna wasbrightasabuttonthoughanda great favourite with herfather, who shared her taste

for science, archaeology andpolitics - all of which wereconsidered unusual interestsfor young women at thattime. It’s likely though thatfoibles that might well havebeen discouraged in one ofher more marriageableyounger sisters were tacitlytoleratedinMariaAnna.AlthoughMariaAnnawas

their mother’s eldestsurviving child, it was hernext daughter, Maria

Christina, the talented artistofthefamilywhowentbythenickname ‘Mimi’, who wasMaria Theresa’s undoubtedfavourite, probably initiallybecause she had the goodsense to be born on hermother’s birthday but thenlater because she wasapparently the most talentedand intelligent of the royaldaughters. The obviousfavouritism shown by theEmpressforMimiwastobea

sourceofcontentionamongstall the sisters,who competedfor their fearsome mother’sapproval and attention.Although all of the imperialArchduchesses were madeveryawarethattheirultimateduty was to marry well forthesakeofAustrianinterests,it was Mimi alone who waspermitted the very greatprivilegeoffollowingintheirmother’s footsteps andmarrying for love when she

rejected the Duke ofChablais, the suitor that herparents had chosen for herand instead begged to beallowed to marry her cousinPrinceAlbertofSaxony,whowasvirtuallypennilessandanaltogether less eligiblematchfor an imperial Archduchessand the favouritedaughterofthe Empress. However, thisfavouritism would inevitablywin the day forMimi, whenthe Empress perceived that

allowing her daughter tomarry a penniless princewould mean being able tokeepheralwayscloseathandratherthanhavingtosacrificeher toagrandforeignmatch,which would in allprobabilitymeanneverseeingher again. Prince Albert wastherefore further ennobledwith the Duchy of Teschen,while Mimi was presentedwith an enormous dowry,which enabled the young

coupletoliveinhighstyleatthe imperial court after theirmarriage.Even this unusual favour

might have been overlookedby the others had not Mimibeen a telltalewho delightedin reporting her youngersiblings’ misdeeds to theirmother and sowing discordbetween them all, with theaim, of course, of enhancingher own position of mostfavoured child. Maria

Antonia, who was thirteenyearsMimi’s junior, came toloathehereldestsisterwhosebossy,highhandedwaysandintellectual snobbishness lefther with a permanentsuspicious dread of whatwould later be termed‘bluestockings’. For the restof her life, Maria Antoniawould eschew the companyof intellectually sophisticatedwomen,suchasthecultivatedand delightfully louche

salonières ofParis, in favourofwhatsheregardedasmorestraightforwardandmuchlesschallengingcompanions,whoshared her own interests andwhen Mimi herself latervisited France, MariaAntonia, now Queen ofFrance and no longer thedespised little sister, tookgreat pleasure in snubbingher.Mimi was also often at

loggerheads with her brother

Joseph, who was heir to thethrone and would becomeEmperorafterthedeathofhisfather, although he wasforced to take a back seat tohis mother, who retained afirm grip on affairs of stateand had no great wish todelegatetoherson.ResentingthefactthatMimiwasclearlyhis mother’s favourite wasone thing but when his ownadored first wife, Isabella ofParma, a granddaughter of

Louis XV, began to alsoshowamarkedpreferenceforhis sister’s company, writingher passionate letters andspendingallofher timewithher, he clearly decided thatenough was enough and thetwoneverreallygotonagain.The third surviving

daughter was MariaElisabeth, a charming andlively little blonde, who wasconsidered to be by far themost lovely of the

Archduchesses, despite somestiff competition, particularlyfrom Mimi, Maria Amaliaand Maria Josepha. KnownwithinthefamilyasLeisl,shelooked like butter wouldn’tmelt in her pretty mouth butwasn’t nearly as nice as shelooked.Deprivedofwhatsheconsidered to be her rightfulQueen Bee status among thesiblings by the continuedpresence of Mimi after hermarriage,shewasdislikedby

the younger girls thanks toher sharp put downs andtendency to flirt withwhatever handsome youngmenhappenedtobeabouttheplace - a habit that gave herwatchful mother quite a fewmisgivingstooassheworriedthat Maria Elisabeth’sflirtations would eventuallylead to a scandal that mightdamage her all importantmaritalprospects,particularlywith the trio of Bourbon

princelings: Ferdinand ofParma, Ferdinand of Naplesand, most grand of all, theDauphinofFrance,whomshehadcurrentlysethersightsonas the most eligible andpotentially useful prospectivesons-in-lawinthewakeoftheSeven Years War, whichcametoanendin1763.Charming, intelligent and

frivolous, the ArchduchessMariaAmaliawas the fourthsurviving daughter of Maria

Theresa and one of MariaAntonia’s favourite sisters,probably because she couldberelieduponnottotelltalesbacktotheirmotherandalsoliked to indulge her youngersiblings rather than put themat odds with each other,unlike her elder sisters. Of aslightlysatiricalturnofmind,Maria Amalia had littlepatience with her mother’sbehaviour and unlike theother daughters, was less

desperate for approvalwhichmeant that they werefrequently at loggerheads,particularly when MariaAmalia became ofmarriageable age anddeclared that she didn’t seewhysheshouldn’tbeallowedtochooseherownhusbandasher elder sister Mimi haddone. Of all the sisters, shewas the most sociable andmost popular in Viennesesociety.

After Maria Amalia therecameMariaJohannaandthenMaria Josepha, two littlesweetnaturedprincessesbornjust over a year apart and asalike as two peas in a pod.Thetwogirlswereascloseastwins and raised virtuallytogether, sharing rooms andlessons until Maria Johanna,theelderofthepair,tragicallydiedofsmallpoxattheageofjust twelve. Maria Antonia,whohadsurvivedamildbout

ofsmallpoxattheageoftwoand was consequentlyimmune from that pointonwards,wassevenyearsoldat the time and her eldersister’s illness and horribledeathwouldhaveaprofoundeffect on her. It was evenmore distressing for MariaJosepha however, an alreadyshy and quiet girl whobecameevenmorewithdrawnafter Maria Johanna’s deathand, not unsurprisingly,

developed a terrible andmorbidfearofsmallpox.Ofallhersisters,however,

it was the mischievous,delightfully pretty and strongwilledMariaCarolina,knownwithin the family as‘Charlotte’, who was justthreeyearsolder,whowouldalways remain closest toMaria Antonia’s heart andwouldbeherally,bestfriendand most trusted confidanteduring her childhood in

Austria.As the twoyoungestArchduchesses, MariaCarolina and Maria Antoniawere so close in age, theywere brought up together asMaria Johanna and MariaJosepha were, sharing roomsand lessons and paired offtogether during courtentertainments, when thetalented imperial childrenwould sometimes dance andsing for the entertainment oftheotherguests.

However,althoughthetwosmallest Archduchesses wereoutwardly a most delightfulpairofgirls,allbigblueeyes,pretty pink pouts and fairringlets,theywereapparentlyapairofterrors,wholedtheirnurses and governesses amerry dance and werefrequently reprimanded bytheir mother, who wouldoften exasperatedly complainthat of all her daughters,Maria Carolina was the one

who had most inherited herownbold spirit thanks toherpropensity for playingpractical jokes on the ladiesof the court, behaving pertlyand being generally full ofmischief and mutiny. It’slikely that the more strongwilled Maria Carolina wasverymuch the ring leader inall of this, but the fact thatMariaAntoniawouldretainaplayful, teasing streak formost of the rest of her life

suggests that she very muchentered into the spirit ofthingsandwasnotexactlyaninnocent bystander in hersister’s pranks. In the end,however, the Empress madegood on her threats toseparate the twoand in1768they were indeed eventuallydivided and made to taketheirlessonsalone.Their chief governess

during childhood wasCountess Brandeis, a kind

hearted and eager to pleasewoman who never quitemanaged to strike a properbalance between indulgingherflightyyoungchargesandinstilling them with areasonablelevelofeducation.Keen that her daughtersshouldfitintowhatevergrandspheres that marriage placedthem within, Maria Theresainsisted upon a broadeducation that encompassedliteracy, languages (primarily

Italian, taught by the famedlibrettist Metastasio, andFrench, although some Latinwas optimistically attemptedtoo), mathematics, historyand Geography, none ofwhich were taught to a veryvigorous level, it beingconsidered enough that thegirls should at least know asmattering of information -enough to render them notentirely ignorant and able tokeep up their end during

social conversations. Therewas also an extremely heavyemphasis on filial duty,obedience and moraldecorum,withMariaTheresaherself declaring that herdaughterswere‘borntoobey’and ensuring that they werebrought up to place theirallegiance to Austria aboveall else, which wouldnaturally cause them towalka tricky tightrope when theirinevitable marriages made

them rulers of various othercountries, with different andoccasionally conflictinginterests.To this end, the Empress

insisted upon maintaining adailycorrespondencewithherchildren’s tutors andgovernesses,makingsurethatshe was kept informed ofeverything that happened,howeverinsignificantitmightseem.Possibly itwouldhavesuited her better to take

complete charge of theirupbringingsherselfbutasherstate affairs and enormouswork load made thisimpossible, she did the nextbest thing and kept as closean eye as possible on theirdevelopment, evenoccasionally summoningthem into her presence todiscuss their progress with,naturally,particularemphasison their various failings.Maria Antonia must have

absolutely dreaded theseconversations with herformidable mother for shewas never left in any doubtthat her unimpressiveintellectual abilities were anenormous disappointment totheexactingMariaTheresa.It’snotthatMariaAntonia

wasstupidthough,infactfarfrom it and as we will see,with a proper tutor sheshowed herself capable ofmaking astonishing progress

in quite a rapid amount oftime. However, her naturalinclination tended moretowards laziness thanapplication and the goodhearted, undemandingCountess Brandeis provedherselfquiteunabletoinspireandmotivateherchargetodoany better, probably becauseshewassokeentopleaseandvaluedthelikingofherpupilsabove their educationalattainments. From an early

age Maria Antonia struggledwith both her reading andwriting, finding the formertediousand the latter just toomuch like hard work so thather exerciseswere amess ofblotches, crossings out,misspellingsandsloppyletterformation. In the end, theCountess, by now fearful oftheEmpress’censuredecidedit might be better to do theexercisesherselfinpencilandgetherpupiltotraceoverthe

words in ink - a mostunsatisfactory way of goingaboutthingsbutdefinitelytheeasiestonbothgovernessandpupil,evenifitmeantthatthelatter never really quiteimproved, while the formermust have quaked in hershoes at the thought of thedread Empress finding outabouthersubterfuge. Her lack of interest in

readingcouldnotbesoeasilyrectified or hidden however

andwas once again down tolazinessaswellasaworryinginability to pay properattention or concentrate formore than short periods oftime. As Countess Brandeisand eventually the court ofFrance were soon to realise,theyoungArchduchessMariaAntonia had an absolutehorror of ever feeling theslightestbitboredandwouldas a result strenuously avoidanything that forced her to

concentrate or was of nointerest-somethingofaflawin a young girl who mightwell one day become a headofstateandbeexpectedtositthrough long state events ormake polite conversationaboutsubjectsthatwereofnoimmediate relevance to her.In not forcing her youngcharge to apply herself moreor at least attempt to instilsome discipline andapplication, Countess

Brandeis, for all her goodnaturedintentions,wasinfactdoing the young MariaAntoniaagravedisservice.Lessons took up only a

small part of the day though(althoughprobablymorethanenough as far as MariaAntonia was concerned) andthe rest of the time wasemployed with all thedelightsthattheroyalpalacescould offer to a cheerful andenergetic group of young

people. Although the elderchildren were significantlyolder than their youngestsiblings they still, for themost part, all got alongtogether reasonably well andlateronMariaAntoniawouldreminisce happily aboutafternoons spent skating andsledging with her olderbrothers and sisters atSchönbrunn and Laxenburg,interspersed no doubt withenthusiastic snowball fights

andcupsofhotchocolateandsoft warm gingerbread.Ridingandhuntingwerealsofavourite occupations - thelatter being considered anessentialpartofcourt lifeforbothmenandwomenbecauseofitsuniqueopportunitiesforrelatively informal access tothe monarch. Many anotherwise obscure noblemanhad risen to dazzling favoursimply because of hisprowess in the hunting field,

while displaying superiorhorsemanship was a welltriedandtestedwayforladiesof the court to catch theKing’seyeaswell.Music was also extremely

important at the imperialcourt as both Maria Theresaand Francis passed on theirlove of music to theirchildren,allofwhomlearnedto play an instrument andtook singing lessons, whichwas particularly important in

thecaseofthegirlsinanagewhen women were expectedtobeentertainingadornmentswhomustalwaysbereadytobe called upon to please anddivert their companions withan impromptu musicalinterlude. In time the royalchildrenwere able to form asmall orchestra and wouldplay both at private familygatherings and to a muchbigger audience at courtevents. Maria Antonia made

her first public debut at notquite four, singing Frenchcouplets at a court gala tocelebrate her father’s nameday in October 1759,followed by her brotherFerdinand enthusiasticallyplaying the kettle drums,Joseph performing with hiscelloandMariaElisabethandMaria Christina showcasingpiecesonthepiano.Althoughher academic progress wasrather less than stellar,music

was something that MariaAntoniacouldreadilyexcelatand she would showparticular aptitude with theharp, which she was taughtby Joseph Hinner, andsingingaswell asbeingableto sight read music. One ofher most charming portraitsfrom this period shows herplayingherspinet ina lovelycourt dress of sky blue silk,trimmedwithpearls,laceandfur.Oneofthemischievously

smiling Archduchess’ handsis hovering over the keys asthe other turns the pages ofhermusic.There was music

everywhere at the imperialcourtduringthechildhoodofMaria Antonia and hersiblings as her family weregreat patrons to musicians,with some of them evenbecoming teachers to theroyal children, in particularGluck,whomshewouldlater

promoteandhonourwithherpatronage in Paris. It is herlegendary encounterwith theyoungMozarthoweverthatisperhaps most well known,althoughitisnotknownifthestory of the child prodigycomposer tripping over thenspontaneously proposing totheprettyArchduchessMariaAntoniaaftersheimpulsivelyran forward to help him upoff the floor isapocryphalorbased in fact. It certainly

wouldn’t have been out ofcharacterforeitherofthemtohave behaved thus so maywellbetrue.Wherethereismusicthere

must naturally also bedancing and it was in thismost essential of courtly artsthat Maria Antonia, whonaturallymanaged to hit justtherightbalanceofgraceandenthusiasm, was held toparticularlydazzle. It’s likelyin fact that her exquisite

dancing and polisheddeportment went a long waytowards excusing her lack ofability in other arenas as theabilitytostrikeanimpressivepose on the dance floor wasconsideredoftremendousandindeedparamountimportanceat the time. Certainly theyoung Maria Antonia wouldfrequently be called upon totake the starring role inperformances with hersiblings,enchantingeveryone

at court with her precociouspoise. It’s little wondertherefore that she takes aprominent position, her armselegantly extended and smallfeet placed just so, in thelovely Meytens painting ofsomeoftheimperialchildrendancingtogetherintheGluckoperetta Il ParnassoConfusio, which wascomposed and performed inhonour of her brotherJoseph’s second marriage to

Josepha of Bavaria, whichtook place in January 1765whenshewas justnineyearsold. CertainlyMariaAntoniaherself was fond enough ofthispaintingtoaskforittobesent to her in France and ittook pride of place in herPetit Trianon, acting as anendearing reminder of whatshewaspleasedtorecallasamost happy and carefreechildhood.Thephysicalwellbeingof

theentireimperialfamilywasunder thecareofDrGerhardvanSwieten, a educationalistand physician who was tobecome something of alifestyle guru to MariaTheresa and was especiallycloselyinvolvedinhelpingtoplan and supervise theupbringing of the imperialchildren.Anenlightenedmanwho would also beresponsible for improvinghealth care for all classes of

society and took a greatinterest in the science ofmedicine, Van Swieten tookan almost Rousseau like linewhen it came to his youngcharges, recommendingplenty of fresh air andoutdoorexercisetobuildtheirstrengthandhealth,aswellasa nourishing and simple buthealthy diet of noodle soups,eggs, fresh vegetables, fruit,fishandverylittleinthewayof rich red meats, possibly

influenced by the Habsburgtendency to becomealarmingly overweight as aresultofoverindulgence.Hisoptimistic attempts to putMaria Theresa, whose ownmotherhadballoonedtosuchtremendous proportions inlater life that she eventuallycompletelylosttheuseofherlegs, on a diet wereunsuccessfulbuthehadbetterluck with her children, withMaria Antonia in particular

retaining abstemious eatinghabitsthroughoutherlife.At Schönbrunn, Maria

Theresa constructed two newwings to house her growingfamily,withtherambunctiouspack of Archdukes beinghousedinthenewrightwing,whichbecameabevyofdogsand rampaging adolescentboys squabbling, playingpranks, duelling in thegardens and wrestling in thegalleries, while their sisters

lived rather more decorouslyintheleftwinginacosyandcomforting feminine fug ofhot chocolate, rosewater andfloral scent, although onewonders how harmonioustheirapartmentsactuallywerewith eight young women ofsuch varying temperamentsand with their own naturalbonds and rivalries, living soclose together. At the age offive, each of the girlsgraduated from the royal

nursery and was presented acharmingsuiteoffiverooms,which followed the formalpattern of their parents’apartments - with an outeraudience chamber whereguests could be formallyreceived and the roomsbecoming increasingly moreprivate as they approachedthe inner sanctum of thebedchamberwithitsclosets.Just as her apartment at

Versailles would become a

colourfulandbeautifulriotofflowers, drawings, preciouslittleobjectsanddogs,sotoowere her rooms atSchönbrunn,which she filledwiththethingsthatshelovedbest. Picking flowers in thegardens was a favouritepastime of the youngestArchduchesses and the vasesin their rooms would haveoverflowed with the sweetscentedfruitsoftheirlabours,especially in the summer.

Encouragedlikeothergirlsofhigh station to always havesome embroidery to hand tokeep herself occupied, therewould have been cushionsand other small piecesworkedbyherownhandandthoseofhersisters,aswellassketchesandpaintings.MariaTheresa took great delight inher daughters’ artwork andevenhadoneof theroomsatSchönbrunn entirelydecorated with examples of

their prowess, with primeposition, naturally, beinggiven to the work of thetalentedMimi.Like all of the family,

Maria Antonia was fond ofanimals and her particularfavourite was an extremelypampered little pug namedMops,withwhomshewouldromp in the gardens alongwith her sisters and friends.Fully aware that her childrenwouldfind itofbenefit tobe

abletomixwithpeoplefromall stations, Maria Theresaencouraged them to makefriends with young peoplefrom outside their familycircle, including the childrenof their wet nurses, whomthey were brought up toregardasfostersiblings,withMaria Antonia in particularbecoming very close to herlait frère Joseph Weber andhis family. Other friendswere, as might be expected,

drawn from amongst thechildren of nobles andofficials at their mother’scourt, with both MariaCarolina and Maria Antoniabecoming especially friendlywith thePrincesses Frederica(whowouldgoontobecomemother to the famous royalbeauties Frederica and Luisaof Mecklenburg-Strelitz),Louise and Charlotte ofHesse-Darmstadt, the threeeldestdaughtersofthePrince

of Hesse-Darmstadt, whowere distant cousins of theimperialArchduchesses.MariaAntoniawould refer

to the pretty and extremelypleasant bevy of Hesse-Darmstadt girls as her ‘dearprincesses’ and wouldbecome particularly fond ofPrincess CharlotteWilhelmine, the middledaughter,tothepointthatsheevenatonepointpaidherthesignal honour of picking up

her pen in order to labourthrough a heartfelt letter tothe princess, in which sheconcluded that, ‘I can’tconveytoyouthedepthofmyfeeling for you’. Based onthis, it seems likely that hercharmingcousinwasthefirstinaseriesofcloseandwarmfemale friendships withwhich Maria Antonia wouldfind comfort, acceptance andsuccour throughout her lifeand the Hesse-Darmstadt

princesses would remainclose friends until the veryend with Maria Antoniatreasuring their letters andportraits and excitedlyenjoying their companywhenever one of themhappenedtovisitParis.Although by our modern

standards we may considerMaria Antonia to have beenpampered, perhaps even alittlespoiltbythegrandeurofthe surroundings that she

grew up in and the comfortsof her every day life, it’slikely that she herself wouldhavebeensurprisedbythisasshewouldalwaysinlaterlifecontrast the relativeinformality and happiness ofherchildhoodinViennawiththe etiquette obsesseddiscomforts of life atVersaillesandthesignallackof affectionategesturewithinthe French royal family,which had left her husband,

destined to be one of thegreatest Kings in Europe awreck of insecurities andshambling awkwardnesswhile she herself shimmeredwith the confidence andvitality that came frombeingraisedintheheartofalovingand supportive family wherea Germanic frankness ratherthan French obfuscation wasthe order of the day. In herview, growing up amidst thesplendours of the French

courthadruinedherhusbandwhereas the relativesimplicity of her ownupbringing had been muchmore successful, even if ithad not adequately preparedher for life atVersailles, andthereforewas to be emulatedwhen it came to their ownchildren.Unfortunately, despite the

grand celebrations thatmarked the occasion, thesecond marriage of Maria

Antonia’s handsome eldestbrother Joseph, who wasalwaysanobjectofgreataweand admiration to hisyoungestsisters,wasnomorehappythanhisfirsttoIsabellaof Parma, which had endedwith her death at the age ofjust twentyone inNovember1763. The unfortunateIsabellahadsadlypossessedarather morose, morbid andundoubtedly depressivepersonality, which was quite

at odds with the lively goodhumour of the imperialfamily and cast a veil ofgloom over all theirgatheringsthanksnodoubttoher habit of regaling herhusband and his family withsuch alarming statements as,‘Death speaks to me in adistinct voice that rouses inmysoulasweetsatisfaction,’which sounds more like thebad poetry of a modern daygoth teenager than the

utterances of a pamperedeighteenth century princessand serves as a reminderperhaps that adolescents inthepastwerejustaslikelytobe drawn to the gothic andmacabre as they arenowadays and indeedprobably had much morescope for their ghoulishintrospections.Shealso,moreworryingly from a dynasticpoint of view, developed ahorror of the sexual act,

whichdevastatedher adoringhusband, who then had towatch as his wife shunnedhim in favour of his ownsister,Mimi.The young couple still

managed to do their dutythoughandproducedasinglelivingchild,MariaTheresa,alively little thing who wasnamed for her dotinggrandmother (who had withher usual domineering highhandedness declared that all

thefirstborndaughtersofheroffspring should be namedafter herself), before Isabellaexpired of smallpox a yearlater after giving birth to astillborn daughter whom sheinsisted should be namedMaria Christina in honour ofher favourite sister-in-law.Mimi forherpart then chosethis moment to show hergrieving brother the amorousandextraordinarilypassionateletters that hisdeadwifehad

written toherover theyears,thinking that they mightalleviate his terrible grief byproving that Isabella had notbeenworthyofit.Instead,notentirely unexpectedly, theyjustmademattersworse.Devoted to thememory of

hisfirstwife,theheartbrokenand completely bereft Josephhad initially resisted allthoughts of remarriage butthen had been forced tocapitulate to his mother’s

demands that he do his dutyand provide himself with amale heir. Deciding that hecouldn’tpossiblyloveanyoneas much as he had lovedIsabella and thwarted in hisoriginal plan to marry heryounger sister Maria Luisa,whowasalreadybetrothedtotheheiroftheKingofSpain,he declared that one princesswas as good as another,refusedtotakeanypartinthehunt for a second wife and

left the decision to hisparents, who duly selected asecond cousin of impeccablelineage for the task. Docile,good natured but ratherboring, Maria Josepha wasnot an unattractive youngwomanbutfromtheveryfirstshefailedtoappealtoJoseph,who professed himselfhorrified by her ‘charmless’figure, pimpled face and badteeth. However, Joseph wasno Henry VIII and so he

made the best of things,leadingwhathereferredtoasa‘bachelor’lifeandavoidinghis wife’s company as muchas possible. So unhappywasthe marriage that Joseph’sirreverentandoutspokenlittlesisterMariaCarolinadeclaredthat if she had the ‘greatmisfortune to be Joseph’swife, I would run away andhang myself from one of thetrees at Schönbrunn’. To thesurprise of absolutely no one

at all, there were to be nochildrenfromthisunion.A much more congenial

sister-in-law was thedelightful and gregariousInfantaMariaLuisaofSpain,whomarriedMariaAntonia’selder brother ArchdukeLeopold in 1765 and whosewedding celebrations inInnsbruck were cut sodramatically and tragicallyshortbythedeathofhernewfather-in-law Emperor

Francis. Sadly for everyonehowever, the newly weds,whohadbecomeGrandDukeandDuchessofTuscanyuponFrancis’ death, moved toFlorence immediately aftertheirweddingandreturnedtoVienna only once in thespringof1770,shortlybeforeMaria Antonia’s wedding,which meant that the twosisters-in-law, Maria Luisaand Maria Antonia had verylittletimetogettoknoweach

other before the latter leftAustriaforever.By 1767, the question of

the youngest girls’marriagesbecame of even morepressing moment as MariaTheresa worked hard to fixthe rapidly crumblingfriendshipthathadsprungupbetween Austria and Francein the wake of the allianceformed by their commonenemiesEngland andPrussiaduring the Seven YearsWar

and which had been sealedwith the Treaty of Versaillesin 1756. However, Austriaand France were not naturalalliesandinthefaceofLouisXV’s increasing apathy,Maria Theresa desperatelytried to bring about analliance in the timehonouredfashion of a marriagebetweenoneofherdaughtersandLouis’heir,hisgrandsonLouis Auguste. At the sametime, shewaskeen to further

reinforce the friendshipbetween Austria and theBourbons by marrying twoother daughters to Ferdinandof Naples and Ferdinand ofParma, both of whom weregreat great grandsons ofLouis XIV, while the latterhad the additional benefit ofalsobeinggrandsonofLouisXV.At first it was proposed

that Maria Amalia shouldmarry Ferdinand of Naples

and Maria Carolina shouldmarry Louis Auguste ofFrance, which seemed idealas his grandfather,LouisXVwashergodfather,whiletheirelder sister Maria Elisabeth,the loveliest of them all,could marry the widowedFrench king. However,Ferdinand’sfatherCharlesIIIof Spain had objected to thefirst of these matches on thegroundsthatMariaAmalia,atfiveyearshissenior,wastoo

old for his son. It wastherefore arranged that hewould instead marry heryounger sister, thedelightfully pretty sixteenyear old Archduchess MariaJosepha,whowasherbrotherJoseph’s favourite sister,while Maria Amalia insteadwas eventually betrothed toFerdinandofParma,whowasalso five years younger thanher but, on the advice of hisgrandfather Louis XV, who

took the pragmatic view thatone princess was much likeanotherwhenitcamedowntoit, declared that he wasn’tabouttobefussyaboutwhichArchduchesshemarried.Nevertheless, it seemed

thatMariaAmalia, the socialbutterfly of the family, hadother ideas. Encouraged byher sisterMimi’s lovematchwithPrinceAlbertofSaxony,she had fallen helplessly inlove with yet another

handsome young cousinPrince Charles ofZweibrücken,whowas,asfaras the smitten Maria Amaliawas concerned, theembodiment of a Teutonichero with blond hair, steelyblue eyes and chiselled goodlooks. Upon being informedof her upcomingmarriage tothe Duke of Parma, shedeclared that she would bedoing no such thing andwould instead be marrying

the Prince of Zweibrücken,arguing that itwasnot reallysuch a bad match as thehandsomeCharleswasheirofhis childless cousin, theElectorofBavaria.However,as far as Maria Theresa wasconcerned,achancyheirwasin no way competition for aprestigious Bourbonprincelingwhowasalreadyinpossession of his inheritanceandsosheinsistedthatMariaAmaliarenounceCharlesand

do her duty by marryingFerdinand.It seems odd perhaps that

Maria Amalia, who was asstrongwilledinherownwayas her sister Mimi, shouldhave bowed her head andgiven in to her mother’sdemands, instead of defyingher and perhaps making offwith her handsome prince inthe dead of night. However,princesses in real life rarelybehave like the ones in

romantic novels and havingbeen brought up sincechildhood to worship at thealtar of filial duty and toregardthewordofhermotheras tantamount to thewordofGodhimself,therereallywasno question ofMariaAmaliaseriously disobeying MariaTheresa in a matter of suchseriousness, however muchshemayhavesecretlywishedto do so. There were threatsand tears and shouting of

course, Maria Amalia beingoneof themore emotive anddemonstrative of theArchduchesses,but itwasallsomuchhotairandeveryoneknewit.However,notfornothingis

1767commonlyreferredtoasMaria Theresa’s ‘annushorribilis’,forjustasshewasable to congratulate herselfonhavingpulledoffafranklyincredible coup in this triplealliance between her family

and the Bourbons, disasterstruck in the form of yetanotheroutbreakofsmallpox,that most dreaded ofeighteenth century diseases,which had already claimedthe lives of her daughter-in-law Isabella, her daughterMaria Johanna and herfavourite son Charles Josephin January 1761. This timethe disease killed MariaTheresa’s poor unloveddaughter-in-law Maria

JosephaandleftherdaughterMaria Elisabeth permanentlydisfigured as the result of itsravages, which removed allpossibility of marriage withthe fastidious Louis XV,whose taste for pretty youngwomen was well knownthroughoutEurope.Potentially most

disastrouslyofallthoughwasthe fact that Maria Theresaherself was struck down bythe disease and indeed came

soclosetodeaththattheLastSacramentwasgivenandherfamily went into a panic,unable to comprehend thepossibility that they mightactuallybe about to loseher.Luckily though, theindomitable Empress pulledthrough and made a fullrecovery, to the tremendousrelief of everyone, althoughit’s possible that her eldestson Joseph was not a littledisappointed to see his

chance to take full andcomplete charge come to anend, pleased though he musthave been to see hismother,whomhereveredasmuchashe was frustrated by her,recover.Plans for the marriages

carried on as before, withMaria Josepha due to leaveVienna in October 1767 tomake the journey to Naples.However, shortly before herdeparture hermother insisted

thatshespendanightprayingand keeping vigil in theimperial crypt of theCapuchin church in Viennawherehersister-in-lawMariaJosepha had recently beeninterred alongside othermembers of the imperialfamily.Toan impressionableyoung girl, already terrifiedof disease and death, thismust have been an appallingordealanditwasprobablyofno surprise to anyone when

she collapsed and had to becarriedbackinsidethepalaceafterwards. Sadly, hercollapse was found to havefarmoresinisterreasonsthansimple adolescentsqueamishness but insteadproved to be the firstsymptoms of smallpox,perhaps caught from noxiousgases seeping from MariaJosepha’s improperly closedtombbutmorelikely,judgingby the inoculation period of

thedisease,caughtbeforeshehadevendescendedthestepstothecrypt.The unfortunate Maria

Josepha died on 15 October,the very day that she hadbeen scheduled to leaveViennaforNaples.Instead,asLeopoldMozart,whowas inVienna for the weddingcelebrations, gloomily noted,‘the Princess Bride hasbecome the bride of aheavenly bridegroom’.

Elsewhere,thenewsofMariaJosepha’s sad and untimelydeath was greeted withdismayastheKingsofSpainand France were as keen asMaria Theresa to see thisunion between Austria andNaples sealed for good. Herprospective bridegroom onthe other hand amusedhimselfbydressingoneofhisfriends inadressandputtingsweets on his face torepresent smallpox spots

before parading him throughCaserta palace, tellingeveryone that it was theAustrian Archduchess’funeral procession.However,he raised no objection whenhewas informed that hewasstill to be married, only thistime to Maria Josepha’syounger sister, MariaCarolina, who had beenhastily offered as areplacement, inheriting hersister’s spectacular bridal

trousseauascompensationforhaving to permanently forgothe grand match with theDauphin of France that shehad been cheerfullyanticipating.Likeherelder sisterMaria

Amalia, Maria Carolinaloudly and forcefullyprotested at being sosummarily packed off toNaplesbutintheendshetoowas forced to give in andobey, although not at all

meekly. Maria Carolina wasmarried to Ferdinand ofNaples in a lavish proxywedding on 7April 1768 atthe church of the AugustineFriars in Vienna, with onebrother, Joseph walking herup the aisle and another,Ferdinandstanding in forherabsent groom. She left forNaples the same afternoon,taking public leave of herfamily in front of the entirecourt but then stopping her

coachas itpulledaway fromSchönbrunn in order to jumpdown and embrace herbeloved Maria Antonia, whowasdistraught,one last time.During her long journey toNaples, the devastated andapprehensive Maria Carolinawrote to her formergoverness, CountessLerchenfeld, to ask that sheshould ‘write to meeverything that you knowabout my sister Antonia,

down to the tiniest detail,what she says and does andeven what she thinks… Begher to love me, for I am sopassionately concerned forher.’ Later on, after herdisappointing wedding night,she would write moreominously that, ‘I pityAntoinette,whostillhasallofthis to face. When my sisterhastoconfrontthissituation,Ishallshedmanytears.’Maria Amalia’s wedding

took place just over a yearlateron27June1769,againinthe church of the AugustineFriarsandfollowingthesameprocedure as MariaCarolina’s nuptials, withJosephwalkingherdowntheaisle and Ferdinand standingin for the absent Duke ofParma. A few days later shedeparted Vienna for her newlife in Italy, dropping adutiful curtsey to the motherwho had destroyed her

happiness and forced heragainst her will into amarriage that she despised,before she left. They wouldnever see each other againand their already shakyrelationship was damagedbeyond repair by thesituation. Her disappointedsuitor, Charles ofZweibrücken, would later, inan ironic twist of fate,marryMaria Amalia of Saxony, afirst cousin of the Dauphin

LouisAuguste,whohadbeenpromoted by his motherMariaJosephaofSaxonyasaprospective bride for theFrenchheir.With Maria Carolina and

Maria Amalia now safelymarriedoff,albeitresentfully,attention now turned to themost glittering prize of all -the Dauphin Louis Augusteof France. Although hisparents had been implacableenemies of the Austrian

alliance and would havepreferred their son to bemarriedtoaGermanprincesslike his mother, they wereboth dead by 1767, leavingthewayclearfornegotiationsbetweenLouisXVandMariaTheresa to move on inearnest. At first, as we haveseen, it was Maria Carolina,Louis’ goddaughterwhowasfirst mentioned as aprospective bride for theDauphin but when she was

betrothed to the King ofNaples in 1767 attentionturned to her hithertounmentioned and unthoughtof younger sister, MariaAntonia,whowasjustoverayearyoungerthantheFrenchprince. This French matchwasextremelyclosetoMariaTheresa’sheart and shemusthavewonderedjusthowhardit would be to persuade theFrench King to agree to it,considering that he himself

had made a rather less thandazzling match to a Polishprincessandthenmarriedhisown son to a relativelyobscure princess of Saxony.Surelyamatchwith imperialAustria was far moreimpressivethanbothofthesealliances?For his part, although he

was open to the idea of amatch between his heir andthe Archduchess MariaAntoniaandmorethanawake

to the extraordinary grandeurofsuchamarriage,LouisXVwas also painfully aware ofboth his own sharplydecliningpopularityinFranceand the similar antipathydirected towards theirAustrian allies, who wereregardedwithgreatsuspicionand hostility by the Frenchpopulace. In short, hewasn’tsureifhewasuptothejoboffurther antagonising themwithwhatwasboundtobean

extremely unpopularmarriage. However, helistened to Maria Theresa’sapproaches and allowed hisAmbassador in Vienna, theMarquis de Durfort topolitely admire the thirteenyear old princess before heduly despatched notaltogether glowing reports ofthe girl, whom he deemedextremely pretty but childishand rather badly educated,backtoVersailles.

Eager to advance themarriageasmuchaspossible,Maria Theresa now took acloselookattheeducationofher youngest daughter. Shehad already had reason tobemoanMariaAntonia’slackof aptitude and concentrationin the past but had taken noreal measures to rectify this.Now,however, thegroomingofMariaAntoniatobecomeaworthy morsel for Frenchdelectation became of

paramount importance to theEmpress and she bent herconsiderable energies to thisend, overseeing every detailand overlooking nothing inher quest to transform herdaughter into a FrenchDauphine both in appearanceandactuality.The first thing to receive

attention was MariaAntonia’s previouslydesultory education, whicheven by the lax standards of

the time was clearly in noway suitable for a futureQueen of France. Uponinvestigation, Maria Theresadiscovered that not only washerdaughter’snativeGermanexecrablebutherFrenchwasappalling too and wouldrequire a great deal of worktogetituptoscratch.Atfirst,two actors, MessieursAufresne and Sainville,wereemployed to get the youngArchduchess up to speed but

whenVersailles,appalledthata prospective Dauphine waslearning her French from apair of common thespians,intervened, another, moreworthytutorwasengagedfortheunenviabletaskofironingout all the problems withMariaAntonia’seducation.Charming, urbane and

erudite, the Abbé deVermond was a perfectchoice to act as theArchduchess’newtutorashe

had the knack of teachingwithout really seeming to atall and also managed toquickly earn his youngpupil’s admiration and trustthanks to his gentle methodsandconversationalmannerofintroducing subjects to herattentionsothat lessonsweremorelikeinformallittlechatsthan lectures. When he firsttook charge of her educationinlate1768,thethirteenyearold Maria Antonia spoke

terrible French and wasalmostilliteratewhenitcameto reading and writing bothFrench and German, whileher general knowledge abouthistory and geography waspoor to non existent.However,bythetimesheleftVienna inMay1770,matterswere much improved to theextent that she now spokefluent French and could readand write properly and wasabletoconversewithrelative

confidenceaboutthehistoriesof both Austria and France,althoughtherewerestillgreatgaps in her knowledge thatmight never be adequatelyfilled.While the Abbé de

Vermond was taking chargeofMariaAntonia’seducation,the ladies were scrutinisingherdressandappearance.Upto this point, her every dayclothing had been relativelysimpledressesoflightcotton

inthehottestpartofsummer,especially in the laid backsurroundings of Laxenburg,and silk and velvet for therest of the year, with hergrandest dresses, trimmedwith cascades of lace andsweetlittleribbonbowsbeingreserved for the grandestcourt ceremonies and galas.Versailles, however, was acompletely different kettle offish and a much granderwardrobe would be required

if Maria Antonia was toimpressthefussyFrenchwithher toilette. Thus a steadystream of fashion dolls,knownasPandoras,began tomake their way from thefinestdressmakersinParis tothepalaces ofVienna,wheretheir exquisite dresses wouldbe replicated for theArchduchess. A particularproblem was caused by hercorsetry which, entirelyunderstandably, the young

girl was totally unwilling towear tightly laced or even atall and some persuasion wasrequired to get her towear arestrictive whalebone corsetin the French style, thuscreating a suitably elegantlyslendersilhouetteforhernewlavishdresses.Maria Antonia’s hair was

alsoaproblemas,although,itwas very thick and a lovelystrawberry blonde colour, ithad been totally neglected

and was often allowed tohang loose about hershoulders, drawn back fromher face by a simple blackhairband and only worn upwhen she was likely to beseenbycompanyorattendingacourtgala,whenitwouldbepinned up, powdered anddecoratedwithdiamondsanda few discreetly placed rosesand feathers. Once again,such informality wasconsidered totally

inappropriate by Versaillesstandards and so MariaTheresa appealed to the Ducde Choiseul, Louis XV’sminister, who was the chiefsupporter of the unionbetween their two nations.Choiseul’s intimidating sisterBéatrix, the Duchesse deGramont came to the rescueand despatched her ownhairdresser,LarsenneurtotheHofburg, where he modifiedthe simple chignon style

favouredbythelateMadamede Pompadour, raising itslightly so that it woulddisguise the Archduchess’high and rather bulgingforehead and uneven hairlineandaccentuateheryouthandcharm.Rather less pleasantly, the

Archduchess’ crooked teethwere also deemed to requirecorrection and in 1768, apioneering French dentist bythe name of Pierre Laveran

arrived in Vienna bearingwhat probably appeared atfirst sight to be a terrifyingtorture device but turned outin fact to be an eighteenthcentury precursor of themodern dental brace, whichhad been invented by PierreFauchard. Poor MariaAntonia was forced to wearthis device every day forthree long months until herteeth were judged to bestraight enough to pass

muster.Wecanonlyimaginehow much she complainedabouttheindignityofthis.Ofcourse,MariaAntonia’s

transformation was not justsartorial - there were alsohours of dancing andetiquette lessons with thegreat dancer Noverre to beendured as he taught her allofthelatestandmostpopulardances at the French royalcourtaswellashowtomoveand behave in society.

Already, thankfully,naturallyvery graceful theArchduchess now had tolearn how to move in theVersailles style, whichinvolved a sort of manneredrefinement and a peculiarway of walking, where thefeetmoved very fast beneaththe heavy court dresses,givingtheimpressionthattheladies were floating on airrather thanwalking along onanything so commonplace as

feet.Itwasmuchharderworkthan it sounds thanks to theintense and extremely strictFrench obsession withetiquette and precedence, butit’s still likely that her timewith Noverre was far morepleasurablethanherbriefbutpainful sessions with theroyaldentist,Laveran.Decked out in the very

finest Parisian style, her hairexquisitelydressed,hersmileglitteringandperfect andher

manners that delightfulmixture of grace andgraciousness that would beexpectedfromaDauphineofFrance, Maria Antonia wasthen paraded like a primepiece of livestock in front ofthe French Ambassador,while her mother lost noopportunity to point her outamongstthedancers,pressingthe unfortunate Ambassadorto admire her daughter’sgraceful carriage and

winsome appearance andlosing no opportunity tocommentonhersuitabilityasafutureQueenofFrance.Toall intents and purposes,Maria Antonia now looked,moved and behaved like aFrench woman and couldevensoundabitlikeonetoo,although she never quite lostall traces of her Germanaccent, but would theexactingFrenchagree?The favourable reports of

both the beleagueredMonsieur de Durfort and theAbbé de Vermond, whowasbynowcompletelycaptivatedby his graceful but indolentpupil, made a greatimpressiononLouisXVandhisadvisors,whothoughtthatthegreateffortsthathadgoneintoschoolingMariaAntoniaforaFrenchmarriagedidnotat all count against her,proving as they did hermalleability and quickness to

learn and adapt tocircumstances. Versailles, asthey were fond of remindingthemselves, was verydifferent to Vienna and itwouldmake life exceedinglyuncomfortable for everyoneshould the princess proveherself unwilling to acceptthis.Inthesummerof1769,the

Frenchcourtwerefinallyableto get a glimpse of thisparagon for themselveswhen

a lovely portrait of theArchduchess Maria Antoniaarrived at Versailles for theinspection of her prospectivefamily. Painted over fivearduoussittingsbytheFrenchroyalartistDucreuxwhohadbeen despatched along withMadame de Gramont’shairdresser from Versaillesfor this very purpose, theportrait depicts the princessas enchantingly prettywith aDresden shepherdess fairness

thatisaccentuatedbytheskyblue of her pretty gown andmatching neck ribbon.Clearly Louis XV agreedwith the general consensusthat the Archduchess ofAustria was utterly adorablefor he now speedily agreedthat Durfort, no doubtenormously relieved to havefinally sealed this mostawkwarddeal,shouldmakeaformal application to MariaTheresaforherthirteenanda

halfyearolddaughter’shand,which he duly did on 6 June1769.Maria Theresa was utterly

elated to have her dearestheart’sdesiredeliveredtoherat last and excitedly assuredher daughter, who wasbewildered, frightened andexhilaratedinequalmeasuresby the delight that her longexpected betrothal wascausing, that ‘if one is toconsideronlythegreatnessof

your position, you are thehappiest of your sisters andall princesses.’ WhetherMaria Antonia would agreeonce she embarked on hernew life far away in Francewas an altogether differentmatter.The royal wedding was

scheduled for the followingMay and from that point on,Maria Theresa kept an evencloser watch over herdaughter, who was both

excited and apprehensiveaboutherrapidlyapproachingnuptials. Meanwhile, thepreparations for theforthcoming marriage weregathering pace as both sideshammered out the terms thatwould make up one of themost important marriagecontractsoftheperiod,whichwould hopefully cement thepeace between France andAustriaforever.Perhapsfeelingthatshedid

not properly know heryoungest daughter who hadsuddenly been propelled intothe limelight, one of MariaTheresa’s first actions afterthe betrothal was to takeMariaAntoniawith her on aprivate pilgrimage to thebasilica at Mariazell innorthernStyria,wheremotherand daughter could takecommunionandpraytogetherat a shrine devoted to theVirginMary.Thenasnow,a

road trip was considered anexcellent way of getting toknow someone better andMaria Theresa would havebeen watching her daughterclosely during their timetogether, assessing hercharacter and beginning todispense advice about herfuturelife.Forherpart,MariaAntonia was no doubtdelighted to be spending somuch unprecedented timealonewithhermother,whom

she had always idolised asmuch as feared. She hadpreviously informedMimi ofher childish jealousy that hereldest sister saw so much oftheirmother and now, to herdelight, she had her all toherself.When they returned to

Viennaintheautumnof1769itwastofindpreparationsforthe royal wedding gatheringpaceandwhileMariaTheresaturned her attention to the

tiresome details of dowries,jointures, titles, contracts andprecedence,MariaAntoniainherturnwasenvelopedintheexcitement of choosing herenormous trousseau, whichwas costing her mother400,000 livres and beingprovided by the bestdressmakers in Paris. Evenmore delightfully, she spenthoursdaydreamingaboutherfiancé,aboutwhomsheknewvery little other than that he

was tall, had blue eyes andwasextremelyfondofbooks.The latter point beingprobably of very littlerecommendationtoagirlwhonever so much as touched abook unless she absolutelyhad to, but the other detailsprobably gave her plenty tomoonaboutasweddingfevergripped the imperial courtoverthewinterof1769.Justas thepublicobsessed

about every detail of Lady

Diana Spencer’s life beforethe royal wedding in July1981sotoodidtheAustriansand French clamour forimagesandinformationaboutthe Archduchess MariaAntonia,whoseweddingwasalready being lauded as theprecursor of a period of thegreatest peace and prosperityfor both their nations. Printsand medals depicting eitherMariaAntoniaonherownoralongside her fiancé Louis

Auguste were issued in theirthousands, while everyonewho had ever had even theslightest bit of contact withthe Archduchess could nodoubt dine out on theirreminisces forweeksonend.When it was announced thatthe little Archduchess wouldbeattendingamaskedballinDecember 1769, almost fourthousandpeople turnedup inthe ballroom, desperate tocatchaglimpseofherasshe

didtheroundsoftheroomonher mother’s arm, bowinggracefully to the otherdignitaries and occasionallydancing with one of herbrothers.Maria Antonia handled

beingsuddenlythrustintothespotlight with enormousaplomb and receivedmultitudes of complimentsfor her confident poise andcharming manners, evenwhen being stared at and

jostledbyhundredsofpeople.After a childhood spent onthe very fringes of theimperial family, sheparticularly enjoyed thisopportunity to spend moretimewith hermother and betreated as an equal by hersiblings,whohadneverreallypaidallthatmuchattentiontoher until now. Although herlessons with Abbé deVermond continued, shewasnow also expected to take

morepartinthesociallifeofthe court and attended thetwice weekly card parties inher mother’s splendidlyfurnished apartments, whereherbrotherstaughtherhowtoplay cards and gamble, anessential skill at the royalcourts where everyone wasexpected to join the candlelitcardtablesintheeveningandindulge in a little good-humoured gambling forrelatively small stakes. In

time the monotony of adultcourt life would really wearMaria Antonia down but atfirst it was extraordinarilythrillingtobeallowedtostayup late with her family andthe other courtiers, to makesmall stakes on the turn of acard with money out of herown special velvet gamblingpurse and to be praised andflirted with by all thegentlemen and probably afewoftheladiesaswell.

Ofcourse,itwouldn’tbeaHabsburgcelebrationwithoutsome sort of terrible tragedyoccurringand thisdulycametopassinJanuary1770whenMariaAntonia’sbelovedlittleniece Maria Theresa, whowas the only child of herbrother Joseph and his wifeIsabella of Parma, died. Thelittlegirlwasjustsevenyearsoldandastheyoungestroyalchild at the imperial courtwas the pampered pet of her

grandmother, father and thevarious aunts and uncles stillliving at home. Joseph wascompletely devastated by herdeath as he had regarded heras his last bond with herbelovedmother,whileforherpart Maria Antonia too wasvery much distressed as shehad loved to play with hernieceinherrooms.Shortlyafterthelittlegirl’s

extremely sad funeral,another more intimate but

equally momentous eventoccurredwhenMariaAntoniawoke up on 7February withthe ominous cramps thatsignifiedthebeginningofherfirst period. An importantoccasioninanygirlslife,thiswas of even more enormoussignificance when that girlwas destined to becomeQueen of France and MariaTheresa lost no time incommunicating the happynews to Louis XV in

Versailles,keentoassurehimthat her daughter enjoyednormal fertility and wouldpresumably have no troubleprovidinghisgrandsonwithawholebevyofchildren.Although nowadays the

subject of menstruation isconsidered a private affairthat might perhaps bediscussed only with a closegroup of friends, the periodsofaDauphineofFrancewerevery much public property

and talked about avidly byeveryone from her family tothe courtiers and then downto the ordinary people ofParis. Living in such closequarters at Versailles,surrounded at all times byattendants and servants andhaving barely a moment tothemselves, the basic bodilyfunctions of the royal familywere considered fair gameandopen to open scrutiny. Itwas a situation that Maria

Antonia in particular wouldnever quite reconcile herselftoandshewasnodoubtnotalittlemortified by the gleefulchatter about her menses,although she never failed todulyinformhermotherofthearrival of ‘GénéraleKrottendorf’, as the ladies ofher family referred to theirperiods,inherlettershometoVienna after her marriage.Notmuchisknownabouttheunfortunate Générale who

lenthername insuchaway,but it must be assumed thatshe was not, after the firstvisit at least, considered themost welcome of guests.Whentheladydiedattheendof 1779, Maria Theresawould write to her daughter,who was hoping to becomepregnant, that ‘the GénéraleKrottendorf has just died. Ihope that she will stopvisitingyou…’Maria Antonia was due to

leaveViennaon themorningof21Aprilandtherestofthemonth passed in a whirl ofglorious celebrations and lastminute preparations for herdeparture. Much like anyother wedding there were alltheusual lastminute hitches,panicsandsmalltriumphs,allmassively amplified by theinternational significance ofthe whole event. MariaTheresa, now faced with theprospect of seeing her

youngest daughter, to whomshe had become extremelyclose in recentmonths, leavefor good now became ratherflustered by the prospect anddecided tomove thegirl intoher own rooms for the lastfew weeks of her time athomesothatshecouldspendasmuchtimeaspossiblewithherbeforesheleft.This signal honour, which

hadbeenaccordedtononeofher sisters, must have been

both an incredible treat andan awful torture for poorMaria Antonia, who wasthrilled to be so close to hermother and to have thecomfort of her reassuringpresenceatsuchanemotionaltime, but also exhausted bythe Empress’ punishingroutine which she was nowexpectedtoshare-upat4amevery morning and then latetobed ina roomwithall thewindowsopen, aswasMaria

Theresa’scustom.Therewerealso lengthy and oftenmortifying lectures to beendured about queenship,behaviour, religionand,mostembarrassingly of all to ayoung girl of just fourteen,married life, with theEmpress drawing on theexample of her own happyand fruitful marriage withFrancis to embellish heradvice and homilies,wilfullyforgetting of course that she

hadonlypermittedoneofherown daughters to marry forloveasshehaddoneandhadin contrast condemned all ofthe rest to lovelessmarriagesof state, which were in noway comparable to the closeand intimate relationship thatshehadenjoyedwithherownhusband.To Maria Antonia,

shivering in her little bed inthe gloom of her mother’sopulent bedchamber, which

had been hung with blackvelvet since the death of herhusband, in the Hofburgpalace, listening to MariaTheresa’s voice rambling onabout the delights of themarriage bed, it must havebeen hideously awkward.However,itwasfortunateforher that she didn’t know justyet quite how inappropriateand sadly inadequate hermother’swellmeaningadviceabout sex and marital

relations actually were.Alongside this, MariaAntonia also began to haveweekly private audienceswith her eldest brotherJoseph, who did his best toinstil some politicalunderstanding in his flightylittlesister.AsMariaAntoniahad always rather heroworshipped Joseph, sheactually enjoyed thesemeetings enormously,especiallyashehadfollowed

AbbédeVermond’sleadandarranged them as cosy littlechats rather than moreintimidating lessons, hopingby this measure to at leastvaguely capture hercapricious interest. It’sdoubtful that Maria Antoniaproved herself a satisfactorypupil to Joseph but she tookaway enough information tomake him feel at leastrelatively confident that shewouldn’t show herself up at

Versaillesandcouldbereliedupon to work for Austrianinterestsafterhermarriage.The days before Maria

Antonia’s departure weremarked with a series ofsplendidcourtentertainments,includingagalahostedbyhermotheron16Aprilwhenshewas finally presented withtwo portraits of her fiancéLouis Auguste. Delighted tofinally set eyes on her futurehusband, she asked to have

oneplacedbyherbedwhereshe could see it at all timesand immediately fastened theother,aminiaturesurroundedwithdiamonds,tothefrontofher dress. Although theFrench prince was not quitethe handsome prince of herdaydreams and most ferventimaginings, he did at leastlookkind,which counted foragreatdealmoreifthenotsoveiled hints of maritaldisappointmentanddiscordin

thelettersofhersistersMariaAmalia and Maria Carolinawereanythingtogoby.Ifsheno longer sighed over theprince thenat leastshecouldlook at his likeness and feelreasonably reassured that shewas not being sent to somesortofmonster.The next day, Maria

Antonia formally renouncedall of her rights to both hermother’s imperial lands andalso the territories formerly

owned by her father inLorraine. After which herbrother hosted an enormoussupperparty for1,500guestsat the Belvedere palace,whereMariaAntoniatooktheplace of honour during thefeastandthenledthedancingatthemaskedballafterwards,which was attended by afurther six hundred people,theverycrèmedelacrèmeofViennese society. The ballwent on until seven in the

morning with the guestsfuelled by a sumptuoussupper and copious amountsof alcohol as well aslemonade, hot chocolate andcoffee. The ArchduchessMaria Antonia, thrilled andexcited by all of thisattention, danced until threeinthemorningwhenshewasfinally whisked away to herbed in her mother’s room intheHofburg.The following evening

there was another enormousparty, this timehostedbytheFrench Ambassador at theLiechtenstein Palace, whereagain the Archduchessdanced alongside severalhundredguestsuntilwellpastmidnight, after enjoying asplendid firework displayaccompanied by Turkishmusic. It was MariaAntonia’s last night as anunmarried Archduchess ofAustria and as she looked

around at the other guests,people that she had knownherwholelife,shemusthavefelt a tinge of sadness at theprospect of leaving them allbehind, while they in turnwere sorry to be losing suchanenchantingaddition to theAustriancourt.The proxy wedding of

MariaAntoniaandtheabsentDauphin Louis Auguste, sohotly anticipated byeveryone, finally took place

at sixoclockon theeveningof 19 April, with theArchduke Ferdinand yetagain standing in asbridegroom for one of hissisters.Thistime,however,itwas not Joseph but theEmpress herself who led theblushing bride, dressed in agorgeously opulent gown ofsilver brocade and lace, uptheaisleof thechurchof theAugustine Friars, where hermother and sisters had been

married before her and sheherself had been baptised atjust a day old, and past theentireimperialcourttowherethePapalNuncio,MonsignorVisconti was waiting toofficiate.After the wedding

ceremony, Maria Antonia,now officially Dauphine ofFrance and henceforth to beknownbytheFrenchformofher name: Marie Antoinette,was escorted back to the

Hofburg for a splendidweddingbanquet,whereonceagainshetookthepositionofhonour although sadly withher brothers rather than hergroom at her side. Did shewonder how the DauphinLouisAugustwas feeling faraway in Versailles, knowingthat he was now officially ahusband to a girl that hehadnevermet? Probably not - atjust fourteenandeverybitassilly, selfish and shallow as

any other girl of her age,Marie Antoinette (ironicallyperhapsforsomeonewhohasbeen the subject of so manynovels written in the firstperson) was almost certainlynotgiventosuchmomentsofintrospectionand ifherminddid indeed wander to the asyet unknown boy sitting inhis grand apartments atVersailles, she probablydidn’t dwell on him all thatmuch.

Marie Antoinette departedSchönbrunn forever early inthe morning of 21April andlike her sisters was expectedtosayherlastfarewelltohermother,whom sheknew thatshemightneverseeagain, infrontof theentirecourt,whohad gathered together beforethegreatpalacetoseeheroff.The departures of her sistersMaria Amalia and MariaCarolina had been hideousoccasions, punctuated by a

great deal of indecoroussobbing and fuss. To therelief of everyone, however,Marie Antoinette behavedextremely well and did herbesttohidehernervousdreadas she embraced each of herfamily in turn before fallingto her knees before hermotherforafinalblessing.ItwasanemotionalmomentforthembothandMariaTheresacouldbarelyrestrainhertearsas she hugged her daughter

one last time, saying,‘Farewell,mydearestchild,agreat distance will separateus’andextollingherto‘dosomuch good to the Frenchpeople that theywill say thatI have sent them an angel.’Her mother’s weeping setMarie Antoinette off as welland they clung togethersobbing until finally theArchduke Ferdinand pickedhissisterupanddepositedherin the luxurious and

beautifully decoratedcarriage, more like agorgeousjewelleryboxthanavehicle, that had been sentfromFrancetocollecther.Asthe carriage made its waydown the avenue atSchönbrunn, the goldenflowers decorating its roofwaving gracefully with eachbounce of its suspension, thelittleDauphinewasseentobehanging half out of the openwindow,sobbingandwaving

to her family before finallyher head popped back insideandshewasgoneforgood.No detail of Marie

Antoinette’s journey toFrance had been overlooked,with special attention evenbeing paid to the furnishingsof the bedchambers that shewould inhabitingather stopsalong the way. In keepingwithhernewlyexaltedstationit was decreed that allfurnishings, including her

commodeandbidetshouldbecoveredwithimperialredandgold and that her curtainsshould be made fromgorgeous crimson taffeta.Suchmagnificencewasnotatall to Marie Antoinette’staste, which tended moretowards light pastels and theprettymutedhuesof sugaredalmonds and spring flowers,but for this most importantjourney, it was accepted thatproperattentionmustbepaid

toherstatus.Also of great importance

was the procession that wasto accompany the Dauphineto the French border andwhich would amount to atravelling court in its ownright,designedbothtoensurethat the princess had everyconceivable comfort duringher long journey and alsoreinforce an impression ofAustrian might andmagnificence. To this end,

fifty seven coaches were putintoservicetocarryalloftheladies in waiting, officials,courtiers, doctors, cooks anddressmakers considerednecessary for such a greatundertaking and twentythousand horses werecommissioned to ensure thatjourney stages went assmoothly as possible. Tofurtherensurethesmoothnessof the journey, orders weregiven in October 1769 to

completely repair all of theroads that Marie Antoinettewasto traveloversothatnota single bump would disturbthe tranquility of her voyageas she played cards, playedwithherlittledogMops,whowasaccompanyingher to theborderandgossipedwithherfriends, which includedPrincess Louise of Hesse-Darmstadt.The first stage of Marie

Antoinette’s journey was a

short one and involved anovernight stay at themonasteryatMelk,whereshewasreunitedwithherbrother,Joseph, who did his best tocheer her up while at thesametimeremindingherthatshe ought to be grateful forthe position that she had,thankstoaseriesoftragediesand disasters, found herselfin. For her part, MarieAntoinettewasexhaustedandemotionally wrung out after

the ordeal of having to saygoodbye to her mother andwasobserved to lookmoroseand bored at the obligatoryafterdinnerentertainment:anopera performed by themonastery’spupils.Her journey to the French

bordercontinuedthenextdayandwouldtaketwoandahalfweekstoaccomplish,withthejourney, which was spentcooped up in the confinedsplendour of the carriage,

seeming like an interminabletorturetoayounggirlusedtospending her days rushingabout the gardens ofSchönbrunn, practising herdancing for hours on end orplaying with her dog in thesplendid, echoing galleries.Her chief companion duringthejourneywasthePrincessede Paar, one of hermother’sdearest friends, who wasentrustedwiththecareof theDauphine until she was

handed over to the French.However, this much olderladywasnosubstituteforthemother thatMarieAntoinettehad left behind in Vienna,whosepartinggifthadbeenasmall gold watch, which theArchduchess kept on herpersonatalltimes.The long arduous journey,

which was the most thatMarieAntoinettehadhithertoand would ever see of herown native country, was

enlivened with several stopsalong the way so that theDauphineandherpartycouldstretch their legs andenjoyanight inproperbedsandalsobe splendidly feted by theinhabitants of the varioustowns that they passedthrough. It was also anopportunity for MarieAntoinette to meet withrelations from both sides ofher family, such as hermother’s cousin the Elector

ofBavaria,whotreatedhertoasumptuouscoupleofdaysatthe exquisite NymphenburgPalace,whereshewashousedin the Amalienburg Pavilionand her father’s sisterPrincess Charlotte ofLorraine, the Abbess ofMons, who had almost beenmarried to her cousin LouisXVbeforehewasmarriedoffto Marie Leszczynskainstead.Marie Antoinette’s last

night on German soil wasspent at Schüttern Abbey onthe edge of the Black Foreston6May.Afewdaysearlier,she had had the great joy ofreceiving a letter from hermother, which had beenwritten by the Empress afterher departure fromSchönbrunnandfollowedheracross Germany until itfinallymadeitintoherhands.Already desperately homesick and feeling terribly

apprehensive about what layahead, Marie Antoinettetreasured this last link withherformidablemotherandasshe traced the boldhandwriting and read herwords, she must have felt alittlebitcomfortedbythislastreminder of Maria Theresa’slove and care for her even ifnaturally the letter itself wasreallynothingmorethanalistof advice and instructions,entitled ‘Regulation to Read

EveryMonth’ and remindingthe little Dauphine, alreadytrembling at the thought ofwhatthenextfewdayswouldbring that ‘All eyes will befixeduponyou.’

MadamelaDauphine1770-1774

‘Theonlyrealhappinessinthis world is a successfulmarriage.’

All of the grandcelebrations and tensediscussions about precedencehad centred on this onemoment, when MarieAntoinette would formally

takeleaveofherowncountryand step across the border toFrance to begin her new lifeas Dauphine and wife of thefuture King. A highlyimportantceremonialevent,ithad been the focus of manyfraught hours of negotiationas both sides deliberated theproper etiquette for such amomentous occasion, keenthatthereshouldbenolossofdignityoneithersideandthatproperhonourshouldbepaid

tobothAustriaandFrance.Whereas an ordinary bride

would probably find herselfbeing carried over thethresholdofhernewhomebyan enthusiastic bridegroom,thearrivalofanewDauphinerequired rather moreceremony and although bothhermotherandLouisXVhadbeen extremely caught up indiscussionsabouthowbesttopreserve their own dignity,they seem to have mostly

disregarded that of MarieAntoinette, the fourteen yearold pawn in theirmachinations, who was nowrequired to literally stripherself of every link to herhomeland before beingpermitted to step across toFrance.The grand handover took

place on an island in themiddleof theRhine andwastheexactsamespotwheretheDauphin Louis Auguste’s

mother Maria Josepha ofSaxony had beenceremoniouslyhandedovertotheFrenchover twentyyearsearlier. The building used onthat auspicious occasion hadunfortunately tumbled downduring the intervening yearsand so a new woodenpavilion was constructed inits place. Designed to looklike a French château, itwasfurnished with five rooms -the two Austrian chambers

where Marie Antoinettewould enter, thegrande sallederémiseinthecentrewherethe official handover wouldtake place and then twoFrenchchambersontheothersidewhere shewould finallyemerge as the fully fledgedDauphine of France. Thischarming edifice was hastilyfurnished with suitablysplendid furniture andtapestries, one of whichshocked observant onlookers

by depicting the ratherinauspicious marriage ofJason and Medea, whichended in a mess ofrecriminationand infanticide.It’s very unlikely howeverthat Marie Antoinette, whonever opened a book unlessshe could help it and hadendured an extremely patchyClassical education, wouldhave recognised the story onthetapestryevenifshehadn’tbeen entirely preoccupied

with the distressing necessityof saying goodbye to thefriends thathadaccompaniedher from Vienna and, worstof all, being parted from herbelovedMops, although theyat least would be reunitedlater on after her arrival atVersailles.Before it was time to say

goodbye, however, MarieAntoinettewasrequiredtobeformally stripped ofeverything that linked her to

her former life in Austria,specifically her clothes andaccessories. It didn’t matterthat everything shewore hadbeen made for her by thefinestParisiandressmakers,itstill had to come off andeverything from her silkgown to her hated corset toher fine cotton shift wasremoved, leaving theDauphine shivering andnaked in the middle of theroomwhilesoundsofthunder

and approaching rainemanatedominouslyfromtheBlack Forest. She was thenquickly dressed again in asplendid new cloth of golddress, part of the expensivetrousseauthathermotherhadordered for her from Pariswhile her hair was re-powdered and face andcheekspaintedwiththeheavycosmeticswornat theFrenchcourt,anentirelyunnecessarygarnish for a fresh faced

younggirlwhosecomplexionwas universally praised as‘literally blending lilies androses’.However,atVersaillesall the ladies wore a thicklayer of white paint on theirfaces and sported comicallittle circles of pink rougehigh on their cheeks(reminiscent of the televisioncharacter Aunt Sally fromWurzel Gummidge) and soMarie Antoinette, who hadbeenwarnedbyhermotherto

fitinwithhernewcourt,dulyfollowedsuit.MarieAntoinette’soriginal

‘Austrian’outfitwasdestinedto be parcelled out betweenher ladies in waiting, whosawgainingpossessionoftheDauphine’s hand me downclothes as one of the juiciestperquisites of their job. Onecan’t help but hope thatsomeone had the sense toforewarn the unfortunate girlabout this so that she wore

her least favourite and mostcumbersome anduncomfortable gown for theoccasion and thereforesufferednoqualmswhenshelatersawitbeingwornaboutVersaillesbyoneofherownladies.Fully transformed into a

proper femme Française, thelittle Dauphine, who wassuffering from a cold caughtduring her long journeywhich had often involved

rather inadequateaccommodation, was thenescortedintothecentralsallederémisewhereshewasnowexpectedtosayhergoodbyesto her Austrian companionsbefore stepping across to theother side of a long tablecovered with red velvet,which represented the borderbetween France and Austria.Here, she was introduced toher new French attendants,mostofwhomhadalsobeen

in the household of QueenMarieLeszczynskaofFranceand had therefore beenwithout an official courtfunction since her death inJune 1768. Chief amongstthem was the Comtesse deNoailles, who was to beMarie Antoinette’s MistressoftheHouseholdandafigureof great importance duringherearlyyearsatVersailles.MadamedeNoailleswasa

quintessentially stiffly

upright, etiquette fixated andglacially snobbish denizen ofVersailles, a pretentious,hatchet faced woman utterlyobsessed with her ownprecedenceand thanks toherarrogant and condescendingmanner in no way suited toattract the affection andconfidences of a candid andwarmheartedyounggirl likeMarie Antoinette. However,to the latter, now forciblyseparated from the last

friendly faces of home,shivering with cold and stillfeeling pinpricks ofhumiliation as a result ofbeing stripped of her clothesin front of a crowd ofwitnesses, the much olderMadame de Noailles, whomust have seemed about thesameageashermotherMariaTheresa (she was actuallytwelve years younger), musthave seemed like an oasis ofcomfort in the midst of so

muchmisery.Emotionally overwhelmed

by the situation that she hadfoundherselfin,exhaustedbyall the long weeks oftravellinganddesperate forascrap of human kindness,Marie Antoinette burst intotears, threw herself atMadame de Noailles andgave her a spontaneous hug,nodoubthopingthatherewasthesubstitutemotherthatshehaddoubtlessbeenhoping to

find in France. Instead therewas a gasp of dismay, andprobablysomestifledgigglestoo,fromtheonlookersasthehaughty Comtesse stifflydisengaged herself from theyoungDauphine, leaving herin no doubt that she hadcommittedaterriblefauxpas.Nowadays it would besomethingofanhonourtobehuggedsopubliclybyroyaltybut the Comtesse made itclearthatshewashorrifiedby

suchasocialsolecism,whichhad the effect of making thealready unhappy MarieAntoinette feel even moreawkward and miserable.Nonetheless, shemanaged tomake a graceful apology:‘Forgiveme,Madame,forthetears thatIhavejustshedformyfamilyandmyhomeland.Fromthisdayforward,IshallneveragainforgetthatIamaFrenchwoman.’Amongsttheotherladiesin

waiting, which must havepresentedabewilderingarrayoffacestothenervousMarieAntoinetteassheturnedawayfrom the unsmiling Madamede Noailles, there was thewitty Duchesse de Villars aswell as the Duchesse deCossé and the Comtesse deTonnerre. Another lady inwaiting was the twenty twoyear old Marie-Jeanne deTalleyrand-Périgord,Comtesse de Mailly-

Haucourt, whose mother hadbeen one of MarieLeszczynska’s favouriteladiesinwaiting.MadamedeMailly-Haucourt wasextremely popular atVersailleswhere,likemostoftheextensiveTalleyrandclanshe was known for her wit,merry nature and kind heartand she soon became veryfriendlywiththeyoungMarieAntoinette,whowasbadlyinneed of friendly faces during

her first puzzling weeks atVersailles. It’s likely that ifthe unfortunate MarieAntoinette had insteadhuggedthesweetnaturedandkindly Madame de Mailly-Haucourtthenshemighthavereceived a warmer and farmoresympatheticresponse.Lurkinginthebackground,

there was also the pale andvery pretty twenty six yearold Marie-Paule-Angeliqued’Albert de Luynes,

Duchesse dePicquigny (laterDuchesse de Chaulnes),another former lady inwaiting of the dead Queenwho had been transferred tothe service of the newDauphine.Quiet, refined andrather shy, Madame dePicquigny was an object ofinterest and some mildridicule at Versailles thanksto it being well known thather marriage to Monsieur leDuc, an austere and rather

remote young man who hadonce been betrothed to thedaughter of Madame dePompadour and whosemother was famouslypromiscuous, had never beenconsummated, a factsignalled by her habit ofneverwearinganythingotherthanvirginalwhite.The all important

introductions over, it wastime to clamber back onboardhersplendidcoach,this

timewith the thin lippedandclearlydisapprovingMadamedeNoaillesandtheDuchessedeVillarsforcompanyratherthan the cheerful andcomfortingPrincessedePaar,and make the journey toStrasbourg for her firstofficial welcome to France.Marie Antoinette staredapprehensivelyoutofherrainsplattered carriage windowsat the countryside, hermother’s watch, which she

had somehow managed tokeep out of the hands of theladies as they removedall ofher Austrian possessions,hiddenaboutherperson.Theonlyreliefmusthavebeenthefact that it was againstetiquette for anyone toaddressamemberoftheroyalfamily unless they hadalreadybeenspokentoandsoshe didn’t have to talk toMadame de Noailles,simmeringsilentlybesideher,

unless she absolutely wantedto.Bythetimetheyarrivedin

Strasbourg, a charmingbordertownwhichmusthaveseemed reassuring Germanicto Marie Antoinette’s eyes,equanimity was clearlyrestored and shewas seen tochat quite affably with herladies as she settled back toenjoy her first few days inFrance. In Strasbourg, thesmiling Dauphine was

greeted by cheers, shouts ofwelcome and crowds ofchildren dressed up asshepherds and shepherdessesor in the picturesque localcostume, who showered herwith flowers, which we aretold she receivedandheldas‘the goddess Flora herselfmight have done’. TheFranco-Austrianalliancemayhave been the cause of somesuspicious eye brow raisingclosertoParisbuthereonthe

border, where for centuriesthe people had regularlyfound themselves caught inthe middle of conflictbetween the two greatnations, it was greeted withtremendousjoy.The cheers and

acclamations only increasedwhen Marie Antoinette,blinking back tears ofhappiness, stopped the oratorashebegantomakeaspeechof welcome in German,

saying,‘Don’tspeaktomeinGerman.FromnowonIwantto hear no language butFrench.’ Unschooled,awkward and often gauchethough she may well havebeen, it seemed that the littleprincess had a hithertounsuspectedabilitytosayjustthe right thing when theoccasioncalledforit.That evening, Strasbourg’s

magnificent cathedral, builtfrom local sandstone which

took on a glorious rose pinkhue at sunset,was lit up andthegreatandgoodofthecityfiled silently past the newDauphineasforthefirsttimeshe took part in the ‘LeGrand Couvert’, whichinvolved dining in solitarysplendourinfrontofacrowdof gawking onlookers.Nevera hearty eater at the best oftimesandpronetogoingpinkabouttheearswhenstaredat,MarieAntoinette nonetheless

handled this very well andpleased everyone with hergraceful manners andappearance of not appearingnotnotice thatshewasbeingwatchedlikeananimalatthezoo. Eating in public wouldalways be a torture to herthough and she would nevermanage to emulate thefamousaplombofherfather-in-law Louis XV, who likedto perform tricks likesmoothly using his knife to

swipe the top off his boiledegg toplease thecrowds thathad gathered to watch himeat.Afterwhatmusthavebeen

an unsatisfactory supper,there was a performance atthe theatre to sit through,followedbyaball,whereshewasintroducedtoallthelocalnobilityanddanceduntilpastmidnight before falling intoher bed in the splendidepiscopal palace of Cardinal

deRohan,wherebeneathherwindowstherewasafloatinggardencreatedbyaflotillaofilluminated boats, all heapedwith sweet smelling flowers.In the morning she went toMass in the cathedral,yawning behind her hand astheCardinal’s handsome andextremely ambitious nephewPrinceLouisdeRohangaveaspeech welcoming theDauphine and fulsomelypraisinghermother,whomhe

described as ‘the admirationofEurope’.Afterthisitwastimetosay

goodbye to Strasbourg andhop back in the gorgeouscarriage, which was morewindowthanwallsothatshemight be better seen by thepopulace, for the journey tothe city ofNancy,where herfather Emperor Francis hadbeen born in 1708. MarieAntoinette had beenespecially looking forward to

thislegofhertripasitwasauniqueopportunity to see forherself the lands of theLorraine family, which herfather had been so loath togive up as a condition of hismarriage to her mother.Although Marie Antoinettehadbeen raised to takepridein her Austrian background,shehadalsobeenencouragedto feel a connection to herLorraine roots as well andvisiting Nancy, where she

was to lodge in the ducalpalace where her father hadbeen born, would no doubthavebeenofgreatcomforttoheratthistime.This visit to Nancy also

servedasareminderofMarieAntoinette’s own Frenchheritage as her grandmother,Francis’ mother, had beenÉlisabeth Charlotted’Orléans, the only daughterofPhilipped’Orléansandhadbeen born at the Château de

Saint Cloud, which MarieAntoinette would later own.It’s not really surprising, dueto the vast and complexwebof intermarriage thatcharacterised Europeanroyaltyatthetime,thatMarieAntoinette and her newhusband LouisAugustewereactually cousins due to bothbeing descended fromPhilippe,knowntohistoryas‘Monsieur’, the controversialyounger brother and only

sibling of Louis XIV.Philippe was a complexcharacter,famedforhislikingfor pretty young men andpassion for fashion and themore byzantine complexitiesof court etiquette as well ashisbraveryinbattle.Perhaps fittingly, Louis

Auguste was the great greatgreat grand-son of Philippeand his flighty, pretty,delicate first wife, thePrincess Henrietta Anne of

England, who was youngestdaughter of the troubledCharles I, with whom LouisAugustewould alas, turn outto have more than one thingin common. MarieAntoinette,ontheotherhand,was the great grand-daughterof Monsieur and his secondwife, the sensible, plaintalking Protestant princessElizabeth Charlotte (knownas Liselotte), who was thegrand-daughter of Elizabeth

of Bohemia, daughter ofJames I and so, likePhilippe’s unfortunate firstwife Henrietta, yet anothersprig from the Stuart familytree.That there was a dash of

that unlucky Stuart blood inboth Louis Auguste andMarie Antoinette is perhapsno surprise as they sharedJames I and Anne ofDenmark as commonancestors as well as James’

enigmatic mother Mary,QueenofScots,whohadalsobrieflybeenQueenofFrance.LouisAuguste,wholovedhishistory andwas a big fan ofHume’s History of England,was fascinated by his Stuart,Tudor and Plantagenetancestors and while MarieAntoinette had no interest inthe past, shemight still havebeen justa littlebit intriguedby the glamorous andromanticpersonagesofMary

Stuartandhergranddaughter,the Winter Queen ofBohemia.Itwashermoreimmediate

ancestors, however, thatMarie Antoinette wasinterested in as she met herfather’s relatives in Nancy,earning herself a sharpreprimand from Madame deNoailles, whom she was bynow beginning to heartilydetest, for showing them toomuch familiarity.

Lighthearted, carefree andinformal in a way that musthavebroughttomindherownsimilarly pleasant father, shevery much enjoyed spendingtime with them insurroundingsthatwouldhaveinstantly recalled to mindFrancis’storiesabouthisownyouth and time as Duke ofLorraine.Spared the hideous ordeal

ofkeepingvigilalongsideherHabsburg ancestors in the

imperial crypt of theCapuchin church in Vienna,Marie Antoinette tookpleasure in praying at thetombs of her LorraineancestorsinthechurchoftheCordeliers,whichservedasanecropolis for the Dukes ofLorraine and included thetomb of her grandmotherElisabethCharlotted’Orléansas well as the wonderfulLigier Richier recumbenteffigy of Philippa of

Guelders, formidable greatgrandmother of Mary Queenof Scots. Her father Francishad been laid to rest in theimperial crypt in Vienna,there to await the eventualentombment of her motherbeside him, but MarieAntoinette would felt hiscomforting presenceeverywhere around her inNancyand itmusthavebeenatremendouswrenchtohavetoleaveandcontinuewithher

journey west towardsCompiègne,whereshewastohave her first meeting withLouis XV and, moreimportantly,hernewhusbandLouisAuguste.What must Marie

Antoinette have felt as herglorious carriage drew evercloser to the appointedmeeting place in the heart ofthe royal hunting forest nearthe château of Compiègne?Hernewladiesinwaitinghad

been acquainted with theDauphin for many years,some of them had evenknown him all his life - didshe ask them what he wasreally like and did they raisetheir eyebrows and shaketheir heads at each otherbehind her head? To MariaTheresa, the personality oftheFrenchprincehadbeenofas little importance as theidentity of the preciseArchduchess to be sent to

marry him had been to hisgrandfather, Louis XV andMarie Antoinette, raised toput her absolute trust in thesuperior judgement of hermother, had probably notwondered too much about iteither. However, as hercarriage sped through themuddy forest tracks and herladies fussed about her,primping her in preparationforthisallimportantmeeting,thenewDauphinemusthave

felt extremely apprehensiveabout the boy who wascurrently just as nervouslywaiting for her in the forestclearing.When the carriage pulled

up, the Duc de Choiseul,Chief Minister of France,who had been the chiefarchitectofhermarriage,waswaiting to greet her. ‘I shallnever forget that you areresponsible for my goodfortune,’ Marie Antoinette

told him with a charmingsmile.‘Madame,thegoodfortune

is that ofFrance,’ thegallantDuc replied with a gracefulbow before leading her towhere the royal party weredescending from theircarriage. The meeting hadbeen originally envisaged asan intimate family affair, butword had naturally sped andsothereweremanywitnessesto the touching scene that

followed as the Dauphine,impatient to meet her newfamily left the Duc deChoiseul standing and ranlightlyforwardbeforesinkinginto an exquisite andextremely well schooledcurtsey before the King, astill handsome man with theboldblackeyesofhisMediciancestors and the Romannose and refined manners ofhis dread great grandfatherLouis XIV, from whom he

hadinheritedthethroneattheageofjustfive.KingLouiswasacomplex

man.Orphanedininfancy,hewas exceedingly reservedand, although charminglyurbane and never anythinglessthanbeautifullypoliteonthe surface, actually quitehard to get to know as hisexquisite but now sadlydepartedmistressMadamedePompadour had often hadcause to bemoan. He was

completely obsessed withmaintaining his privacy, tothis end building up a seriesofwarrenlikeroomsbeneaththeeavesofVersailleswherehe could retreat and beperfectlyalonewithhislatestmistress and closest friends.Hispassionswereprivatebutit was well known thatbesides hunting, which washis first and foremost love inlife, he was fascinated byastronomy, loved to readand

had amassed an enormouscollectionofseveralthousandbooks in his private library.He also enjoyed writing andkept up an enormouscorrespondence with severalmembers of his scatteredfamily, in particular hisgrandson and protegé theDukeofParma,whowas thehusband of MarieAntoinette’s sister MariaAmalia. Another passion,perhaps surprisingly, was

cookery,whichpromptedhimat the age of sixteen to takelessons from a chef in aspecially constructed kitchenat Versailles, where helearned to make perfectomelettes while wearing oneof his twelve speciallycommissioned aprons, eachone embroidered with thedoubleVofVersailles.Always a discerning

connoisseuroffemalebeauty,the sixty year old Louis XV

was completely charmed byhis grandson’s young wife,who had the pink and whitecomplexion, huge blue eyesand bouncing strawberryblondehairofanymphinoneof his favourite Boucherpaintings and was not reallyall that dissimilar in type tothe young girls, not mucholder than she was, whopopulated his private brothelin the town of Versailles.Knowing this, there was no

doubtagreatdealofdiscreetnudging and winking goingon from the courtiers as theywatched the wily old Kinggreet his new granddaughter,kiss her rouged cheeks andlook her over in the Frenchstyle: swiftly, from head totoe andbackagainbeforehegracefully motioned for hisgrandson, her husband, tostep forward and beintroducedforthefirsttime.If the fifteen year old

Dauphin bore littleresemblance to the miniatureportrait thatMarieAntoinettehad received with suchexcitement only a monthearlier, she gave no sign asshe politely curtseyed andreplied to his mumbledgreeting then offered hercheek for an unenthusiastickiss, while the Dauphin’slibertinegrandfathernodoubtwatched in sad resignationand perhaps wished that it

was he who was to be thebridegroominstead.Althoughnot amonstrous spectacle byany means, Louis Augustewas a rather lumpen,overweight boy with heavydark eyebrows, hisgrandfather’s prominentBourbon nose and a shy andawkwardmanner.Phlegmaticby nature and schooled sinceearly childhood to hide hisemotions, he also gave nosignofhis feelings abouthis

new wife, which left MarieAntoinette, used to flowerypraise and admirationwherever she went, feelingdoubtful and somewhatbewildered.Louis Auguste was the

fourth child and secondsurviving son of Louis XV’seldestson,theDauphinLouisofFranceandhissecondwifeMaria Josepha of Saxony,who was affectionatelyknown as ‘Pépa’. The royal

couple had been consideredunusualatVersaillesfortheirdomestic harmony and frankand open adoration of eachother in a courtwhere itwasconsidered bad form to beopenly affectionate towardsone’s spouse. The Dauphinwas a complicated character:he wrote to a friend that hissoul was ‘always gay’ andindeed there was a livelinessand cheerfulness about himthatmadehiscompanymuch

soughtafter.However,hehadalso inherited the morbidnature of his parents LouisXV and his devout Polishwife Marie Leszczynska andwas obsessedwith death anddying, much as his cousinIsabella of Parma had beenduring her time in Vienna.His mother kept the skull ofthe delightful courtesanNinon de Lenclos on herdesk, garlanded with flowersand grinning toothily upon a

velvet cushion. She called it‘Machèremignonne’.It is recorded that in the

early days of their marriage,the young Saxony princessMaria Josepha had beenhorrified to witness her newhusband and his sistersspending evenings dressed inblack and walking slowlyaround a dim candlelit roommurmuring, ‘Iamdead, Iamdead, I am dead’ in acontinuation of a favourite

game from childhood. It allseemed a bit weird andunacceptably morbid to ayoung princess who adoreddancing, laughter, beingoutdoors, having fun andcelebratinglife.It didn’t help matters that

the youngDauphin had beenmarried once before, to thepretty Infanta Maria TeresaRafaela of Spain, who wasfour years his senior. Thecourthadgiggledbehindtheir

spangled and painted fans atthe young bride’sunfashionable red hair, butthe Dauphin had fallenimmediately and violently inlovewithherandwasthrilledwhenshebecamepregnant.‘Ican hardly believe that I amso soon to be a father!’ hewrote to a friend, his delightechoing that of every youngfather throughout thecenturies.MariaTeresagavebirth to

a daughter Marie-Thérèse inJuly1746anddiedfourdayslater.Heryounghusband,justsixteenyearsoldatthistime,was genuinely devastatedwith courtiers likening hisgrief to that of ‘aninconsolablechild’, which inmanywayshewas.Thelittleprincess, his only link withhisdeceasedlove,wastolivefor just twoyears andwoulddie inApril 1748 after beinggivenanemeticinanattempt

to alleviate the pain ofteething.Nooneknewquitewhatto

expectwhentheDauphinwasmarried again, this time toMaria Josepha, and shemusthave been quite perturbedwhen on theirwedding nighthe collapsed in tears intoherarms and sobbed about hisdead wife, which must havebeen somewhat awkward tosay the least. The marriageseemed doomed to failure

until the Dauphin caughtsmallpox and his little wifeinsisted on nursing him backtohealthherself.Itissaidthatshe took such great care ofhim that a short sighteddoctor, unused to the court,said to the Dauphin, ‘Youhave an excellent little nursethere. Never get rid of her.’The Dauphin made a fullrecovery and filled withgratitude, he fell in love atlastwithhiswife.

The young couple enjoyedablissfullifetogether,almosta second honeymoon in fact,and were to be seen at theirdevotions together in theVersailles chapel everymorning,beforetakingtheairtogetherontheterracebytheOrangerie. They sharedexactly the same tastes formusic,readingandgardeningandlovedtospendtheir timetogether. TheDauphinwas atalentedmusician and played

theviolin,organandspinetaswellassinginginaveryfinebaritone.Incommonwithhisfather’s mistress Madame dePompadour (known as ‘PomPom’byherlover’schildren)he was also a talented actor,capable of reducing anaudience to fits ofuncontrollable laughter withhiscomedicroles.Their lives were not just

devoted topleasurehowever.Both were keen

philanthropists,who loved toassist the needy and weregenerous givers to charity.They gave instructions totheirchildren’stutorsthattheprincesandprincessesshouldbe taken to thehousesof theneedy so that they could seefor themselves how the poorlived. ‘They must learn toweep.Aprincewhohasnevershed any tears cannot begood,’ the Dauphinexplained. He was also very

fond of taking his sons toviewthebaptismalregisterofthe parish of Versailles,where their names werewritten alongside those ofmore humble infants. ‘Look,my children, look at yournameswrittenafter thenameof a pauper. The only thingthat can establish anydifference between you isvirtue,’ he would say. Onecan imagine the effect of allthis on his second son, the

youngLouisAuguste.When Louis Auguste was

born in the Dauphine’sbedchamber on the groundfloor of Versailles in theboiling hot summer of 1754,theroyalnurseryatthepalacewas already home to MarieZéphyrine, who was born inAugust 1750 and LouisJoseph, who was born inSeptember 1751. Anotherson,Xavier,hadrecentlydiedinFebruary1754attheageof

sixmonths. Typically,MariaJosepha was determined nottomakeafusswhenshewentinto labour at around four inthe morning and, believingshesimplyhadcolic,hadgotup and spent the next fewhours alone before wakingher husband who in his turnalerted the servants. Theirnew son was born at quarterto seven and immediatelypassed into the care ofMadamedeMarsan,whowas

alreadygovernesstohiselderbrother the Duc deBourgogne and a mostimposing presence at courtwhereshewasoneofthefewgrantedtheraredistinctionofbeing allowed to sit in anactualchairinthepresenceofroyalty and also use an ovalsilverchamberpot insteadofthe usual round one. Luckylady.The baby’s grandfather

was away hunting at his

nearbyestateatChoisywhenthe news arrived that hisdaughterinlawhaddelivereda child and immediatelyrushed back to Versailles toinspect the baby. There hadbeensomeconcernsaboutthehealthinessoftheDauphine’sprogeny as her three earlierbabies had all apparentlyinherited her own rathersickly constitution, howeverthis new boy delightedeveryone by being gloriously

plump, healthy and loud.According to court protocol,hewasimmediatelybaptised,presented with a tiny bluewateredsilksashoftheOrderof the Holy Spirit and giventhe title of Duc de Berrywhich was always usedinsteadofaChristianname–itwas thecustomat the timefor royal sons to only beknown by their titles (whichcouldberecyclediftheydiedin infancy) until they were

officially christened withactualnameslateron.ThefirstsixyearsofLouis

Auguste’s childhood passedasnormal,allunderthestrictbutlovingcareofMadamedeMarsanwhoadoredallofherroyal charges. Therewas theusual discussion, fuss andofficial recording of suchusual infant events asweaning,teething,learningtowalk and small childhoodillnesses, of which Louis

Auguste remained mercifullyvirtually untouched.However,atVersailleswhereeveryone still shuddered toremember the terrible weekswhen the King’s family wasall but wiped out by smallpox leaving him orphanedandwithoutsiblings,anysignof illness was regarded withsuspicion and dread so thatthe royal children must havefelt ridiculously fussed overattimes.

However, during theseearly years of LouisAuguste’slife,thesuccessionmust have seemed not justsecure but also inexceptionally good hands –hisfatherwastheverypictureof health and his elderbrother, the Duc deBourgognewasconsideredbyall to be a very promisingchild indeed. Bourgogneactually sounds completelyannoying but there is no

doubt that he was anextremely precocious littleboy –we are told that at theage of seven he presentedLouis XV, who shared hispassion for mathematics andscience, with a book ofgeometry problems that hehimself had worked out.Unfortunately, at the age ofnine, Bourgogne became illwith tuberculosis of thebones, which would laterreturntohauntthesonsofhis

brotherandMarieAntoinette.It soon became clear that hewould not survive and so itwasdecided thathisyoungerbrother, who was then agedsix, should leave the nurserya year early and begin thelessons and training thatwould make him ready totake his place as heir. Upuntil this point, LouisAuguste had, as wastraditional, still worn dressesand had been cosseted and

fussed over by Madame deMarsan. Now, however, hewas expected to dress like aminiature adult, livewith hisbrother in theirownsplendidapartmentandberaisedunderthe care of his newgovernortheDucdelaVauguyon,whowas opposed to the alliancewithAustriaandbroughthimup to be instinctivelysuspicious of anythingAustrian, particularly itsreportedly lovely bevy of

Archduchesses.Poor Louis Auguste was

completely miserable as hewas now also expected tospendallofhistimewiththatminiature egotist Bourgogne,whose already sharp naturehad not sweetened one whitduring the rapid onset of hisillness. Quite the reverse infact – he had become evenmore difficult and imperiousand also quite terrifyinglypious,whichcan’thavebeen

much fun to be around. Notentirely unexpectedly, LouisAugustebecameilltooatthispointbutmanagedtorecover.However, his brother diedshortly afterwards in March1761,casting theentirecourtinto mourning. Difficult,haughtyandoften irritatinglyprecocious though the boyhad been, there is no doubtthat his family and much ofthe court saw in him the lastgreat hope for the future of

the Bourbon dynasty,regarding him as aprospectivekinginthemouldofthegreatLouisXIV.For his younger brother

Louis Auguste, the suddenrise to prominence as heir tothe throne of France wasdevastating and confusing.WhereasBourgognehadbeenflattered, admired,encouraged and adored fromthe moment of his birth,Louis Auguste had been

regarded very much as ‘thespare’ and had received nosuch adulation, although hisparents were affectionatetowardshim.Furthermore,hehad been raised to considerhimselfinallwaysinferiortohis elder brother so when hesuddenlytookcentrestage,hedidn’t know how to act andcertainly didn’t have thecarefully fostered andpromoted high opinion ofhimself that Bourgogne had.

This awkwardness and lackof confidence would remainwith Louis Auguste for therest of his life, balanced bywhat were considered to behis less than princelyattributes of a warm heart,sensitivity and, eventually,uxoriousness as MarieAntoinette, his new bride,casting him covert glancesfrombeneathhereyelashesinthe sunlit clearing atCompiègne, would soon

discover for herself. Alsopresent that afternoon wereLouis XV’s three unmarrieddaughters, who remainedwith him at Versailles andinhabited enormous,splendidly decoratedapartments there. Familiar tous as charming, winsomelysmiling young princesses inthe flattering portraits ofNattier, the three maidenprincesses were by now intheirthirtiesandnotnearlyso

delightful to look at as theyhad been in their fresh facedyouth. There had originallybeeneightprincessesborn toLouis and his Polish wifeMarieLeszczynska, onlyoneof whom, Louise-Élisabeth,had escaped into marriage(becoming the mother ofIsabella of Parma andFerdinand, the husband ofMarie Antoinette’s sisterMariaAmalia),whiletherestremained at Versailles to

adorn their father’s court,attend to their mother andcause trouble for the royalmistresses, whom theyloathed and regarded asjumped up rivals for theiradored father’s affections.For his part, the King wascarelessly fond of hisunattractive trio of daughtersand would make a point ofvisiting them every day tomake hot chocolate with hisown hand and enjoy some

court gossip, of which theyalways seemed to have anenormousstore.After the death of his

beloved mother MariaJosepha, the orphaned LouisAuguste had turned to hisauntsforcomfortandwasby1770inthehabitofregardingthem as substitute mothers,always willing to listensympathetically to histroubles and offer advice.However, they had been

avowed opponents of hismatch with an AustrianArchduchess,seeing thisasachance to make trouble forhis grandfather’s mistressMadame de Pompadour whohadbeenverymuchinfavourof it, and had done much topoison the vulnerable boy’smind against the dangers ofsuch a match and, mostworryingly of all, the veryperson of his putative bridewho, they spitefully

suggested, could never beanything other than anavowedenemyofFranceandanagentofAustrianinterests.The eldest of the trio of

sisters, Madame Adélaïde,who had been consideredratherlovelyinheryouthbuthad rapidly lost her looksthereafter, was theirundisputed leader, both bydintofher seniority andalsodue to respect of her strongwilled, bold and extremely

formidablepersonality.Itwassaid of Adélaïde that as achild of eleven, at the heightof the war between Franceand England, she had beencaught sneaking out ofVersailles with her pinmoney, declaring that, ‘I amgoing to make all of theEnglish lords sleep with me,which they will be honouredto do, and then bring backtheir heads to my Papa.’Intelligent, energetic and

forceful,sheverymuchruledthe roost at Versailles andresented any other womanwho challenged herdominancewithinthefamily.The other two daughters,

plump and pretty MadameVictoire and nervouslyblinking and rather plainMadame Sophie, describedby Horace Walpole as‘clumsy, plump, oldwenches’, were much lessintimidating than their

daunting elder sister butalthough they seemed moreinclined to treat the newDauphine kindly, theyfollowed the domineeringAdélaïdeineverythingandsoremained aloof. The threewomenwere known by theirfather as, respectively, Rag,Piggy and Grub - extremelyunflattering nurserynicknames that hadunfortunatelystuck.Afourthprincess,Madame

Louise,hadrecentlyretiredtoa convent with the avowedintent of praying for herfather’s lost and blackenedsoul and Marie Antoinettewould pay her a visit a fewdays later on her way toVersailles. Now though shecheerfully clambered into theroyalcoachbetweentheKingand her silent, grumpylooking young husband andthey made their way to thelovelychâteauofCompiègne,

one of the royal family’sfavourite summer residences,to meet the princes of theblood, headed by the Ducd’OrléansandhissontheDucde Chartres, who was sevenyears older than his cousinLouis Auguste. MarieAntoinette was alsointroduced to the newDuchessedeChartres,LouiseMarie Adélaïde de Bourbon,eldestdaughteroftheDucdePenthièvreandherselfagreat

granddaughter of Louis XIVandAthénaïsdeMontespan.The premature death of

Louise Marie’s only brother,the dissolute Prince deLamballe, had left her inpossession of an immensefortune and sole heiress tooneofthemostenormousandfabulous fortunes in allFrance, if not all Europe,bringingher luckyhusbandadowry of 6 million livres(which made Marie

Antoinette’s dowry lookpositively measly) and anannual income of 240,000livres,which laterdoubled toalmosthalf amillion livres ayear.Nowonderthenthattheambitious and extremelyintelligent Duc d’Orléans,originallysohesitanttomarryhis eldest son to what wasafterallanillegitimatebranchof the royal family, hadchanged his mind after thedeath of the Prince de

Lamballe and hastened tosecure this jewel for theirfamily. For her part, thesixteen year old newDuchesse was madly in lovewith her husband even if hehad allegedly alreadyreturned to the fun anddissolute frolics of hisbachelorlife.With them there was

Princess Maria Teresa ofSavoy-Carignan, the widowof theDuchesse deChartres’

dead brother, the Prince deLamballe. The twenty yearold half German and halfItalianPrincessedeLamballemust have been a figure ofsome romantic interest to theyoung Marie Antoinette asshe was just six years older,had already experiencedpersonaltragedyandwasalsoextremely pretty with softblue eyes and very longauburnhair,ofwhichshewasextraordinarily proud. Sweet

natured and not all thatbright, the Princesse deLamballe and the Dauphineinstantly hit it off, drawntogether by a mutualenjoyment of fashion andnormalyouthfulfrivolity.The next day the royal

party travelled to the smallpleasure château of LaMuette, a glorified huntinglodge in the Bois deBoulogne, a stone’s throwaway from the centre of the

French capital. However, itwas unlikely that anyonepresent would have been sotactlessastoremindtheKingof this fact. Once so popularthat he was hailed by hispeople as Louis le bien-amé,thebestbeloved,hewasnowsouniversallyloathedthathehad not dared to show hisface in his own capital forseveral years anddiscouraging his family fromalsogoingthere.

At La Muette, MarieAntoinette was introduced tothe younger members of theroyalfamily,firstofallLouisAuguste’s two youngerbrothers, the Comte deProvence and Comted’Artois.Provence, theelder,was almost exactly the sameage as his new sister in law(hewasfifteendaysyounger)and even more chubby thantheDauphin but had none ofhis good nature or shyness

and was instead intelligentand rather spiteful, althoughhe was bright enough tomostly hide it with anamiable, amusing chatterboxveneer. Artois, the youngerbrother, was twelve and,unlike his elders, hadinherited all the bold charmandgoodlooksoftheirsuavegrandfather and was alreadysaid to be somethingof a hitwith the ladies.Naturally, heandMarie Antoinette got on

likeahouseonfire.Marie Antoinette was

charmedbyLaMuette,whichwas built along the samesmall but bijou lines as thePetit Trianon, and it was toremain one of her favouritesummer residences, whereshe could escape the crowdsofcourtierswhileatthesametime enjoy the closeproximity to Paris. Afterretiring to her rooms tofreshenup andchange into a

new pretty dress, MarieAntoinetterejoinedtheothersfor a private supper partyattended by her new familyand a few of their mostfavoured attendants, most ofwhom Marie Antoinette hadalready met. However, whensheenteredtheroomitwastoa tense atmosphere, quite atodds with the mood ofcheerful celebration that hadpredominated over the pastfewdays.Thisuneasyfeeling

only increased when MarieAntoinette glanced up thetable to where the King wassitting and noticed him deepin conversation with abeautiful blonde that she hadnot been introduced to.Seeing that the King wasroaring with laughter atsomething that this lady waswhispering in the royal ear,she asked the Comtesse deNoailles,whowas rigidwithdisapproval, who she was.

‘That is the Comtesse duBarry,’ was the bland reply,no doubt uttered in a toneintended to deter any furtherenquiry.‘She is very pretty,’ the

Dauphine observed. ‘What isherfunctionatcourt?’’To amuse the King,’

Madame de Noailles’mischievousnephew,theDucd’Ayen said with a wink athisdumbstruckaunt.Marie Antoinette, too

innocent to properlyunderstand his meaning,laughed. ‘Then I should liketobeherrival,’sheremarked.Born Jeanne Bécu in

Vaucouleurs inAugust1743,the futureMadame du Barrywas the illegitimate daughterofagorgeousseamstressandafriar–ashockingbeginningto what was to be ascandalous life. Jeanne,dragged up by her motherthen fortuitously sent to a

convent school by a wealthybenefactor,wastogrowuptobe exceedingly beauteouswith a lovely face, tumblingblonde hair and meltinglyseductive violet eyes. Sadly,her prospects were not at allpromisingandafter an initialattempttoattainatleastsomevague semblance ofrespectabilitybytrainingasamilliner, the young Jeannefound herself working in acasino, which was actually

littlebetterthanabrothel.She was ‘rescued’ from

this life by a noted roué, thespuriousComteduBarrywhoinstalled her as his mistressthenlaunchedheronacareeras a high class courtesan togentlemenofthecourt,whichsuitedherjustfineasshehadbeen blessed with a buddingtaste for expensive luxuries.She did verywell for herselfuntil 1768when she came tothe attention of another aged

roué, LouisXVwho, alwayspronetodepression,hadbeenin aprotracted stateofboredgloomeversincethedeathofhis exquisite mistressMadamedePompadour.He’dignored all of his courtiers’attempts to divert hisattention with variousbeautifulandwellbornladiesof the court and had insteadconsoledhimselfwiththelessdemandingcharmsofservantgirls and the young women

who were housed in hisprivatebrothelinVersailles.He was instantly smitten

by the young Jeanne,however, and it wasn’t longbefore her lover’s brother,the Comte du Barry, wasforced to marry her in orderto make her position morerespectableandenableher tohave the title that was sonecessary for an entrée toVersailles life. After thistherewasnostoppingherand

tothehorrorofeveryone,theKing even installed her inapartments in the palace. Noone in Versailles had anyillusions about the origins ofthe latest favourite though,lovely thought she was.They’d all sneered at themiddle class origins of theexquisitely refined Madamede Pompadour, so theirfeelings about having theundeniably low born andrather vulgar Madame du

Barry prancing around intheir midst, dressed up inpink silk and exquisite laceand covered in the flashydiamonds that she adored somuch, were more than theiraristocraticsensibilitiescouldbear. That a trollop likeJeanne du Barry should beinvited to such a prestigiousevent as the intimate supperparty designed to welcomethenewDauphinetotheroyalfamily was considered to be

an insupportable insult, mostespecially to MarieAntoinette herself, wholuckily for the momentremained innocent of all ofthis-butnotformuchlonger.The 16May 1770 dawned

bright and beautiful - perfectweather for a royal weddingday. The King, Dauphin andtheir attendants left just afterdawn tomake the three hourcarriage journey back toVersailles, leaving Marie

Antoinette to follow them afew hours later. Extremelyexcited to be finally gettingher first glimpse of themostmagnificent and famouspalace in all Europe, the onethat had served as themodelfor all others ever since itsinception just over a centuryearlier, she beamed withdelight at the immensecrowds that had gathered onthe road fromParis towatchher pass. Although their

initial suspicion about thisunpopular Austrian matchwould never quite disappear,there had been enoughglowing reports of the littleDauphine’s prettiness andcharm to make the Parisiansquite take her to their hearts,incapable as always ofresisting the appeal of anattractiveyoungwoman.Another huge crowd

awaited the Dauphine atVersailles where, although

admission was strictly byticket only for the day, welloversix thousandpeoplehadturned up to swell the ranksof thecourt and seeasmuchas they could of the royalwedding day. Everyone wasdolled up in their finestclotheswhiletheladiesofthecourt, many of whom hadbeen up since 6am to getready, had been laced intotheirfinestcourtdresseswiththeir wide panniered skirts

and long trains getting ineveryone’s way as they allcraned for a first thrillingglimpseofthebride.For Marie Antoinette her

firstsightofVersailles,whichwould be her chief residencefor the next nineteen years,was awe inspiring andemotional as her carriagedrove through the imposinggilt covered gates anddeposited her in thecourtyard. As the Dauphine

looked up at the splendidgleamingfacadeofthepalaceshe would have seen dozensofcourtierscrammed intoallof the windows, all staringdown curiously at this smallgirlwhowouldoneday,Godwilling,betheirQueen.Withoutfurtherado,Marie

Antoinette was swept off totheDauphine’sapartmentsonthe ground floor of thepalace, where she was to betemporarily housed until the

much grander Queen’sapartments on the first floor,which were currently beingrenovated,werereadyforher.The Dauphine’s apartments,which incorporated twoantechambers, a cabinet, twositting rooms, an oratory, alarge bedchamber and abathroom, had not beeninhabited since the death ofMaria Josepha of Saxony in1767 and were gloomy,sparsely decorated and rather

lackinginprivacy,givingoutas theydid straight on to thegardens. However, they hadthe bonus of being directlynext door to the roomsinhabited by Louis Auguste,which meant that they couldsee each other easily, shouldtheywishtodoso.Waiting in her

bedchamber, whereincidentallyhernewhusbandhad been born, were herwedding presents from the

King, arranged on the paleblue silk cushioned drawersof a three foot high and sixfoot wide crimson velvetcoffer which had beenspecially designed by thearchitect Belanger. Chiefamongst the gifts was abeautiful diamond parure setfrom the King as well as adiamond encrusted fan andother ornaments, including adiamond bracelet set with aminiatureportraitoftheKing

which she immediatelysnatched up and put on herwrist, prompting an onlookerto say that ‘she loses nooccasionofseeking topleasehim.’ More importantlythough,MarieAntoinettewasalsopresentedwiththejewelstraditionally owned by theDauphine of France, whichhad last belonged to herhusband’s mother MariaJosephaofSaxony.Valuedatover 2 million livres, they

included a wealth of pearls,diamonds and other fabulousjewels and must have madeMarie Antoinette’s eyeswidenwithamazementasshestared at them. As there wascurrentlynoQueenofFrance,shewasalsogivenabeautifulpearl necklace that had oncebelonged toAnneofAustria,themotherofLouisXIV,andwhichhadbeenhandeddowntoeachsuccessiveconsort.Also waiting for Marie

Antoinettewere her ladies inwaiting,headedasalwaysbyMadamedeNoailles,andalsoher shy little sisters-in-lawClotilde and Élisabeth.Clotilde, the elder was justten years old and, like herelderbrothers,sochubbythatshe was known, ratherunkindly, at court as ‘GrosMadame’, which beingextremely good natured, shejustlaughedoff.Lateronherfuture husband, the King of

Sardinia, would say that headoredhergenerousfigureasit just meant that ‘there ismore of her to love’. Theother sister Élisabeth, wasjust six and still in thenursery.Shewasadelightfuland occasionally rathernaughty child who heroworshippedhereldestbrotherLouisAuguste.The Princesses’ governess

Madame de Marsan, whomMarie Antoinette had been

warned about as an archschemer andwho shewas totake one of her quick andunyielding dislikes to, wasquick to push her favouritepupil, Madame ClotildeforwardbutMarieAntoinette,always fond of smallchildren, instead immediatelyknelt in front of the smallestprincess, Élisabeth and gaveher a quick hug before shewasledawaybyherladiestoprepareforthewedding.

Sadly, Marie Antoinette’swedding dress vanishedduring the chaos of theFrench Revolution, butenough contemporarydescriptions exist for us toknow that it was a gorgeousconfection of cloth of silver,white brocade and fine lace,encrustedwith diamonds andpearls. The still extantwedding dress of anotherroyalbrideHedwigElizabethCharlotte Holstein-Gottorp

whenshemarriedhercousin,the future King Charles XIIIof Sweden in July 1774, justover four years after MarieAntoinette’s wedding day atVersailles,givessomesortofclue as to how it may havelooked though. Hedwig’sromantic silver tissue gownwas made for her in Paris,justasMarieAntoinette’shadbeen, and was designed toaccentuate her dainty 19”waist, while maintaining all

the hallmarks of a royalweddingdressofthisperiod-the low neckline, exposedshoulders and frothy lacesleeves above enormouslywide panniers. However, inthecaseofMarieAntoinette,either she had grown sincethe dress was made or themeasurements were wrongforitturnedoutthatherdresswas a tad on the small sidefor the petite Dauphine,which resulted in a bit of a

fussas the ladieshastened tohidetheresultingoverlywidelacing,whichleftmuchofherchemise rather scandalouslyexposedattheback.However, what is a

wedding day without a hitchor two andMarie Antoinettewassufficientlyoverawedbyhersurroundingsandeagertoplease her new family not tomake much complaint aboutthe fact that her dress didn’tquite fit properly. With

perfect dignity and her headheld proudly erect, shemounted the stairs pasthoards of staring courtiers tothe King’s apartments wherethe procession to the chapelwasduetobegin.Thiswastobe Marie Antoinette’s firstglimpseoftheHallofMirrorsand other famously splendidstate rooms of the palace, awonderland of crystal, gilt,marbleandfabulouspaintingsandsculptures.Havinggrown

up in Schönbrunn, she wasnot a complete stranger tosuch magnificence, but hadstillneverseenanythingquiteso ornate as Versailles in allits wedding day splendour,crammed to bursting withcourtiers decked out indazzling jewels and fabuloussilkdressesandwithsunlightstreaming through the tallwindows on to the highlypolishedparquetfloors.The royal chapel at

Versailles is perhaps one ofthe most beautiful rooms inthe whole palace, agorgeously light and airyspace, tastefully decoratedwith gilt embellishments anda wonderful painted ceilingthat evokes thoughts ofHeaven itself to thefortunateworshippers gathered below.As Marie Antoinettegracefully knelt beside theDauphin, himself resplendentin cloth of gold encrusted

with diamonds, before thehigh altar, she was seen tolook serene but prettilymoved as the Archbishop ofRheims, Grand Almoner ofFrance, performed theceremony and then led thenuptial Mass afterwards. Incontrast, her new husbandwasseentovisibletrembleasheplacedherring,whichhadbeen selected from a choiceof several presented to herupon her arrival at

Compiègne,onherfingerandthen go quite pink about theearsashesaidhisvows.The deed was done,

however and there wasnothing more to do but signthe marriage contract, whichLouis Auguste did with neataplomb after his grandfather,while Marie Antoinetteblotted her own clumsilysloping signature, beforeenjoying the celebrations,whichkickedoffatsixinthe

eveningandthenwentonfornine whole days of parties,concerts, balls and fireworkdisplays. For MarieAntoinette the celebrationsbeganwitharoyalcardgame,for which she sat beside theKingatagreenbaizecoveredtable placed in the Hall ofMirrors. As with le grandcouvert, courtiers and othersuitably dressed members ofthe public were at liberty tosilently file past as the royal

family played anexcruciatingly dull game ofcavagnole while blithelypretending not to notice thatthey were being stared at bythe thousands of people onthe other side of the giltbalustrade. In Austria, royalweddings were somewhatriotous affairs marked withmassive public balls, wineflowing in the streets, partiesand all manner of lighthearted and joyous fun, here

at Versailles, however, theywere altogether more sedateandmuchlessenjoyable.After this endurance test

there was the weddingbanquet,which took place inGabriel’s newly completedtheatre, where supper wasserved to the royal familyona table placed on the stage,while the rest of the courtcrammed themselves into thestalls, galleries and boxes towatch. This must have been

an exceedingly unnervingoccasionforMarieAntoinetteas she sat with the King ononesideandhernewbrother-in-law Artois on the other,while her husband LouisAugustewasopposite her onthe other side of theenormouswhitelinencoveredtable.Alsoinattendancewerethe Duc and Duchesse ofChartres and the Princess deLamballe, who was at theother end of the table,

oppositeherfather-in-lawtheDuc de Penthièvre. MadameduBarrywasnotinevidence,although she was in one ofthe boxes overlooking thestage, enjoying the spectacleandperhapsalsosomechoicedishes sent up to her by heradoringroyallover.Everyoneelse at the table was alreadyknown to Marie Antoinetteand she must have takensomecomfortfromthatwhiledoing her best to ignore the

stares of the courtiers whowere watching them eat asthough they were literallyperformingonthestage.The banquet went on for

several excruciating hoursand as the heavens brokeoutside and the revellersoutside in the gardens wereforcedtotakeshelterfromtherain, the numbers ofspectators in the theatre alsoincreased. Marie Antoinetteate very little of the

wonderfulfoodplacedbeforeher but across the table theDauphin was seen to beenjoying himself perhaps alittle too much, heaping hisplate high with delicaciesuntil finally his grandfatherleaned towards him andwhispered, ‘Go easy, myboy.’The Dauphin looked

surprised, perhaps evenpausing with a fork of foodhalfway between plate and

mouth. ‘Why?’ he asked, ashis brother Provence giggledbeside him. ‘I always sleepbetterafteragoodmeal.’When the banquet finally

came to an end, the royalfamily, many of whomweremore than a little inebriatedby the fine wines andsplendid gourmet foods withwhich they had been treated,got up to escort the newlymarried couple, who hadbarely spoken more than

perhapshalfadozenwordstoeach other since theirwedding, to MarieAntoinette’s bedchamber.The Archbishop of Rheimssprinkled holy water on thebedsheets before the coupleretreatedtotheirownsidesofthe bed and wereceremoniously helped intotheir nightclothes in front ofanintimidatinglylargecrowdof spectators, with the Kinghanding his visibly terrified

grandsonhisnightshirt,whilethe Duchesse de Chartres,who was the highest statuslady present helped theblushing Marie Antoinetteinto her lace edged andembroiderednightgown.The young couple were

then helped into the bed andsattherestifflysidebysideasthe heavy brocade bedcurtains were closed for amomentthenopenedagaintosymbolise the consummation

that everyone optimisticallyhoped would ensue after theKing and courtiers gravelysaid goodnight and departed.The King paused for amoment in the doorway andgavethelittleDauphineasadlast look, no doubt fullyaware that his shy andungainly fifteen year oldgrandson, whom he haddescribed ‘as not a man likeothers’ would almostcertainly not be making any

attempt to consummate hismarriage. However, althoughhe was saddened and ratherperplexed by the boy’sapparentlackofinterestinhisbride,hislettersrevealthathewas at least still relativelysanguine that he would intime grow to appreciateMarieAntoinette’sundoubtedcharms. After all, how couldhenot?The Dauphin had already

departed by the time Marie

Antoinettewaswokenup thenextmorningtofaceherfirstformal levée at Versailles.Thelevéewasanoldtraditionwhereby the foremostmembersof the royal family,specifically the King andQueenformallygotup in thepresence of their households.It was considered atremendous honour to takeactual part in this, either byholding a basin or handingover an item of clothing, as

Marie Antoinette wouldeventually find to her costwhen on one occasion shewas left naked and shiveringbythesideofherbedasfirstthe Duchesse d’Orléans andthen the Comtesse deProvencearrivedoneaftertheother, delaying the momentwhen the highest rankedwoman present could handher a shift with which tocover herself, while all thewhile Marie Antoinette

mutteredfuriouslyabouthowutterly preposterous thewhole affair was. On themorning after her weddinghowever, Marie Antoinettewas still too bewildered andintrigued by Versailles toraise much complaint as shewas chivvied out of bed andthen dressed in front of herladies while the maidsstrippedthebedsheets,raisingtheir eyebrows discreetly tosignify to everyone present

thattheywereperfectlycleanand that there had thereforepresumably been noconsummation.It didn’t take long for

rumours about theDauphin’slackof amorousperformanceto spread through the gossipcrazedcourt and for thenextfew days no one could talkabout anything else as thesilent, embarrassed lookingyoung prince squired hisenchanting young bride

through a series of opulentcourt events designed tocelebrate their marriage.There were more concerts,plays and banquets to beenduredaswellasasplendidstate ball in the new theatre,where Marie Antoinette andthe Dauphin led a statelyminuet in front of the entirecourt before the Dauphinglumly departed to the daisbesidehisgrandfatherandhisbride gave herself up to the

enjoyment of dancing withhis amusing cousin the Ducde Chartres, who was ratherbored by her childishconversation but still verymuch admired her glowinggoodlooks.While thecourtiersdanced

thenightawayinthesplendidsurroundings of the newtheatre, over 200,000 peoplewereenjoyinga fabulousbalchampêtre in the palacegardens, which were thrown

entirely open to the publicandfilledwiththeallmannerof revelry, suchasorchestrasplaying in the lanternilluminated groves, dancingon the lawns; decoratedgondolas wafting slowlyacross the great canal;jugglers, acrobats, troupes ofactors and fire breathers onthe splendid parterres andthen finally a wonderfulfirework display, whichMarie Antoinette watched

fromawindowintheHallofMirrors,nodoubtdesperatelylonging to be either outsideenjoyingthefunoruponthepalace roof where her livelybrothers-in-lawhadgonewiththe other young courtiers toget a better view of thedisplay.The celebrations were due

to conclude with a hugepublic fireworks display inParisattheendofMaywhichMarie Antoinette, to her

tremendous joy, waspermitted to attend in thecompany of her husband’sthree aunts while theDauphin, for whateverreason, preferred to remainbehind in his apartments.Otherthanherbriefovernightstay at La Muette, MarieAntoinette had not caught asingle glimpse of thefamously gay and beautifulFrench capital and she wasthrilled to be finally going

there. However, before hercarriage had even arrived atthe grand Place Louis XVthey were greeted by thescreams and cries of theterrified crowd as dozens ofpeople confused by thedarkness fell into the opentrenches of the Rue Royale,which was still underconstruction, there to becrushedandsuffocatedasthecrowd continued to surgeoverhead and carriages still

tried to force their waythrough. The result waswholesale panic and thedisappointed and terrifiedMarieAntoinettewasobligedto turn around and return toVersailles.Horrified and deeply

distressed by what she hadwitnessed, theDauphinewasgreeted at Versailles by heryoung husbandwho, hithertoso silent and morose by herside, now astonished her by

listening sympathetically toher account of whathappened. The next morninghe sent his entire monthlyallowance to the Minister ofPolice with a note sayingsimply, ‘This is all I have todisposeof.Useitasbestyoucan. Help those who need itmost.’Deeply touchedbyhisconcern and generosity,Marie Antoinetteimmediately followed suitwith her own allowance

which had the effect ofmaking both instantly laudedby the Parisians as angels ofbenevolence, which bothpleasedandpiqued theKing,whose own donation hadreceived no suchcommendation, in equalmeasure.Horrible though the

tragedy in Paris undoubtedlywas, it had the effect ofdrawing the young MarieAntoinette and her husband,

who still remembered hisgovernor Vauguyon’slectures about theuntrustworthiness of Austria,a little further together.Theirtastesmightbeverydifferent,with Marie Antoinette beingof a far more lively andsociablebentthanhershyandretiring husband, who lovedbooks and history and thelong evenings at the theatrethatshefoundsotedious,buthere at least, in their shared

compassion,kindheartednessand instinctive philanthropy,they found some commonground and were able tobeginbuildinga friendship ifnot a romance. Just a fewweeks after their weddingthingshadprogressedenoughfor Marie Antoinette to beable to write to her motherthat her husband had‘changed very much for thebetter. He is very friendlytowardsmeandbeginning to

confide inme. Also theKingcouldnotbekinderandisfullof attentions. I love himdearly,butitispathetictoseehowweakheiswithMadamedu Barry, who is the silliestand most impertinentcreatureimaginable.’Their shared hostility

towards Madame du Barry,fanned by Louis Auguste’stroublemaking trio of auntswho absolutely loathed thisparvenu upstart, also had the

affect of bringing the youngcouplefurthertogetherastheDauphin was pleased todiscoverthatbeneathhisnewwife’s frivolous exterior shewas as morally fastidious ashe was himself and equallyinclined to look upon theactivities of his grandfather’slow born mistress with acensorious eye. However,while Marie Antoinetteshowedherdispleasurewithaheavy silence and refusal to

even so much as look atJeanne du Barry when theyfoundthemselvesinthesameplace, the Dauphin had to atleastmaintain theappearanceof civility for the sake ofgood relations with hisgrandfather,especiallyasshewas fond of presiding overtheintimatelittlesuppersthatthe King hosted after hishunting parties which theDauphin, himself an ardentdevotee of the hunt, would

usuallyattend.Thrown together in

marriageatsuchatenderage,Marie Antoinette and LouisAuguste were barelybeginning to knowthemselves before they wereexpectedtoget toknoweachother as well and it is littlewonderthattheywereatfirstrather standoffish with eachother. Although MarieAntoinette gave theappearance of being a light

hearted social butterfly, shewas at heart also rather shyand, like her new husband,much preferred the companyofafewlikemindedandwellchosen intimates to a greatcrowd of people. They alsoshared a taste for the simplelife, fostered in the case ofMarie Antoinette by hercheerful, informal Austrianupbringing, while LouisAuguste looked to the quiet,affectionate, comfortable life

enjoyedbyhisownparentsashismodelofhowamarriageshouldbe.Thesewere thingsthattheywereabletofindoutabout each other over thefollowing few years though,as their tentative friendshipdeepened and a mutualrespect and regard flourishedbetweenthem.Emboldened both by her

success with his grandfather,who thought she wasdelightfulandpettedher ina

manner that recalled tomindthe way that Louis XIV hadlavishedattentiononhisowncharming mother MarieAdélaïdedeSavoiewhenshefirstarrivedatVersaillesasagirl of ten, and the increasedfriendliness of the Dauphin,Marie Antoinette began totreat him with the samecareless, breezy affection asshe treated everyone else,spontaneously hugging himwhen he visited her rooms

andchatteringawayaboutherday. She also kept in mindher mother’s advice that: ‘awomanshouldbeinallthingsobedient to her husband andhave no other thought but toplease himand carry out hiswishes. The only realhappiness in this world is asuccessful marriage. I knowwhat I am talking about. Alldependsonthewoman,ifsheis willing, loving andamusing.’ Unwilling and

bewildered at first, theDauphin, so starved ofaffection since the death ofhis mother, soon came toappreciate her efforts and intime even returned heraffection - at first with apunctilious gravity that soongaveway to genuinewarmthand then,onhispartat least,actuallove.In the bedchamber,

however, things remainedmuch the same as they had

done on that very first nightand although the Dauphinsoon proved himself willingto hug his wife and even onoccasion kiss her cheek infront of the court, there wasverylittleofthatsortofthinggoing on in the all importantmarriage bed, where everynight the shy young couplewould bid each other a civilgoodnightthenchastelygotosleep beside each other.Although it was

commonplace for youngcourtiers of the Dauphin’sage to have been introducedtoamorousadventuresbyoneof the experienced olderladiesof thecourtoraprettyand, one hopes, disease freeyoung courtesan, LouisAuguste had shown no tastefor such affairs and wasalmost certainly still a virginat the time of his marriage.However, even if hewas notinclined towards sex, hewas

still very much aware of hisduty as heir to the throne ofFrance and the lack ofconsummation almostcertainlyweighedasmuchonhis mind as it did on MarieAntoinette’s.Theywerebothveryyoung

though and although bothKing Louis and MariaTheresa were impatient forthe deal to be sealed andmatters to advance betweenthem, it was also accepted

that there was still plenty oftimeforasexual relationshiptodevelopnaturallyonce thecouplehadgot toknoweachother a bit better.Besides allthis,LouisXVwas still onlysixty years old and to allintents and purposes in theveryprimeoflife-therewasplenty of time to go beforehis grandson and his littleAustrian wife would beexpected to take up themantle of real authority or

were under real pressure toproduceanheir.Quite apart from getting

acquainted with her newhusband, there was also theequally peculiar and oftenconfusing Versailles to getused to - enormous, splendidandfallingapartattheseams,it was an extraordinary andrather ridiculous mausoleum,completelyoverthetop,builton a massive scale andalways full to the rafters of

people,manyofwhomreallyhadnobusinessbeingthereatall. It had swelled andbecome bloated in size sinceits heyday a century earlierandwasnowhometoalmostfour thousand people, onlythe most privileged andfavoured of whom wereaccordedanythingsofancyasa small and exceedinglycramped suite of rooms,while everyone else had tomake do with squalid little

chambers beneath the eaves.Notthatanyonecared-tobeaccepted and housed atVersailles was stillconsidered to be the mostimmense honour and if theuninsulated rooms werefreezing cold in the winterand intolerably hot in thesummer then no one wasgoing to be so ungrateful astocomplainaboutthis.Duringthedaythepalace’s

residentswerealso joinedby

dozens of merchants andhawkers who set up theirstalls on the staircases, alongthe corridors and out in thegardens,sellingtheirgoodstoboth the courtiers and thehundreds of visitors whocrammed into the palaceevery day, much as they donow, to stare aboutthemselves at all themagnificence and perhapseven catch a glimpse ofroyalty passing by on their

way toMass or sitting downfordinner.As Marie Antoinette,

always accompanied by twoladies of waiting, made herway from her rooms to thechapel forMassorout to thegardens to walk her badlytrained and completely spoiltlittle dogs, she did so past avast crowd of people, heldbackbythepalaceguardsbutstill permitted to stare at herand even call out comments

as she went by. Her everygesture, word and look wereobserved and discussed atgreat length, particularlythose thatwereconsidered toconfer favour on othercourtiers. Louis XIV hadmadehimself the sun thatallthecourtmustrevolvearoundand although the prestige ofthe royal family had beensomewhat tarnished since theglory days of the great SunKing, they were still the

centralfocusofthecourtwitheveryone clamouring forwhatever scraps of attentionand favour they could getfromtheroyalhands.Also hoping for scraps

fromtheroyalhandswerethepalace dogs, which roamedthe galleries and splendidrooms in snarling, barkingpacks. Most of the royalfamily had pet dogs (whileLouis XV, contrary asalways,hadanenormousand

extremely unpopular and badtemperedwhiteSiamesecat),ranging from the pamperedand badly trained littlespaniels of the aunts to thebigger hounds kept forhunting and there were alsothepetsofthecourtierswhichran underfoot everywhere inthe palace, howling, barking,snapping at ankles andbegging formorsels of food.Their presence also added tothe revolting smells and

odours that assailed visitorsandresidentsalikethroughoutthe palace, where latrineswere short in supply andpeople taken short wouldoften retreat into corners oroutintothegardenstorelievethemselves so that the ladiesofthecourthadtotakeacarenot to trail their expensiveand elaborately trimmedgowns in the effluvia thatcovered the floors andalleyways.

High up in her beautifulnewrooms,whichhadfinallybeen finished not too longafter her wedding, MarieAntoinette was cut off frommost of the noise, dirt andsqualor thatassailedmuchofVersaillesbut still shewouldhave been able to hear thedistant shouts of the vendorsas they plied their trade onthe staircases, the barking ofdozensofdogs,theringingofthe chapel bells and the

endless chatter of thecourtiers as they went abouttheir business, theiraristocratichighheeledshoes,thesoles traditionallypaintedred in a style since emulatedby Christian Louboutin, clipclopping on the polishedfloors.AlthoughMarieAntoinette

had been warmly welcomedto the French court by theroyal family, she still feltisolatedandlonelyinhernew

life.Usedtobeingattheheartof a large and boisterousyoung family, life seemed toher to have a very differentflavour at Versailles, whereeveryone seemed to be inthrall to an excessivelyconstraining system ofetiquette that had been laiddown over a century before.As Dauphine, MarieAntoinettenow foundherselfat the very centre of thissystem,headingupasshedid

an enormous household ofher own, most of which hadbeen inherited from thedeceased Queen and formerDauphine. Besides her damed’honneur, Madame deNoailles, there was also aMistress of the Robes andtwelvechiefladiesinwaiting,thedamespouraccompagnerMadame la Dauphine, all ofwhom were exceedinglyhighly born and wellconnected.Belowtheseladies

there were femmes dechambre,whowere lesswellborn but would have had tohave been no less wellconnected to have been ableto secure such sought afterpositionsatcourtandbeneaththem there were theDauphine’s maids, known asthe femmes rouges inreference to the red dressesthat they wore as uniform,and whose duty it was toperform the most menial

tasks in Marie Antoinette’srooms, such as bringing herdailyoutfits,lookingafterherclothes and making her bed.Besides all of these ladies,there were also pageboys,valets, equerries, cooks,surgeonsandgenerallackeys;all of whom devoted theirlives tomaking theexistenceof this one pamperedindividualrunassmoothlyaspossible.Shortly after hermarriage,

Marie Antoinette wrote adescription of her dailyroutine in a letter to hermother. Although theDauphine remains typicallychipper and upbeat aboutwhat sounds like therelentless boredom andloneliness of her life, it alsorevealsagreatdealabouthergrowing closeness with herhusband whom, she is atpains to tell her mother, sheseesagreatdealofduringthe

day and the amount ofinfluence that his aunts werebeginningtoholdoverher.‘Igetupbetweennineand

ten o’clock, and havingdressed say my morningprayers, then have breakfastand go to visit my aunts,whereIusuallyfindtheKing.This lasts until about tenthirty. At eleven I have myhair dressed. After whicheveryone is allowed to comein-thatis,everyonewhohas

therightofentry.Iputonmyrougeandwashmyhands infront of them all. Then thegentlemengoaway,whiletheladies stay and I put on myformal dress. Mass is atmidday,and if theKing isatVersailles I gowith theKingandmyhusband. If he is nottherethenIgoalonewiththeDauphin.AfterMass,thetwoof us dine alone, but anyonewho cares to can come andwatchus.Aswebotheatvery

quickly we have finished byhalf past one, and I go backwith the Dauphin to hisapartments,butifheisbusyIgo back to my own where Iread or write or work, for Iamembroideringawaistcoatfor the King, which is notmakingmuchprogress,butbythe Grace of God I hope toget it finishedinafewyears.AtthreeoclockIgoagaintomyaunts,whereIusuallyfindthe King. At four, the Abbé

(Vermond, who continued inher household in France)comes to see me and at fivethere is the music master,who stays until six when Ieither return to my aunts orgoforawalk.Imusttellyouthat my husband almostalwayscomeswithmetovisitthe aunts. At seven we sitdowntocards,but if it’s finethenIgoagainforawalk.Atnine we have supper and iftheKingisnottheretheaunts

come and have supper withus.Otherwisewe go to themwhere after supper we waitfor the King, who usuallyappearsataboutaquartertoeleven. But while waiting Iput myself on a comfortablesofa and sleep until hearrives.Whenhe isnot therewegotobedateleven.’It’salsointerestingthatshe

mentions reading as one ofher activities when theDauphin is ‘too busy’ to

spend time with her in theafternoon - perhaps theefforts ofAbbédeVermond,who had travelled toVersaillesinherwaketotakeup the position of Reader inher household there and wasthoughttohaveaverymalignand unwelcome influenceovertheyoungDauphine,hadfinallypaidofformaybeshewas hoping to please herbookish husband, perhaps byasking him to choose some

books for her? Alternatively,this could just be an attemptto pull the wool over hermother’s eyes by pretendingto be spending her time in amoreworthyoccupation thanjust lazing on a sofa whilechatting about fashion andhair feathers with thePrincesse de Lamballe, whowasbynowherbestfriendatcourt.Besides the devotedAbbé,

Marie Antoinette also saw a

great deal of the AustriandiplomatMercyd’Argenteau,a highly educated, urbaneman,utterlydevotedtoMariaTheresa,whowas to becomesomething of a father figuretoherdaughterover thenextfewyears.ItwasMercy’sjobtoadvisetheyoungDauphineandhelpheravoidthepitfallsof life at Versailles, whichoften involved acting as amouthpiece of her mother,who sent him a constant

stream of commands andadvice tobepassedon to theunfortunate girl. He alsoacted as a sort of unofficialspy, delicately using hisdiplomaticskills topumptheunsuspecting MarieAntoinette for intimateinformation about herrelationshipwiththeDauphinand other members of hisfamilybeforesecretlypassingit all on to her mother whothenterrifiedtheDauphineby

seeming to have an alarmingomnisciencewhen it came toher daughter’s most privateaffairs.ItwasalsoMercy’sdutyto

facilitate the correspondencebetweenmotheranddaughterwhich flourished during thismost interesting time.Beforeher departure from Vienna,Marie Antoinette had beenorderedtowritehomeonceamonth to give her mother afull and up to date report of

allheractivities,includinganupdate about her irregularmenstrual cycle and theongoing efforts to make theDauphinfancyherabitmore.To these sadly blotched,misspelt and crossed outmissives, Mercy would thenattach his own secret reportsgiving a bit more context tothe Dauphine’s letters andadding little titbits from hisown close observations ofMarie Antoinette and her

circle.It was Mercy’s shrewd

opinion that the aunts,outwardly so benign andwelcoming of this newcomertotheroyalcircle,exertedfartoo much influence overMarieAntoinetteandwereindanger of effectivelyestrangingher from theKingby encouraging her to snubMadame du Barry. MarieAntoinette may have beenblissfully unaware of the

aunts’ true feelings towardsher, but it had not escapedMercy’s attention that theyhad been bitterly opposed tothe Austrian marriage fromthe outset and had taken toprivately referring to theirnew niece-in-law by themocking soubriquet of‘L’Autrichienne’. They were,moreover, busily spreadingrumours about her while allthe while smiling andwelcoming her to their

apartments several times aday and commissioningportraitsofhertohangthere,including the famouslydelightfulKrantzinger one ofher dressed ‘à l’Amazone’ inher red masculine cut ridinghabit and tricorne hat, whichdelighted hermother when acopy was sent to Vienna in1771. However, as theDauphinremainedsofondofhisauntstherewasnothingtobe done but hope that his

affectionforhisprettyyoungwife would eventuallysupersedetheonethathestillretained for this triumvirateof unpleasant, embitteredwomen, whose chiefremaining pleasure in lifeseemed to bemaking troublefor everyone else and were,besides, motivated by aterrible personal jealousy ofMarieAntoinetteherselfwhowas already such a favouritewiththeiradoredfather.

However, for now theyaccepted that she was theirbest chance tooust thehatedMadame du Barry and soencouragedhervisits to theirrooms,whileatthesametimefilling her pretty little earswith poison about theirfather’s mistress, sparing nodetail while regaling therather prim girl, Mama’sperfect daughter who wasmore like the Empress thaneither might have cared to

admit, with stories aboutMadame du Barry’sscandalouspast.Forherpart,Madame du Barry hadinitially made friendlyovertures towards theDauphine but upon being sosoundly snubbed had insteadtakentoloudlymakingfunofherwithhercattyfriendsandevennicknamedher‘Carrots’inreferencetoherstrawberryblonde hair. The Dauphine’scarelessmannerofdresswas

also picked apart by thefashion obsessed Du Barrywho mocked MarieAntoinette to the King as adowdy little prude. There iseven a story that theDauphine, while passingbeneath the favourite’swindows at Versailles, wassplatteredwithordurefromachamber pot that one of hermaids was emptying out ofthe window (not an unusualincident,sadly)andhadgone

totheKingtocomplainthatithad been done deliberately.Louis,boredand fedupwithbeing caught betweenbickering women, refused togetinvolved.It was true, however, that

after her marriage, MarieAntoinette had fallen backintoherlaxyouthfulhabitsofnot really paying too muchattention to her appearance,no doubt encouraged in thisby the aunts, who never got

dressed unless they couldhelp it and would hide theirstate of lazy déshabillebeneath voluminous silkmantles when their fathercame to visit. There was anongoing battle with theComtesse de Noailles abouther unwillingness to wear arestrictive corset beneath herdressesandshebarelyhadthepatience to sit still for longenough to have her hairdone.

Naturally,thankstoMercy,it didn’t take long for all ofthistocometotheearsofhermother, who immediatelyfired off a letter to herrebellious daughter. ‘I begyou not to neglect yourappearance. It is verywrongtodosoatyourage,andevenworse when you are in yourposition… Which is why Ikeep pestering you on thesubject, to warn you againstlettingyourselfgoandending

up like the French royalfamily,whohavenoideahowtopresentthemselvesortosetthe tone, or even to amusethemselves in an honestway… It is possible to bevirtuousandatthesametimetobegayandsociable.’All of this was small fry,

however, when placedalongside the fact that theaunts were maliciouslyencouragingMarieAntoinetteto be as rude as possible to

Madame du Barry at a timewhen that lady’s ascendancyover her royal lover wasincreasingbytheday.Invaindid Mercy berate MarieAntoinette,informingherthatherownpositionatcourtwasnot yet so secure that shecould afford to completelyalienate the King’s mistressand through her, the Kinghimself.Heremindedherthatwitheachpassingmonth thather marriage remained

unconsummated, her positionat court became increasinglyinvidious as the enemies ofthealreadyunpopularFranco-Austrian alliance plotted toget rid of the unsatisfactoryDauphine, whose marriagecould still be summarilydissolvedandwhosepositionwas furtherweakened by thedismissal from position ofChiefMinisterof theDucdeChoiseul, who had been thechiefarchitectofhermarriage

and his replacementwith theDucd’Aiguillon,whowasnofriend to Austria andfurthermore belonged to thecotérieofMadameduBarry.However, Marie

Antoinette,usedallherlifetoadmiration and flattery hadnot yet properly learned thatbehind honeyed words andempty smiles there often layfar darker thoughts andpurposes and so could notquite believe that she had

actual enemies at the Frenchcourt, who would be morethan happy to see herignominiously packed offbacktoViennawhereshehadcome from. She had no ideaof the nasty rumours andgossip that were alreadycirculatingabouther,manyofthem emanating from thegildedapartmentsoftheauntsthatshetrustedsomuch,andsherefusedtobelievethattheKinghimselfwasnotentirely

pleased with how hisgrandson’s marriage wasprogressing.Maria Theresa was

exasperatedbyherdaughter’sintransigence and wrote herfurious letters, demandingthatsheshowmorefavourtoMadame du Barry as thecurrent stand off was inserious danger of hurtingrelationsbetweenAustriaandFrance. ‘What is all this fussandbother…ofaddressingas

much as a word to peoplewhomyouhavebeenadvisedto speak to, the inability tosaygoodmorning,ormakeacompliment or exchangesomeothertriviality.Allthesetiresome caprices for noother reason than that youhave allowed yourself tobecome so enslaved by yourauntsthatyouhaveforgottenboth reason and a sense ofduty…Whatexcusehaveyougot to behave in this way -

none whatsoever! You areonly required to knowMadame du Barry as a ladywho has an entrée at courtand who is admitted to thesociety of the King of whomyouare the firstsubject. It isthe King to whom you oweobedienceandsubmission,asan example to the court andto see that his orders arecarriedout.Noonehasaskedyou tobecome intimateor toindulge in any kind of

familiarity, all that isrequired is an impartialword,acertainregardnotforthe lady herself but for yourgrandfather,yourmasterandyour benefactor, whom youhave let down on the firstoccasion when you couldhave obliged him and shownhimyourattachment.’Astoundedandashamedby

such heated missives, MarieAntoinette promised Mercythatshewoulddoherbest to

obligetheKinginthismatterand let it be known that shewould address a word to theComtesse after the eveningcard game at Compiègne,where theywere staying thatsummer. However, just asMadameduBarrydrewnear,pleasantly smiling as sheanticipated this mark of rarefavour from the silly littlesnobbish Dauphine, MadameAdélaïde,theeldestandmosttroublemaking of the aunts,

whowaskeentoscupperthisreconciliation, stepped infrontofherandwhisperedtoMarie Antoinette that theywere late and it was time toretireandwaitfortheKinginher apartments. Flustered,Marie Antoinette did as shewas told and ran off inMadame Adélaïde’s wakeleaving the royal favouritechagrinedandmortifiedwhilethe restof thecourthid theirmalicious smilesbehind their

paintedandbejewelledfans.The King was absolutely

furious when the sorry talereachedhisearsandeventhemeek Dauphin, who had noliking for Madame du Barryeitherbutknewbetterthantoshout it from the rooftops,upbraided his aunt for herinterference in this matter,motivated chiefly by concernfor his wife. Although theKing did not personallychastiseMarieAntoinette for

her behaviour, he let hisdispleasure be known andthere was another round offurious letters from MariaTheresa and lectures byMercy, who did his best topointoutjusthowmaligntheinfluenceoftheauntsactuallywas.Intheeventittookquitea few more months beforeMarie Antoinette, provokedto stubborn defiance, agreedto tryagainand this time theaunts did not interfere as the

Dauphine turned to MadameduBarryonNewYear’sDay1772 and lightly remarkedthat ‘There are a greatmanypeople at Versailles today.’Everyone was delighted,especially the King, butMarieAntoinettewould laterbitterly informMercy that: ‘Ihavespokentoheronce,butIamdeterminedtoleavethingsthere.Thatwomanwillneveragain hear the sound of myvoice.’

Basking in the King’srenewed favour, MarieAntoinette began to havemore fun at Versailles. Shestarted to throwweekly ballsin her apartments where themen came in full courtclothes and the womenworewhiteandeven theComtessedeNoaillesunbentenoughtothrow her some parties inorder to make her moreacquainted with the youngpeopleofthecourt.ToMarie

Antoinette’sgreatdelight,theDauphin insistedupon takingdancing lessons so that hewouldn’tshowherupattheseparties and instead of shylyretreating into the cornerwould now happily partnerher in the occasionalquadrille.Aswell as dancing,Marie

Antoinette also took upriding. Naturally she hadlearned the rudiments ofhorse riding in Vienna but

had been discouraged fromtaking a greater interest byhermotherwhobelievedthatexcessive horse riding wasinjurious to reproductivehealth and that long hoursspent in the saddle wereruinous to the complexion.Shewas enraged tohear thatKing Louis had beenencouraging her daughter tolearn to ride properly ondonkeys and then, dressed ina charming riding habit that

showedoffherslenderfigure,to follow the royal hunts,although even she had toconcede that taking aninterestintheDauphin’smostbeloved pastime wasprobably a good idea underthe circumstances. MarieAntoinette delighted in theseoccasions and would oftenprovide a sumptuous picnicfor her husband and hisfriends which they wouldtake informally beneath the

trees of the royal huntingforests.As Mercy had predicted,

the toxic influence of theaunts began to lessen asMarie Antoinette began toincreasingly dominate herhusband andwean him awayfrom them. The widening oftheir immediate family circlealso contributed to thisthough as Louis Auguste’ssistersleftthenurseryandhisbrothers got wives of their

own, which meant that therewere more young people onhandtosocialisewithandtheprospect of spending yetanotherdulleveninglisteningto Madame Adélaïde’s illnatured gossip became farless enticing than time spentwithpeopleoftheirownage.Asheryoungsistersinlaw

Clotilde and Élisabeth grewup, Marie Antoinette dideverythingshecouldtomakelife more fun for them both,

showering them withconcerts, parties, picnics andvisits to the neighbouringestatesoffavouredaristocratsand making sure that theircircle included young peopleof their own ages. All threegirls adored gardening andwould spend hours in thegrounds of Versailleswatching the gardeners atwork and planning their ownfuturegardens.Marie Antoinette was

especially fond of heryoungest sister-in-lawÉlisabeth and they becamequite good friends over theyears, despite the large agedifference between them.Bothgirlswereclearlydrawnto each other by sharing thesame fun loving, tomboyishnature as well as a mutualfeeling that they weresomewhatoutofplace in thehugesprawlingpalace,whereneitherwaslovedasmuchas

they wished to be, althoughthe young princess wasabsolutely devoted to herbrothers Louis Auguste andthehandsome,rakishArtois.Rougetdel’Isle,latertobe

writer of the Marseillaise,encountered the twoprincessesshortlyafterMarieAntoinettebecameQueenandrecalled that ‘I was fifteenyearsofageand…onholidaywith a lady who was arelationofmine,whohadher

lodgings at Versailles. All ofasudden,IheardthedoorofherapartmentinwhichIwas,being struck in a certainmanner, and my relation,verymuchupset, said tome:‘Ah, Dieu, my child, hidequickly, here’s the Queen!’And at the same time shepushedmeintothenextroom,quickly pulling the curtainsover me. And indeed, MarieAntoinette and MadameÉlisabeth came in, and soon,

freed from the yoke ofetiquette,theybegantojump,to run and to chase oneanother.’While Marie Antoinette

was busy getting acquaintedwith the Dauphin and rigidetiquetteof lifeat theFrenchcourt, arrangements were infullswingforthemarriageofher eldest brother-in-law,Louis Stanislas, Comte deProvence to the PrincessMariaGiuseppinaofSavoy,a

cousin of the Princesse deLamballe, which was toeventually take place atVersailles in May 1771,almostexactlyayearafterherown wedding. Naturally, asthe second son, Provence’swedding was not quite sograndasthatoftheDauphin’sand norwas thewife chosenforhimnearlyasprestigious,butstillMarieAntoinettewasdelighted to have anotheryoung woman of about her

own age (Maria Giuseppina,known in France as MarieJoséphine, was two yearsolder than both her husbandand Marie Antoinette) jointhe royal circle, even if hermother and Mercy, whoworried thatMarie Joséphinemight both supplant theirprotegée in Louis XV’saffections and, worse still,produce an heir, had seriousreservationsaboutthematch.They need not have

worried though - theSavoyard princess turned outto be not nearly so pretty asMarieAntoinette,withanosethat Louis XV described tohis nephew, the Duke ofParma as ‘villainous’. Shewas also, even by the ratherlax standards of eighteenthcentury France, rather lazywhen it came to personalhygiene to the point that adiscreetwordwasdroppedinherfather’searbytheFrench

ambassador, asking him tohaveawordwithhisdaughteraboutcleaningherteethmoreoften,havingmorebathsandattendingtoherunkempthair.Beside the exquisite MarieAntoinette, who was alsosomething of a natural scruffat this time but was at leastscrupulously clean andalways scrubbed up wellwhen itwas expected of her,Marie Joséphine had nochance and yet the girls

managed to become friendsof a sort, drawn together byhomesickness and a certainwryamusementat theabsurdgoings on within the familycircle that they had foundthemselves within whileMarie Antoinette, sodesultorywhenitcametoherown lessons, was ratherenviousofMarie Joséphine’sintelligenceandwitandevendemanded a new library,which Madame de Noailles

feared would remain sadlyuntouched, when the newComtesse, who was avoracious reader, waspresented with one upon herarrival at Versailles.However, Marie Antoinetteneeded to bear in mind thatthe Comtesse de Provence,outwardlysofriendly,wasfarbetter versed in thehypocritical arts of courtlydissimulation than she wasandhad,afterall,beenbusily

entertaining the despisedMadame du Barry to supperinherapartmentswhileatthesame time agreeing withMarieAntoinettethatshewasthe worst woman in theworld.When it came to the

production of an heir, therewas no need for concerneither. The Comte deProvence, who was still justfifteen, was almost certainlyimpotentatthistime,possibly

because he was already wellon the road toobesity thanksto a lack of exercise and anover fondness for the richmeals served at hisgrandfather’s court but alsoperhaps because of a lymphgland disorder that may alsohave affected his elderbrother and sister Clotilde.However, whereas LouisAuguste scuttled about thecourt,redfacedandmortifiedby the amused chatter about

his lack of sexual ardour,Provence, an entirelydifferent kettle of fish,brazened it out withimpressive indifference andwentabouttheplaceboastingof his prowess and claimingto be bedding his plain littlewifeseveraltimesanightandinallsortsofingeniousways.It was all lies of course buthis bravado was certainlyimpressive. As for Marie Antoinette

and Louis Auguste, althoughthey were now exceedinglyfondofeachotherandtookagreat delight in each other’scompany even if she neverquite got to gripswithLouisAuguste’s peculiar interests,which included lock makinginhisownpersonalforgeandreading history books,matters had still not reallyprogressed all that much inthebedchamber,althoughtheDauphin’s willingness to at

leasttryandhavesexwithhiswife had naturally increasedalong with his affection forher. They were sadlyhampered however by amutuallackofexperienceandalso much clumsyembarrassment, which meantthat the Dauphin wouldfumble around a bit, perhapseven get on top of MarieAntoinette, but then quicklygiveupandretreat,mortified,to his own side of the bed

before anything actuallyhappened. He promisedseveraltimes,oftenbeforethecourt moved to the smallerpalaces ofMarly,Choissy orCompiègne for the summer,that he would complete thedeed but each timewhateverplans hemay have hadwerealways scuppered either byillness or his own excessivefatigue upon returning fromthehunt.It’sprobablethatthetimid Louis Auguste was

horribly intimidated by thethought of performing suchan intimate act at Versaillesor Fontainebleau, whereeveryone knew everythingalmost as soon as it hadhappenedandsopreferred toattempt it at the lesspopulated andmore informalroyal residences, where hehad always felt more at easeandwherelifeingeneralwasfarmorelaidback.Towards the end of 1772,

King Louis, usually sosanguine about the wholesituation, decided to takemattersinhandandaskedhistactful and kindly physicianDr Lassonne to examine theyoung couple and discoverwhat was hindering theDauphinfromdoinghisduty.AswithMariaTheresa,itwasinconceivable to Louis thathis grandson, who was afterall a Bourbon, should be sobackward when it came to

sex, however he wasreassured by Lassonne’sreportsthattherewasnothingphysically wrong with theyoung couple but rather thattheir issueswere all down toinexperience and theDauphin’s ‘surprisingnonchalance and laziness’ inbed, in that hemade no realefforts toarousehiswifeandgave up the attempt topenetrate her far tooquickly,put off by the painful

sensation.However, gently

encouraged by Lassonne, theprince began to put moreeffort into his nighttimeendeavoursandsoon,inMay1773, Marie Antoinette wasable to report to her motherthatherhusbandwas‘a littlemore forward than usual’, adelicatewayofsayingthathehad started paying her moreattentioninbed.Justacoupleof months later, in July,

MarieAntoinettewasable toexcitedlyreporttohermotherthat ‘myaffairs have taken avery good turn… and that Iconsider my marriage to beconsummated; even if not tothe degree that I ampregnant.’ A few days laterthe young couple wenttogether to King Louis andthe Dauphin proudlyintroduced Marie Antoinetteto his grandfather as his‘wife’infactaswellasname.

The King was absolutelydelightedandthehappynewsquickly spread through thecourt, temporarily ending allrumours that MarieAntoinette would be packedoff back to Vienna andreplaced with a differentprincess, although naturallythe talk would soon beginagain when the Dauphinefailedtobecomepregnant.On one occasion, shortly

before themarriage of Louis

Auguste’s youngest brother,MarieAntoinette tried to tellhimhowupset shewould beif her new sister-in-law, theComtesse d’Artois, becamepregnantbeforeshedid. ‘Butdoyouloveme?’herhusbandasked.‘YoumustknowthatIdo,’MarieAntoinette repliedrather sadly. ‘I love yousincerelyandrespectyoustillmore.’ The Dauphin thenkissed her and promised torenewhisefforts,butsadlyit

was still invainand thenewsister-in-law would indeedhaveachildbeforeher.It had been intended for a

long time thatLouisCharles,Comte d’Artois should bemarried to the exquisiteLouise-Adélaïde de Condé,daughter of the Prince deCondé, who had recentlycome to court after leavingthe exclusive Parisianconvent school Panthémontandbecomeaclose friendof

both Marie Antoinette andher sister-in-law Élisabeth.Artois was certainly all infavourofthematchashehadlongbeenmadlyinlovewithLouise-Adélaïde and it hadhad the approval of hisgrandfather as well, as afterallher fatherwasaprinceofthe blood and yet anotherdescendantofLouisXIVandAthénaïs de Montespan.However, after Provence’smarriage to the Princess of

Savoy it was decided that tofurther cement the unionArtois should marry MarieJosephine’s younger sisterMaria Teresa and forget allabout the lovely Louise-Adélaïde, who had beennicknamed ‘Hebé-Bourbon’in tribute to her extremebeauty. They were bothheartbroken by this, as wasMarieAntoinette,whowouldhavedearlylovedtohavehadLouise-Adélaïde as a sister-

in-law, but Artois like hisbrothershadnochoicebut togiveinandwasdulymarriedtoMaria Teresa of Savoy inNovember 1773 with MarieAntoinette performing theofficeofhandingtheblushinglittle bride her nightgown onthe wedding night atVersailles.Although still no great

beauty,MariaTeresa, knownin France as Marie Thérèse,was still considered farmore

attractivethanhereldersisterand was therefore more of arival to Marie Antoinette.This rivalry was furthercompounded by the fact thatArtois, unlike his two elderbrothers, was already anexperienced ladies man andhad no problemsconsummating his marriagestraight away to the smugdelight of his sharp facedlittle bride who knew allabout the problems that the

other two couples werehaving. She and her sisterformed quite a formidablelittle unit at court andalthoughtheywereoutwardlyfriendly to Marie Antoinettewere as fond as the aunts ofgossiping about her behindher back and causing troublefor herwhenever they could,assisted by the Comte deProvence, who secretlyloathed his elder brother andhiswife,evenifhepretended

to be friendly to their faces.On one occasion though hiscarefully maintained maskslipped when the Dauphin,always clumsy, accidentallybrokeoneofProvence’smosttreasured pieces of Meissenchina and, enraged, theComtehadlungedathiselderbrother and knocked him totheground.Whathad at firstlooked like one of the usualplay fights that the brothersliked to indulge in, soon

became farmore serious andin the end Marie Antoinette,who received some scratchesforhertrouble,wasforcedtointervene and pull themapart.However, all the rivalries

and issues aside, themarriedgrandchildrenoftheKingandtheirfriendsformedtheirownmerry little cotérie atVersailles and were often tobe seen enjoying picnicstogether in the park, playing

cards and billiards, whichMarie Antoinette wasextremely good at andbecame something of apassion with her, or simplyenjoying each other’scompany in their enormousand exquisitely decoratedapartmentsinthepalace.TheComte de Provence and thetwoSavoyardPrincessesmayhave had malicious tonguesand a sly eyed tendency tolookaskanceatthefunofthe

others but the rest of thegroup,particularlytheComted’Artois and MarieAntoinette, wanted nothingmorethantoenjoylifetothefull andenjoy thedelightsofbeing rich, rather foolish andyoung at one of the mostdazzling courts in the world.In this theywere encouragedby their grandfather LouisXVwhomade no attempt toinvolve his grandsons inpolitics and did not even try

to prepare his heir theDauphin for his futureresponsibilities. Insteadheencouraged the

youngpeopletospendmoneylike water, have fun andgenerallybeanidle,silly lot.Possibly he was afraid ofendinguplikehisHanoveriancousins across the Channel,living at cross purposes withhis ambitious heirs, but hisapparent lack of interest ingiving Louis Auguste any

guidancewhenitcametohisfutureKingshipwascertainlya tremendous oversight. Hewas exceedingly fond of hisbevy of granddaughters-in-law though and in 1773commissionedabeautifulpairof paintings of MarieAntoinette and the Comtessede Provence from Drouais.The fashion for classicalconceits in portraiture wasdefinitelyonthewanebythemid 1770s but for once we

are treated to MarieAntoinette posing as Hebé,the messenger of the Gods,graceful in champagnecoloured silk and holding aGrecian ewer and a gobletwhile Marie Joséphine looksequally becoming as thegoddess Diana, dressed inblue silk with a leopard peltdrapedacrosshershoulders.Another favourite pastime

was to indulge in secretamateur theatricals with

Marie Antoinette and hersmall circle putting on smallplays which they performedon a quiet mezzanine behindthescenesatVersailles.Here,itwas the sharp tongued andmalicious Provence whoexcelled as he had aprodigious memory and wasactuallyquiteatalentedactor.Marie Antoinette was ratherless talentedbutmadeup forthis with great enthusiasmwhile her husband, still so

shy and awkward, refused toact at all but instead learnedthe plays and acted as anenthusiastic audience(reserving his loudest cheersandapplauseforhiswife)andprompt for the others,particularly Artois who wasaslazyandun-bookishashissister-in-law MarieAntoinette and so neverbothered to learn his linesproperly.The atmosphere of this

little circle, outwardly sofriendly but secretly soriddled with rivalry anddeceit is very well conveyedby a letter written home toher parents by MarieJoséphine, the Comtessed’Artois, describing herfrantic preparations for theannual summer timedeparture to Compiègne. ‘Idon’t know why I haven’tgone crazy. I’m surroundedby caskets, papers, books on

thefloor;mycasketisready;nowit’sbeenknockedover.Imust start all over again. Iget angry, they laugh, theygrabthepaperfromme…I’mina littlecorner, surroundedby baggage. Madame laDauphine is knockingeverythingover,theComtedeProvence is singing, theComte d’Artois is telling astorythathe’salreadystartedtelling ten times and he’sshouting at the top of his

voice and laughing loudly,and on top of everything,Monsieur le Dauphin isreadinga tragedyout loud. Ithink he thinks we’re deaf.There are also two birdssinging and three dogsmaking a deafening racket,oneismine,twoareMadamela Dauphine’s.’ A normalcheerful family party ofboisterous, mischievousteenagersthen,alldeterminedtomakethemselvesheardand

share their enthusiasms withtheothers.Usedasshewastobeing part of an enormoushappy family herself, MarieAntoinette thoroughlyenjoyed all of this noise andchaos and didn’t concernherself with what might besimmering underneath thesurface.Addedtoallthistherewere

now also the joys of Paris,which had seemed like anunattainable dream, so near

and yet so far away for theearly years of MarieAntoinette’s residence in theclosed world of the Frenchcourt. However, althoughKing Louis, so unpopularhimself in his capital,generally discouraged hisfamily from going there, hegraciously gave hispermission in February 1773for the young couples, theDauphin and MarieAntoinetteandtheProvences,

to secretly attend a maskedballattheOpéraHouseinthelast week of the Parisiancarnival. The Dauphin andProvences were less thanenchanted by the ball, whichthanks to its masked andpublicnatureinvolvedagreatamountof licentious freedombetween the sexes,butMarieAntoinette was in herelement, thrilled both by theunusual anonymity of beingabletominglewiththepublic

in her mask and also by thewild dancing, the air offlirtatious excitement and theunprecedented freedom ofbeing away from the endlessdreary etiquette and protocoloftheroyalcourt.Amusedbyher clear delight the Duc deChartresinvitedtheincognitoroyal party to continue thefun at was doubtless anextremely wild after party athis Parisian residence, thePalais Royal but Marie

Antoinette sadly declined hisinvitation, sensing theDauphin’s disapproval andalso a little alarmed by thefact that they had beenrecognisedbyotherrevellers.In the end the royal partyarrived back at Versailles atseven in themorning, just intime to hear Mass beforecollapsing intobed,wornoutby their frivolities. Later on,the Dauphine would proudlyrecountheradventures toher

mother, naively adding that‘everyone appears to bedelighted by the fact thatMonsieur le Dauphin shouldhaveconsentedtocometotheball, for he usually has anaversion to this kind ofparty.’Marie Antoinette, like so

many other women beforeandsince,hadfallenmadlyinlovewithParisandwouldnotrest until she could taste itspleasures again. She was

therefore delighted whenKingLouis, realising thathisown sadly diminishedpopularity could get a muchneeded boost from the clearaffection that the Parisianshadfortheyoungermembersof his family, agreed that itwas about time she and theDauphin made their officialentry to the capital, afterwhich they would be free toopenly visit whenever theyliked. The ‘Joyeuse Entrée’

of Marie Antoinette andLouisAuguste took place on8June1773whendressed informal magnificence theytravelled by carriage to thegatesofthecapitalwheretheDuc deBrissac,Governor ofPariswaswaitingtoformallypresent them with the keysandfreedomofthecity.Afterthis they travelled in aprocession through streetslinedwithenormouscheeringcrowdstoNotreDamewhere

they heard Mass beforeinspecting the newlycompleted church of SainteGeneviève (now known asPanthéon) and returning tothe long abandoned royalpalaceof theTuilerieswhichhad barely been used sincetheyoungLouisXV,broughtuptherebyhisregent,theoldDucd’Orléans,had taken thecourt back to Versailles in1722.Inthegloomyanddecayed

surroundings of the oldTuileries palace MarieAntoinetteandLouisAugustedined in solitary state,attended only by theDauphine’s ladies. A galleryoverlooking thechamberwasopen to respectably dressedmembersofthepublicthoughand they respectfully filedpast as the young coupleaffected not to notice theirpresence.Lesseasy toavoid,however,weretheshoutsand

bawdy cat calls of theParisian market women whowere allowed inside indeference to their traditionalposition as unofficial andextraordinarily outspokenmouthpieces of the generalpopulaceandwhonowbeganto, albeit in a good naturedfashion, heckle the Dauphinandhis prettywife about thelack of an heir. Luckily,Louis Auguste and MarieAntoinette were sufficiently

buoyed up by theirenthusiastic reception to findthis more amusing thanoffensiveanditallendedwellonbothsideswiththemarketwomen congratulating theDauphin on his pretty wifeand him grinning withagreement.After this interlude the

royal couple went out on tothe balcony overlooking theTuileries gardens, there toreceive the acclaim of the

several thousand people thathadgatheredtherewhiletheywereeating.MarieAntoinettetook a step back, astonishedandalittlefrightenedbysuchan enormous crowd,whispering, ‘There are somanyof them’ to theDucdeBrissac, who immediatelyreplied, with great aplomb:‘Madame, I hope thatMonsieur le Dauphin won’tbe jealous when I say thatyou have two hundred

thousandlovers.’Delighted by this, Marie

Antoinette then insistedupongoing down to the terrace tomingle with the people,taking her husband’s arm asshewentsothattheParisianswouldseeforthemselvesjusthow affectionate the youngcouple were towards eachother. The Dauphin wasequally keen to be seen andgave orders that the peoplemust be allowed to come as

close as they liked and werenottobepushedawaybythecrowds or hurt in any way.Thecouplethenwalkedasfaras they could until thetremendous press of thecheering, clamouring crowdsforced them to return to thepalace. A few days later, astill over excited MarieAntoinettewouldwritetotellhermother all about it. ‘LastTuesday I hadadaywhich Iwillnever forgetas longas I

live; we made our entranceintoParis.Asforhonours,wereceived every conceivableone; but although this wasvery well, it was not whattouched me the most, butrather the tenderness andeagernessofthepoorpeople,who, in spite of the taxeswhich oppress them, werecarried away with joy onseeing us. How fortunate weare, in our position, to havebeen able to win the love of

our people so cheaply. Andyet there is nothing moreprecious and I will neverforgetit.’Marie Antoinette even

tactfully informedLouisXV,who listened rather wistfullyto her tales of their greatsuccess, that ‘Your Majestymust be very much loved orwe would never havereceived such a welcome.’Theybothknewthesadtruthof the matter but it was

typical ofMarieAntoinette’sthoughtfulness that sheshould try to smooth anypotentialawkwardnessover.Now that the Dauphine

was free to visit Pariswheneversheliked,shethrewherself into the social life ofthe capital with enormousdelight: visiting the opera,theatre and balls in the city,making excursions tofactories,fairs,artisticstudiosandmuseums andbasking in

the adulation of the crowdsthat turned out in theirhundreds to see her. To hergreat pleasure, the Dauphinusually accompanied her onthese excursions, promptedboth by his love for her andalso the fact that he was alltooawarethatasfutureKingofFranceitwasnecessaryforhim to win the affection ofthenotoriouslyfickleParisianpopulace. In this at least,though, he seemed to be

having no difficulty as theParisians looked all set totake both LouisAuguste andhiswifetotheirhearts,seeingin them the hope of a moregolden age once the viceriddled regime of Louis XVcame to a much longed forend.Drawnintoanewpleasure

lovingworld and encouragedby her friends the Princessede Lamballe and theDuchesse de Chartres, Marie

Antoinettebegan toseeParisas the perfect antidote to theproblems that she faced atVersailles. Now in her lateteens, she felt the fullweightof her mother’sdisappointment about hercontinued childlessness, asituation that she too founddeeply distressing as shelongedforababyofherveryown. In the past she hadsought distraction by askingherladiesandeventhelesser

servants to bring theirchildren toherapartments sothatshemightplaywiththemand spoil them a little withtreats and presents. Now,however, all the years ofendless reproaches from hermother and those unfulfillingnight time fumblings fromher husband had worn herdowncompletelyandleftherdesperate for distraction, forsome form of escape. Shewas flattered and pleased by

her husband’s growing lovefor her and the shyway thathe tried to appeal to her bytrying to participate in herinterests even if she couldn’tquitebringherself toentirelyreciprocate. However, herown feelings for LouisAuguste, althoughaffectionate were notromantic and she had not, todate,ever truly fallen in lovewithanyone.It was the silly, frivolous

Duchesse de Chartres, whohad the enormous wealth ofboth her husband and herfather at her disposal, whofirst introduced MarieAntoinette to the politegamingtablesofParis,wherefarmoreexcitinggames thancavagnole were played andformuchhigherstakes.Itwasalso the Duchesse whointroduced the Dauphine,previously so careless of herappearance that she had

needed not one but twointerventions, to theworkshop of a certain RoseBertin, aParisiandressmakerand milliner whose immensetalents matched thetremendous costs of theoutfits and ridiculousheadpieces that she designedfor her aristocratic clientele.Fedupwithwhatfeltliketheendlessfrustrationsofherlifeat court, frustrated by hermother’s complaints,

frightened that Madame duBarry’s coterie would havetheir way and get her sentbacktoViennaandbeginningto wonder if she would everexperience for herself whatshe considered to be thesupreme joy of motherhood,the deeply unhappy MarieAntoinette sought to distractherself with all thefashionable, extravagantfrivolities that Paris couldofferher.

It was at amasked ball attheOpéraon30January1774thatshewastomeetAxelvonFersen for the first time andperhaps behold in himsomething of a romanticideal.Shehadgonetotheballwithherhusbandandtherestof their usualparty and then,as was now her custom, hadwandered off to havedelightfullittlechatswiththeother party goers, whopolitely pretended not to

know who this pretty littleingenue was. However, Axelvon Fersen, as rich andhandsome as the hero of aromantic novel and newlyarrived from his nativeSweden, had no idea of theidentity of this ravishinglydressed stranger whoaccosted him by the dancefloor and so enjoyed severalminutes informalconversation with her beforeheoverheardwhispersof‘It’s

Madame la Dauphine’ andrealised whom he had beenflirting with so delightfully.The giggling little Dauphinewas whisked away by hercompanions and beyondbeingalittleflatteredtohavebeen so singled out, hethoughtnomoreofitandnordid Marie Antoinette whenthey continued tooccasionally meet atVersailles over the followingfewmonthsbeforeFersenleft

forEngland.Besides, she had other

matters to distract her as shehad been encouraged by hermothertochampionthecauseofherformermusictutor,thealready celebrated composerGluckwhowishedtohavehisgroundbreaking operaIphigénieinAulideperformedin Paris but was having noluck persuading the snobbishdirectorsoftheParisOperatoaccept the piece. However,

with Marie Antoinette’spatronage,aperformancewassecured and when theDauphineannounced thatshewould be attending thepremiere on 19April, ticketsbegan to sell like hot cakesas, already, where theDauphine led everyone elsemust surely follow. Theperformance was,unsurprisingly, a resoundingsuccessandMarieAntoinette,used to regarding herself as

something of a dunce, wasable to instead preen herselffor being a patroness of thearts.However, in the wake of

this great public triumphcameenormoustragedywhenon 27 April, Louis Augusteand Marie Antoinette wereinformed that theirgrandfather Louis XV hadbeen taken ill at the PetitTrianon,hispleasurepavilionin the grounds of Versailles,

and would soon be told thattheymustpreparethemselvesfortheworst.

TheLittleQueen1774-1778

‘Indiscreetpleasures.’

King Louis fell ill whilecavorting with Madame duBarry during a romanticgetaway to thePetitTrianon,theirlittlepleasurepavilioninthe grounds ofVersailles.Atfirst theKing insisted thathejusthadacold,butwhenhis

symptoms took a moreserious turn a physician wassummoned who insisted thathe return to Versaillesimmediately,tellingtheailingKing:‘Sire,youmustbeillatVersailles.’ Although therewas not at first consideredany reason to fear theworst,it was clear to everyone thatshouldtheKing’sillnesstakea dire turn then it would befar more dignified to dieamidst the baroque

splendoursofhisbedchamberat Versailles than in hismistress’prettyboudoiratthePetitTrianon.Evenintheactofdyingdidetiquetteandtheterrible overriding fear oflosingeventheslightestbitofdignity rule the lives of theFrenchroyalfamily.King Louis was whisked

back to Versailles, where itwasconfirmedtwodayslaterthathehadfallenpreytothatscourge of royal families

acrossEurope: smallpox.Forthe good of his soul, he wasordered to send the terrifiedMadame du Barry, who hadnever had smallpox and sohad not acquired immunity,away but instead insisted,rather recklessly, that sheremain beside him, which toher credit she did. MarieAntoinette,whohadsurvivedsmallpox as a child and sowasimmune,alsoofferedherservice as nurse but was

ordered, along with the herhusband and his siblings, tostay in the safety of herapartments. Only the threeaunts, who had never hadsmallpox, were permitted toremain by their father’s sideand nurse him through hisillness.At first the doctors were

fairly sanguine about theKing’sprospectsofmakingafullrecoverybutby4Mayitbecamecleartoeveryonethat

hewasdyingandwhenonceagain he was asked to sendhis mistress away so that hecould confess and make hispeace with God, he did notthis time demur but insteadentrusted her to the care ofhis Chief Minister, the Ducd’Aiguillon. The distraughtMadame du Barry, whorealised that she would reapall that she had sown onceLouis Auguste and MarieAntoinette, the girl that she

had mocked and schemedagainst ever since her arrivalin France, succeeded to thethrone, left Versailles in theearlyhoursofthemorningina plain hired carriage andhastened to Aiguillon’schâteau at Ruel. She wasalmost as unpopular as herroyal lover and itwas fearedthatshemightbeattackedbythe large, more curious thanupset, crowd that had begunto gather outside the palace

when news of the King’sillnessbegantospread.On the morning of 7May

the libertineKing,bynow inaterriblestateandlyingonacampbed inhisbedchamber,made his first confession foralmost thirty years, the holysacraments having beenbrought to his chamber by along state procession headedby the Grand Almoner ofFrance and the devastatedLouis Auguste and Marie

Antoinette,whowaitedintheadjoiningcouncil chamber asthe King confessed thenreceived communion,promisingto‘upholdthefaithand his religion and dedicatehimselfentirelytothewelfareofhispeople’shouldhemakeamiraculousrecovery.For Marie Antoinette the

next few days were anightmare as, barred fromapproaching the King’sroomswhichwerefilledwith

a stench of death so terriblethat his servants fainted andno one dared approach hisdeathbed,shewaitedfornewswith her husband. LouisAugustewasalsoinaterriblestate and spent most of thetime praying for hisgrandfather’s soul, when hewasn’t weeping helplessly inher arms. Despite all of hisfaultshehadtrulylovedKingLouisandcouldnotyetbringhimself to contemplate the

fact of his imminentsuccession to the throne,which he did not feel at allprepared for. ‘I am the mostunhappy man in the world,’he told his wife as theywaited together for the newsof his grandfather’s death,which came at quarter pastthree on the afternoon of 10Maywhenacandleplacedinthe King’s bedchamberwindow was symbolicallysnuffed out and an usher

stepped out to announce thattheKingwasfinallydead.Immediately an immense

crowd of courtiers, who hadbeen loitering around thestate rooms of the palace,rushed down the beautifulHall of Mirrors, making ‘aterrible noise, exactly likethunder’ to the Salon ofPeace at the start of theQueen’s rooms, where theyfound Louis Auguste andMarie Antoinette, pale,

tearful and clinging togetherlike children, waiting forthem. ‘Dear God, guide usand protect us. We are tooyoung to reign,’ LouisAuguste whispered as theyfelltotheirkneesandledthecourtinaprayer.Hewasjustnineteen years old whileMarieAntoinette,his consortandthenewQueenofFrance,waseighteen.Afterreceivingthehomage

of their new court, the new

King and Queen of Francewere hustled out of thepalace, where over a dozenpeople had now died ofsmallpox along with KingLouis, and packed off in acarriage to the royal châteauat Choisy, which had been afavouritelovenestofthenowdead King and Madame dePompadour and was aprecursor in laid back, airystyle and ambience to thesmallerPetitTrianon.Sharing

their carriage were LouisAuguste’s brothers and theirwives,whoall sat in stunnedsilence until the Comtessed’Artois, only relativelyrecentlyarrivedinFranceandstill not in full command ofthe language, chanced aremarkwhich because of hercomical mispronunciationsent everyone off into fits oflaughter,therebybreakingtheice.Pretty, simply decorated

andsecluded,Choisywastheperfect place for the bereft,confused and frightenedyoung royal couple to cometo terms with both their lossand also the tremendouschange in theircircumstances. Theyremained there for severaldays, while in their absencefrom Versailles, the oldKing’s body, which wasbelieved to be highlycontagious, was driven with

all speed and very littleceremony to the royalnecropolis at Saint Denis tobequicklyburied.The ratherundignified hastewithwhichhiscortègemade the journeygivingrisetomockingshoutsof ‘Tally ho!’ from thepopulace, who showed adistinct lack of regret abouthis passing and were insteadlooking forward to an era ofhappiness and prosperityunder the new régime,

blissfully unaware that theirnewmonarchswereapairoffrightened adolescents,considered by even theirclosestfamilyandadvisorstobeinnowayfittorule.However, on the surface,

thenewreignstartedoffwellwith the new King sending200,000 francs of his ownmoney to be distributedamong the Parisian poor andthen refusing the increasedincome that was

automatically given to himupon his succession. MarieAntoinette immediatelyfollowed suit by refusing toaccepttheQueen’straditionaldroit de ceinture, anallowance dating fromMedievaltimesthathadbeennamedforthegirdlesthattheQueens of France hadtraditionally worn in themiddle ages. ‘Girdles are nolonger in fashion,’ the littleQueen said in explanation,

shrugging her scentedshoulders.Therewasnoneedto add that conspicuousexpenditure was also out ofstyle-everyoneknewthattheroyalcoffershadbeen left inthe parlous state by theextravagant Louis XV andthat the country itself wasteetering on the brink ofbankruptcy.The philanthropic gestures

of the new Louis XVI (the‘Auguste’ of his youth was

nowsummarilydropped)andMarie Antoinette had longsincemadethemfavouritesinParis, where they had thehabit of responding withprompt generosity to anypleas for assistance from thepopulace and, indeed, wereoftentheonlymembersoftheroyal family to do so. Theiropen handedness now wasseenasfurtherproofthatthisnew reign would be verydifferent to the last, as was

the young couple’s obviousfondness for each other.PreviousKingsofFrancehadsquandered astronomicalsums on their rapacious,expensive mistresses whilemore or less ignoring theirwives,wholedquietlivesoutof the public eye, content tobe trotted out on stateoccasions in between doingtheir duty and producingheirs.Now though therewasa morally wholesome King

whowasobviouslyentirelyinlove with his wife and hadeyes for nobody else. Howcould this be anything otherthan an augur for happier,more prosperous times tocome?ThedayswhenunrulyKings had been kept in lineby threats of Papalexcommunication andinterdict on their kingdomswere in the dim and distantpast but even so, away fromthe enlightened circles of the

court and cities, theeighteenthcenturywasstillasuperstitious age and it wasfelt by many of his peoplethat a sinful King wasindicative of a more generalrot at the very heart of thenationitself.Nonetheless, not everyone

washappywith thisnewandratherunusualstatusquo.Forall their unpopularity, andmost of them had been veryunpopular indeed, theKings’

mistresses in the past hadalmost always been Frenchand, court factions andtiresome squabbling aside,thereforeperceivedasalwaysbeing loyal to France and itsinterests. There had neverbeen a foreign maîtresse entitre (althoughinMadamedeMaintenon there had oncebeen a French morganaticwife to the King) and theprospect of an Austrianmistress-queen with absolute

andunrivalled influenceoverthe King was bothunprecedented and, in manyquarters,disquieting.It didn’t help matters that

LouisXVI, so bumbling andclumsy but nonethelessalways so well intentioned,hadalwaysbeendismissedatcourtassomethingofaweakreedwithnoneofhisancestorLouis XIV’s greatness noreven the saving grace ofLouis XV’s indisputable

charm. It now belatedlyoccurred to some people thatmore should have been doneto check Marie Antoinette’sgrowing influence over sucha clearly susceptible youngmanandthat,perhaps,effortsshould have been made tothrow a few dainty youngladies in his way in order todistract him from his wife.Not that it would haveworked - Louis wasapparently entirely

impervious to the charms ofallwomenotherthanhiswifeandherladiesgiggledbehindtheir painted fans at hisawkwardmannerandhabitofnever making eye contactwhen addressing them,preferring instead to stareeitherdownat the floororata point somewhere abovetheirshoulder.Besides which, would

Marie Antoinette, sooutwardly outgoing, fun

loving and popular, becontent to relinquish hersocial life and the smallinfluence she had apparentlyacquired over her husbandand retire to the quiet, ratherdull anddutiful lifenormallyexpected of a Queen ofFrance? It seemed veryunlikely. Horrified thoughshe undoubtedly was by hernew and unexpected pre-eminenceatcourt,itwasalsoquickly becoming clear that

the newyoungQueen, like akitten justbeginning to showits claws, was beginning torelish her new power whichsheexercisedbyencouragingthe compliant King to firstbanish Madame du Barrythendismisshercreature, thehated Duc d’Aiguillon fromhispositionofChiefMinister.However, her attempts tohave the Duc de Choiseul,whomshestillreveredas theone responsible for having

doggedly arranging hermarriage in the face of whatshenowknewwasenormousoppositionfromthecourtandwithin theroyal family itself,reinstated to his formerposition came to nothingwhen the King, whopersonally disliked Choiseuland had vowed never toreinstatehim,alsoshowedhismettle and instead, on theadvice of his meddlesomeaunt Adélaïde who was

determined to usurp MarieAntoinette’s position at hernephew’s elbow, appointedthe elderlyDuc deMaurepasashischiefadvisor.Marie Antoinette was

furious and also not a littlehurt and humiliated to haveher wish in this matter sosummarily snubbed by herhusband.Itseemedtoherthatin refusing to supportChoiseul,towhomshefeltsomuch gratitude, he was in

essenceharkeningbacktotheanti-Austrian teachingsofhishated old governor, the Ducde Vauguyon andacknowledging the fact thattheir marriage had not,initially at least, been of hischoosing.However,therewasnothingshecoulddoabout itandMaurepasatleasthadthebenefit of being unalignedwithanyofthecourtfactionsand was indeed well knowntobeamanentirelydevoidof

ambition - an unusual stanceperhaps in a royal ministerbut one that was greatlyappreciated by his newmaster LouisXVIwho,withextraordinary humility for aBourbon King of France,frankly acknowledgedhimself to be lacking ‘bothknowledgeandexperience’inhis first letter to his newadvisor.That the new King, who

had been entirely excluded

from the government of thenationbyhisgrandfather,wasdesperatelyunpreparedandinneed of advice was anindisputable fact, althoughironically he was the oldestnewKingofFrance for overa hundred and fifty years ashisgrandfatherhadsucceededat theageoffive,LouisXIVhad succeeded at four andLouis XIII had come to thethrone at the age of eight in1610.ThatthenewKinghad

reached his majority andcould thus dispense with aregentwasconsideredahugepoint in his favour but tothosewhomorecloselyknewhim it was, again, the causeof some alarm for unlike hispredecessorshewouldnotbespending his boyhoodlearning statecraft during along regency before beingallowed to take up the reinsof government himself butwould instead be thrust

straight into the deep end ofkingship. However, therefusal toappoint theDucdeChoiseulhisMinisterofStatehad at least quietened someworriesthatMarieAntoinettewould become the powerbehindthethrone,givingasitdidaclearsignalthatthenewKing, hitherto considered soweak and malleable, wasdeterminednottobecomethecat’spawofhiswifeandwasinfactactivelykeepingherat

a distance from hisgovernment.AsforMariaTheresa,who

was being kept closelyinformed about events byMercy, she too felt disquietabout the fact that herdaughter and son-in-law hadbeencalledupontoreigntoosoon, being all too aware ofhow terribly unprepared theybothwere.She instructed thefaithfulMercytoimmediatelyreport Louis’ every action to

her so that she could judgewhetherhewasfollowingherown interests and also addedthat her daughter,whowrotetosaythatshecouldnot‘helpbut admire the disposition ofProvidence which chose me,the youngest of yourdaughters, for the finestkingdom in Europe. I ammorethaneverawareofhowmuchIowetotheloveofmyaugustmother,whotooksuchcareandefforttogetmesuch

a good settlement’, should‘neverforaminutelosesightof all the possible ways ofensuring her complete andexclusive control over herhusband’s mind’.Clearly, asfar as Maria Theresa wasconcerned, they shouldmakethe best of the situation andset to work reaping the fullbenefits of themarriage theyhad brokered four yearsearlier. However, she lookedset to be unexpectedly

confounded and thwarted byLouis, allegedly so irresoluteandmeek,havingthehithertounimagined backbone tostanduptohiswifeandmakeitclear thathewasnotgoingtobethepuppetofeitherheror her Austrian relatives,which led the Empress toeventually reluctantlyconclude that ‘some of hisbehaviouraltraitsmakeme…doubt that he will be verycompliant and easy to

control’.When smallpox followed

theroyalpartytoChoisytheyunwillingly left its delightsbehind and moved on to LaMuette on the edge of theBois de Boulogne, whereMarie Antoinette had spentthe night before herweddingand which was a favouritesummer residence of theyoung couple. The gates tothe Bois de Boulogne wereusually locked against the

populace whenever the royalfamily were in residence butthis time, to signal perhapsthe new informal directionthattheywantedtheirreigntotake, Louis and MarieAntoinette ordered that theybeleftopensothatthepeoplecould enter and walk aboutthe shady avenues betweenthe trees as usual. TheParisianswereastonishedanddelighted to regularly seetheir new King and Queen

having picnics in the gladewith their friends or simplywalking amongst them, arminarmandclearlydevotedtoeachother.Therewerecheersandapplauseononeoccasionwhen the Queen, out ridingon her stallion, came acrosstheKingononeofhiswalksand immediately dismountedand ran to greet him,whereupon he picked her upinhis armsandkissedher infront of everyone. It made a

pleasing contrast to their shydiffidence with each otherjust four years earlier andeveryonewasenchantedbyit.Even Maria Theresa wrotefrom Vienna to complimenther daughter, saying:‘Everyone is ecstatic,everyone is mad about you;there are expectations ofgreat happiness; you bringnew life to a nation whichwas in desperate straits andsustained only by its

attachmenttoitsprinces.’Louis XV’s death was so

horrible that it was notentirely surprising whenLouis XVI and his brothersannounced their intention ofgetting inoculated againstsmallpox, encouraged byMarie Antoinette who wasalready immune thanks to aminor childhood bout withthe dreaded disease.Smallpox inoculation in theeighteenthcenturywasstilla

relatively risky businessthoughand therewas agreatdealofpanicwhentheKing’sintentionwasannouncedasitwas feared that hemight dietoo. Marie Antoinette, stillerroneouslybelievedtobethepowerbehindthethrone,wasblamed for the whole thingand even accused of puttingherhusband’slifeatriskwiththis foolhardy procedure.Luckily for everyone,however, the inoculationwas

a success and after a briefconvalescence, Louis wasfullyrestoredtohealth.The fledgling court of

Louis XVI and MarieAntoinette was a pleasureseeking one but for now, asthey were still in mourningfor the previous King, theydelighted in the gentlepastimes of horse riding,picnics, quiet parties andconcerts.On one occasion atLa Muette, Marie Antoinette

suddenly announced that shehad never seen the sun riseand so a small party wasarranged to climb one of thenearby hills at three in themorning and watch the daybegin.Louis refused tocometoo as he liked his sleep toomuch but the others gamelytrotted up the hill at theappointed time and watchedas the sun rose over Paris,while Marie Antoinetteexclaimed and sighed like a

true child of Rousseau aboutthe majestic wonder ofnature.The young royal couple

had never been so close andas further proof of his greataffection for his wife andknowing how much shedisliked the stifling formalityof court life,Louis presentedher with the domain of thePetit Trianon, the delightfullittle pleasure pavilion in thegrounds of Versailles where

his grandfather had beentaken ill not all that longbefore. This sad recent eventdidn’t seem to weigh toomuch on their minds thoughandindeedtherewasn’treallymuch scope for suchsentimentality at a courtwhereeveryroomhaditssadlittle ghosts from the past.MarieAntoinettewas clearlydelighted by her present andimmediately began to planrenovations to the main

building, an exquisite littlechâteau just big enough forherselfandonlyafewtrustedcompanions, and thesurrounding gardens, whichshe envisioned becoming atrue paradise on earth whereshecouldescapeandtrulybeherself. Of course, peoplecouldn’t help but notice thatthe Petit Trianon hadpreviously always been thepreserve of the old King’smistresses, having originally

been built for Madame dePompadour and then passedon toMadameduBarry, andso for it now to given to theQueen was taken as anotherclear signal that they wereliving under different timesandthatLouiswasobviouslygoing to be a very differenttype of Bourbon King to hispredecessorsThe court stayed away

fromVersaillesforalmostsixmonths, a halcyon

honeymoon period for thenew reign which they alsospent at Compiègne, Marlyand Fontainebleau aswell asChoisy and La Muette. Thesummer and autumn of 1774were delightfully sunny andwarm, perfect honeymoonweather, which seemed tomake the new reign seemeven more enchanted andblessed. In keeping with therelaxed, optimisticmood, thenewKingandQueentookthe

opportunity to set a moreinformal tone at their court,surrounding themselves withpeople of their own age andmaking as many changes asthey dared to the rigidceremonial etiquette that haddominated court life fordecades, for instanceabolishing the custom ofdining in public every dayand also ending the customwhereby Marie Antoinetteneededtobeaccompaniedby

two ladies in waiting at alltimes. Instead she nowmadedo with a valet and twofootmen, who were chosenfor their good looks andimpressive height andbearing.Another changewasto allow the ladies of theroyalfamilytodinewithmenwhowerenotrelatedtothem,which meant that the Kingand Queen could now holdmerry little twice weeklysupper parties in their

apartments to which theyinvited people whom theymost particularly wanted tohonour. Naturally, thecompetition for invitationswas intensely fierce butguests were rewarded withthe edifying spectacle of theyoung royal couple flickingrolled up bread crumbs ateachotheracrossthetablesoclearly thought it well worththetrouble.However, this new

informalitycouldalsogo toofar. Not long after hissuccession to the throne,Louisdecidedattheverylastminute to attend a court ballbeing held in the Salon ofHercules,arrivingwithouthisusual entourage and a totallackofanyfanfaresothatnoone noticed that he wasactually present until, failingto push his way through thecrowdstowherehiswifewasholding court, he asked an

absolutely astonished lady ofthecourtifhecouldshareherstool.MarieAntoinettefoundthis immensely amusing butthe rest of the court wasscandalised by such un-majesticbehaviour.Itseemedextraordinary that a Kingshouldnotevenbenoticedinhis own ballroom. No onecouldimaginesomethinglikethis happening to Louis XIVor even Louis XV andMaurepaswasforcedtowarn

hisabashed royalmaster that‘we are not accustomed toseeing ourKing count for solittleinpublic.’Thisdiffidenceandlackof

presence on the part of theKing would in time becomeincreasingly problematic forboth his ministers and hiswife and nowadays it mighteven be wondered if Louiswason the autistic spectrum,although such a thing wasunheard of in the eighteenth

century. Certainly his totallack of interest in anythingthat bored him, his scruffyappearance, strangeshambling manner, inabilityto hold eye contact, intenseand often unusual interests,impressively retentivememory, difficulties withfacial recognition (probablydowntoshortsightednessbutcould facial blindness havebeenanissueaswell?),socialawkwardness and often

inappropriate sense ofhumour might all suggestsuch a thing. Either way,what could be consideredmereeccentricityinanormalman, was intolerable in aKing.However,itwasn’tjustthe

King’s manners that werebeginning to raise eyebrowsat court. At the age ofeighteen, Marie Antoinettehadn’t really grown up at allandwasn’tallthatdifferentto

the quick tempered, petulant,funlovingandeagertopleasegirl thathad leftViennaoverfour years earlier. Althoughher powers of concentrationhad improved alongwith herFrench, she was stillincapable of hiding herboredom while sittingthrough the interminablecourt ceremonies that nowbecame her lot and causedmuch offence by openlyyawning, rolling her eyes,

fidgetingandgigglingbehindher diamond encrusted fanduring presentations. Louiswas also bored by royalceremonies but hid it muchbetter thanhiswife,althoughhe could often be abrupt tothe point of rudeness withpeople, even his ministers ifhe wasn’t interested in whatthey were saying. Many oftheoldercourtiersnowbeganto pessimistically wonder iftheir impetuous little Queen

was ever going to grow upanditwascertainlybeginningto look as though hercontinued childlessness andlack of a properly fulfillingmarriage were artificiallyprolonging her ownchildhoodandwereindangerof eventually trapping her inanextendedadolescence.She was also exceedingly

rudetotheolderladiesofthecourt, a grave mistake whenmany of them were actually

extremely influential andcould have done much tosmooth herway at court andmakelifeeasier.Inalienatingthem,shewasalsoalienatingsomeofthegrandestfamiliesin France and forcing morepeople to lend an ear to themalicious little tales andsongs that were starting tocirculate about her, most ofwhich came from theapartments of MadameAdélaïde, the grandest older

ladyofall.‘Idon’tknowwhywomenover theageof thirtybother showing their faces atcourt,’MarieAntoinette saidon one occasion with theblissful lack of foresight ofyouth, causing a furore andmakingmanywomendeclarethat if that was how she feltthen they wouldn’t comeback again.Others, however,wondered if she would feelthe same way when sheherselfturnedthirty.

There was also anunfortunate incident at LaMuettewhenall theladiesofcourtcame in theirmourningclothes for the old King topay homage to the newQueen,someofthemlookingreally quite macabre in theirblack weeds and elaboratelyveiled headdresses. One ofMarie Antoinette’s youngerladies, the Marquise deClermont-Tonnerre, was soamused by this weird

spectaclethatshesatdownonthe floor behind the otherladiesinwaitingandbegantomock themmercilessly in anundertone while MarieAntoinette, herself perturbedbythestrangesight,triedherbest but naturally completelyfailed to hide her laughter,completely affronting thevisitingladies.Perhaps unsurprisingly

then, one of her first movesafterbecomingQueenwasto

appointherdearestfriendthePrincesse de Lamballe to theposition of Surintendante delamaisonde la reine (whichhadnowswollentooverfivehundred people), an old andextremely highly salariedposition which was revivedspecially for her andoutranked the haughtyMadamedeNoailles, alreadyvery offended by MarieAntoinette’s impolitebehaviour towards the older

members of the court, whoimmediately tendered herresignationasMistressoftheHousehold, doubtless toMarie Antoinette’s greatrelief. The position ofSurintendante was one thatrequired great tact and socialaplomb, neither of whichwere skills that the Princessewas exactly replete with. Asillylittleaffectedmouseofawoman, she was so nervousand highly strung that she

oncefaintedcleanawayatthesight of a painting of alobster.Although she had all the

enormous personal wealthand polished, well dressedveneer of a great court lady,Madame de Lamballe was,like Marie Antoinette,completely out of her depthand in no way suitable forsuch an important court job.Also, although she gave allthe appearance of being a

wispy, ethereal, special littlesnowflake, Madame laPrincesse was at heart alsoextremely proud and just asambitious and grasping asanyone else who enteredMarie Antoinette’s circle atthis time and workedtirelessly to promote theinterests of her family whileat the same time neglectingherownpostandinsultingtheothercourt ladiesbyrefusingto invite them to balls and

supper in her apartments,which was one of thetraditional duties of theSurintendante, claiming thather illhealthandroyalstatusmade it impossible andwilfullyignoringthefactthather enormous salary wasintended as recompense forhosting such gatherings. Theladies began to stay awayfromVersaillesinprotestandMarie Antoinette was forcedto interveneanddemand that

her friend perform her dutiesproperly.AsSurintendanteitwasthe

PrincessedeLamballe’sdutyto supervise MarieAntoinette’s daily routine atVersailles and the royalfamily’s other residences:Fontainebleau, Marly, LaMuette and Compiègne aswellas,lateron,SaintCloud,Rambouillet and theTuileries.WhereastheKing’sroutine, laid out so precisely

byLouisXIV thatyoucouldset your clock by it, wasdynamic and busy, theQueen’s, in contrast, waslanguid and involved manyemptyhourswhichhad tobefilled. In the early years ofher queenship, MarieAntoinette was a late riserwho liked to have a lie inafter coming back from thedelights of Paris in the earlyhours of the morning andwouldloungeinbedwithher

breakfast of hot chocolateinfused with cinnamon andcoffee and Austrian pastriesfor quite a while, dreamilystickingpins inherwardrobebook to select the day’sclothes and chattering aboutthe previous evening’sexploits,beforefinallyrollingoutofbedandheadingofftohave her daily bath. Herofficial toilette, attended bythe Princesse de Lamballe, alady in waiting, the First

Woman of the Bedchamberand two ladies, would thenfollow.MadamedeLamballehad the honour of helpingMarieAntoinetteintoherlaceedged petticoat before thelady in waiting poured thelavender scented water thatshe used to wash her handsthen handed her a fine lawnchemise,althoughthishonourwouldbegiven to any ladiesof the royal blood thathappenedtobepresent.

The rest of the Queen’selaborate dressing ritualwouldthenfollowasshewaslaced into hermorning gownandhad her hair dressed andpowdered by Léonard, whocame from Paris everymorning for this purpose, hisapparently endless store ofjuicy gossip about thecourtiers being a definitebonus to his ministrations.When she was ready, MarieAntoinette would then go

down to Mass in the royalchapel, either accompaniedby her ladies or with theKing, who would come tocollectheronSundays,whentheofficialweeklycourtwasheld at Versailles. The royalparty would progress downtheHallofMirrorsandMarieAntoinette would make apointofnoddingandsmilingat anyone that she wished toshow favour to or pointedlyblankingthosewhomshedid

notwanttonotice.Masstookplaceatmidday

and Louis, Marie Antoinetteand the royal princesseswouldobservefromagalleryabove the rest of thecongregation, while theQueen’s ladies threw theirtrainsover theirpanniersandrushedtofindspotscloseby.Each ladywas attended by apage boy carrying hermissalin a large red velvet bag,trimmedwithgold fringebut

asMadamedelaTourduPinwould later recall ratherruefully, the ladies wouldhardly ever get to read it forthe scramble to find a pewtook so long that the priestwouldalreadyhavemovedontotheGospelbeforetheyhadfoundtherightplace.WhenMass was over, the

Queen would curtsey to herhusband and then return toherapartments,againmakingapoint of stopping to talk to

favoured people on the way.Once back in her rooms, shewouldamuseherselfwithherfriends, play cards with herladies or withdraw into herprivate rooms in the evergrowingmazethatlaybehindher state apartments to playherharp,listentotheAbbédeVermond read or, morethrillingly, consult with herfavourite dressmakers RoseBertin and Madame Éloffewho came out from Paris at

leastonceaweektoshowofftheir latestdesignsordiscussideas for new gowns andpieces of millinery, until itwas time togooff todinner,which was eaten publicly inthe Antechamber of theGrand Couvert in theQueen’sapartments.MarieAntoinetteandLouis

would sit in front of the fireon two largegreenarmchairsplaced behind a small tablelaidwith just twoplaces and

covered with a whitetablecloth that came down tothe ground, on top of whichwas an array of dishes. Asemi circle of stools wasplacedabout ten feet in frontof them where the grandladies who had the privilegeofbeingpermittedtositonastool in the royal presencecouldobservethemeat,whileeveryone else arrangedthemselves behind. AsMadame de la Tour du Pin

would later recall: ‘TheKingate heartily, but the Queenneither removed her glovesnor unfolded her napkin,whichwasaverybigmistake.As soon as the King haddrunk his wine, everyonecurtseyed and left.’ Theabstemious dining habitsdrilled into Marie Antoinetteas a child remainedwith herfor the rest of her life as shewould always eat verysparingly and would never

touch alcohol, despite therumours that floated aboutherdissipatedsocial life.Thefact that shewas expected totakemealswhilebeingstaredatbycuriousbystanderscan’thave helped matters verymucheither.On Sundays, the courtiers

would then head off to paytheirrespectstotherestoftheroyal family in theirapartments,withMadame delaTourduPin later recalling

that everyone loved callingon the Comte d’Artois, whowas ‘young and had thatcharming appearance whichhe was never to lose. Greatefforts were made to pleasehim, for to succeed was aguarantee of fame.’ That hehad an eye for the ladies ofthe court didn’t hurt either.EveryonethenreturnedtotheQueen’s apartments forseven,whentheQueenwouldplay cards in public until,

yawning behind her fan, sheeitherheadedofftobedortoParis for more congenialentertainment.On other daysoftheweek,MarieAntoinetteand her ladies would be lefttotheirowndevicesuntil theearly evening when therewere either the usual courtentertainments such as theweekly balls, supper parties,cardgamesorconcertsorshewas free to go off to thecapitaltoamuseherselfatthe

opera, theatre or at a ballbefore coming back in theearly hours and falling backintobedagain.Louis’ coronation took

place at Rheims on 11 June1775with the entire court inattendance. There had beensuggestionsthattheceremonyshould take place at NotreDame in Paris, which wouldbebothmoreeconomicalandalsoappealtothegoodnatureof the Parisians, who had so

loathed the old King.However,Louiswasadamantthat traditionmust be upheldandsotheyall troopedoff toRheims as usual. MarieAntoinettetooknoactivepartin the coronation itself, anattemptbyMercytohavehercrowned alongside herhusband having been firmlyrebuffedwithitbeingpointedout to him that Queens hadtraditionally always beenaccordedseparatecoronations

in France and that theposition of this one, whoremained childless five yearsafterhermarriage,wasbynomeans secure even if herhusband seemed so fond ofher. To add further insult tothis undoubted injury, theComtesse d’Artois, wife ofLouis’ youngest brother, hadrecently announced herpregnancy,whichonlyservedto further highlight the factthat the Queen herself had

failedtoconceive.Marie Antoinette gave

every appearance of beingentirely unconcerned by herexclusionfromtheceremony,althoughitmusthaverankledat least at some level, andconsoled herself by orderinga magnificent new dress andanexceedinglyhighfeatheredheaddress from Rose Bertinfor the event, which she nodoubted regretted when thecoronation day turned out to

be swelteringly, headdressdroopingly,hot.Althoughshewas not herself to becrowned, Marie Antoinettesatinaplaceofhonourcloseto her husband andwas seento be visibly moved by thecoronation ceremony, evenhavingtowithdrawforafewmoments when she wascompletely overcome bytears. Afterwards, sheappeared on her newlycrowned husband’s arm and

the couple promenadedaroundRheims, receiving theapplauseandacclamationsoftheirpeople.Latershewouldwritetohermotherthat:‘Thesacred ceremonywas perfectin every way. Everyone isdelighted with the King, andrightlyso.Fromthegrandesttothehumblestofhissubjectsallwereequally enthusiastic.There was even a momentduring the coronation whentheceremonywasinterrupted

byanoutburstofspontaneousacclamations. It was sotouchingthathowevermuchItriedIwasunabletorestrainmytears.’AlthoughMarieAntoinette

remained on outwardly goodterms with her brothers-in-law and their wives, theirrelationship had soured agreatdealafterthesuccessionof her husband. His brotherProvence,alwayssoresentfulof Louis’ pre-eminence, was

deeplyjealousofhimbutstillclever enough to treat bothhim and Marie Antoinettewith the greatest respect. Infact itwas rumouredatcourtthathehadabitofacrushonhis sister-in-law, which justaddedtothesecrethatredthathe harboured for his brother.His wife, Marie Josephineand her sisterMarie Thérèsenow both cordially loathedMarie Antoinette though andtookverylittletroubletohide

the fact, doubtlessemboldened by MarieThérèse succeeding whereMarieAntoinettemostclearlyhad not when she becamepregnant. They now openlyaligned themselves with theauntsandeveryoneknewthatmost of the jealous, nastytittle tattle about the Queenalmost certainly originatedwiththem.Artois, theKing’shandsome, charmingyoungest brother, was the

only one whom MarieAntoinettecountedasafriendas their tastes andpersonalitiesaccordedsowelland he was not spiteful orjealous like the others.However, his cheerful overfamiliarity and total lack ofoutward respect for both theKing and Queen raisedeyebrowsatcourtand, in thecase of the latter, kicked offseveral rumours that theirrelationship was rather more

intimate than that of justbrotherandsister-in-law.Although Louis andMarie

Antoinettehadbecomemuchcloserintheimmediatewakeofhisgrandfather’sdeathandthe prolonged honeymoonperiod of their early reign,theysoonbegantoslideevenfurtherapartasLouisbecamecaught up in the seeminglynever ending work ofgovernment. Encouraged byMaurepas, he was also

becoming increasinglysuspicious of his wife’sallegiancetoAustria,onlytoowell aware of the constantletters that passed betweentheEmpress,EmperorJosephII, Mercy and MarieAntoinette, who was stillbeing encouraged by hermother to seek totaldominance over her husbandand bend him to her will.There were practical issuestoo - now that Louis was

living in the King’sapartments at Versailles, hewas even further away fromhis wife than before andgoing to her rooms hadbecomeamortifyinglypublicevent requiring passagethrough the busy Bull’s EyeChamber, which alwaysseemed full of loiteringcourtiers who watched hisevery move with maliciousamusement. To MarieAntoinette’s chagrin, he had

installed Maurepas in therooms formerly inhabited byMadame du Barry, whichwere linked directly to theKing’s rooms by a privatestaircase,whichwashandyifhe needed late night politicaladvice but far less usefulwhenitcametotheimportanttask of conceiving an heir tothe throne. In the end, apassage way was builtbetween the two apartmentsbutstillLouis’conjugalvisits

were becoming increasinglyinfrequent and once againMarie Antoinette foundherself back in the samefrustrating position of a fewyears ago - more or lessignored by her husband,harangued by herdisappointed mother andbeset with worries about hervulnerable position at court,while all the while herenemies seemed to massingagainsther.

Thanks to the influence ofher brother-in-law and herextravagant, foolish newfriends, the Princesse deLamballe, the Princesse deGuéménée and Lucie Dillon,allofwhomwerehabituésofthe Duc de Chartres’incredibly wild Parisian set,Marie Antoinette began tospendmoretimeattheDuc’sParisian residence the PalaisRoyal where the balls werelicentious, the gambling

stakes were high, the partieswere extraordinarily opulentand the champagneapparently never stoppedflowing. Frustrated anddistressed by the King’sapparent lack of interest inher and also her mother’sendless stream of complaintsabout her continuingchildlessness, MarieAntoinettesawnoreasonnottothrowherselfheadlongintothis new, enticing and

extremely glamorous world,where all that mattered werethe latest fashions, the mostup to date gossip, the throwof the dice and the turn of acard. The Duc de Chartresthrew a splendid fancy dressball for her at the PalaisRoyal, which she attendedwithouttheKing,whodidnotat all approve of hishandsomecousin’sdissipatedlifestylebutat the same timedidnotstandinthewayofhis

wife joining in. There werealso sleigh rides during thewinterandvisitstotheraces,where Marie Antoinettecaused a stir by travellingalone in her brother-in-lawArtois’ open carriage, thisbeing considered quiteshocking behaviour. Again,Louiswasabsentanditbeganto be much remarked uponthat the royal couple wererarely seen together at thistime: the King preferring to

stay behind at Versailleswhile Marie Antoinette wentoff toPariseverynight tobeamused.‘I am so terrified of being

bored,’ she toldMercywhenhe tried to talk to her aboutthe dangerous effect that herextravagant and increasinglyerraticlifestylewashavingonher already precariousmarriage. She found life atVersailles stagnant, dull andhostile and whereas once

upon a time shehad felt likeshe could countonLouis forsupport, he seemed to bebecomingincreasinglydistantto her. She couldn’tremember the last time hecame to her bedchamber andtheir sex life, neverparticularly fulfilling or allthatamazingtostartoffwith,was even worse than beforeasthesedayshewastootiredby his duties of state to domore than make a desultory

attempt to have sex beforerollingover tohissideof thegreat bed and starting tosnore,whichjustincensedherevenmore.Forhispart,Louiswas well aware of hislimitationsandhowmiserablehis wife was but felt toooverwhelmed by work andhis own natural diffidenceand awkwardness to do verymuchaboutit.EncouragedbythewilyMaurepas,whowaskeen to seeMarieAntoinette

kept well away from anymeddling in politics andbelievedhertobeanagentofAustriaatheart,heurgedhisincreasingly capricious wifetoenjoyherchaoticsociallifeandspendasmuchmoneyasshe liked,hoping in thiswayto both distract her from hertroubles and also, in someway, make amends for hisownshortcomings.Their interests also

continued to be completely

different and very rarelyoverlapped. While MarieAntoinette escaped thetediumandfrustrationsofherlife by indulging in sartorialextravagances, gambling andother expensive andmeaningless frivolities, herhusband escaped thepressures of his own new,restrictive and bewilderingrole by retreating to hisprivate forge, where hetinkered about happily with

his toolsandmade locksandother small articleswhich hewould shyly present to hisfamily as gifts. He alsoenlarged the royal librariesfor his personal use,whereasnowadays Marie Antoinette,as the Abbé de Vermondsadlynoted,neversomuchasglanced at a book anymore.Like his grandfather, Louishad always been fascinatedbyastronomyandheinstalleda comfortable armchair and

telescopehighupontheroofonVersaillessothathecouldbothlookatthestarsandalsospyonhiscourtiers,thelatterrather surprisinglymischievous activity perhapsbeing more to MarieAntoinette’s taste than therest. However, although shecould never bring herself totake even the slightest bit ofinterestinhisforge,Louisdidonoccasion scrub up, put ona splendid suit and

accompany her to the ballsthat she loved so much. Onone occasion he attended acostumeballdressedasHenriIV, one of his most popularancestors (notably MarieAntoinette appeared dressedas Henri’s mistress Gabrielled’Estrées rather than one ofhis two wives) and he madevery rare appearances at thecourt balls that MarieAntoinetteheld twiceaweek(the one on Monday nights

was costumed, whichinvolved enormous expense)inherrooms,althoughitwasrumoured that his wife andbrother, Artois liked to putthe clock forward so that heleftanhourearlierthanusual.The star that was the

Princesse de Lamballe wasalso beginning to wane asMarie Antoinette began totire of her timidity and silly,pretentious affectations,although she still referred to

herasher ‘dearestheart’andfussed over her as much asever. Instead she foundherself drawn more towardsthe delightfully prettyComtesse de Polignac, aniece of the Comte deMaurepas, who was newlyarrived at court andwas justthe sort of charminglyfrivolous and playfulcompanion that MarieAntoinette most yearned forat this time in her life. The

Comtesse shared the exactsame birthday as thePrincessedeLamballe,whichno doubt gave MarieAntoinetteanexcusetothrowan annual wildly extravagantparty,butwasaverydifferentcharacter.On the surface shewas all huge soulful blueeyes, artlessly tumbling darkcurls and languid charm yetshe was also extremelyamusing, excellent companyand could always be relied

upon to say exactly the rightthing to placate MarieAntoinette, whose alwayserratic mood swings hadbecome much worse, anddistract her thoughts towardsa more cheerful direction.However, like the PrincessedeLamballe,althoughon thesurface Yolande de Polignacwas all about sighing overclouds and flowers andenjoying innocent frivolities,shewasatheartas rapacious

as any royal favourite andmanaged to amass anenormous amount of wealthandfavours forher largeandgraspingfamily.Marie Antoinette didn’t

care though. She had feltdesperately lonely at courtuntilYolandecamealongandnow gratefully showered herwith affection, keeping herwith her at all times andwhole heartedly transferringthe rather schoolgirlish crush

that shehadoncehadon thePrincesse deLamballe to hernew friend,who to her greatdelight gave everyappearance of reciprocating.Although the malign gossipsof the court obviouslywhispered that there wassomething ‘unnatural’ aboutthe Queen’s love for herfriend, who was beingaccorded thesortofattentionandhonourthathadalwaysinthe past been accorded to a

King’s maîtresse de titre, itwas almost certainly nothingmorethananotherexampleofthe intense friendships thatflourishedbetweenwomenatthis time, which took on analmost romantic cast thanksto the heatedly emotionallanguageemployedintheeraand the fashion forextravagantly affectionategestures between friends ofboth sexes. Althoughmaliciouscourtgossiphinted

that the Queen and herfavourite were engaged inlesbian orgies in the relativeprivacy of the Petit Trianon,where even the King had towait to be invited, there wasalmostcertainlynothingmorescandalous than an innocentand sentimental girl crushgoingonbetweenthem.In fact, relieved that his

wifehadmadeaclose friendat court and almost certainlyentirelydeceivedbyYolande

de Polignac’s deceptivelysweet and innocentdemeanour,Louisencouragedthis friendship to blossom,although he baulkedsomewhat when he learnedwhatsortofcompanythenewfavourite was keeping in hernew and extremely lovelyapartments at Versailles,where she entertained herlover, the Comte deVaudreuil, apparently withthe full complacency of her

husband,MonsieurleComte.She was also encouragingMarieAntoinette to squandereven greater sums in herpursuit of distraction so thatby the late 1770s herextravaganceswerebecomingworrying even to herindulgent spouse and, moretroublingly still, her publicpopularity began accordinglytowane.This fall in Marie

Antoinette’s popularity was

also fanned by the storiesabout the Queen’s behaviourthat were beginning to leakout from Versailles and bewhisperedaroundPariswherehercriticstuttedoverthetaleof how her carriage brokedownonthewaytoaballandshehadbeen forced tohailacommon hackney carriage totake her to her destination.Marie Antoinette, sodesperate for novelty, hadconsidered this an enormous

adventure and told everyoneshemetabout it thenextdaybutitwasverymuchfrownedupon outside her own ratherrakishandcockycircle.Therewas also generalcondemnation over the factthat she still visited themasked balls at the Opérawith her brothers-in-law andfriends, where Provence hadcaused an immense stir bypunching a total stranger inthefaceafterbeingjostledby

him.Itwouldn’thavebeensobad if the King hadaccompanied her every nowand again, after all thesentimentalParisianslovedtoseetheroyalcouplemooningovereachotherinpublic,buthewas always left behind atVersailles and would oftenrarely seehiswife forweekson end as she rushed off toballs in the evening, arrivingbackatVersailles in timeforMassbeforegoingoff tobed

fortherestofthedaysoastorefresh herself for anotherroundofdissipationlateron.In November 1776, Marie

Antoinette turned twenty oneand to celebrate there wereseveralfetes,ballsandpartiesarranged at Fontainebleauwherethecourtwasenjoyingitstraditionalautumnstay.Bythis time the heedless littleQueen was completelyobsessed with gambling andentreated her husband to

allow some proper Parisiangamblingbankers tocome tothepalaceforaspecialgameof Faro, a much moreexciting game that wasplayed for far higher stakesthan the polite cavagnoleenjoyed by the oldermembersof the royal family.Louis agreed to her requestbut stipulated that theycouldremain in the palace for onegameonly.Thebankersdulyarrived and the game was

played in the apartments ofthe Princesse de LamballewithallofMarieAntoinette’scircle, including Yolande dePolignac and the Duc deLauzun, who was said to bemadlyinlovewiththeQueenand to be conducting asurreptitious flirtation withher, in attendance. Thegamers paused in the earlyhours of the morning thenresumedagainintheevening,eventually lasting for thirty

sixhours.WhenLouisgentlyremonstrated with his wife,she laughingly reminded himthat he although he hadagreed to a single game hehad not, however, stipulatedhowlongitshouldlast.‘Youare all a worthless bunch!’Louis replied, joining in herlaughter.At the end of her life,

MarieAntoinette’s cosmeticswere reduced to a tarnishedmirror, a swansdown puff

withsomepowderandavialof scented water. As shepatted the powder onto heralready pallid cheeks, shemust have reflected withsome wonder and sadnessabout the fact that not toolong ago, her toilette hadbeenoneofthehighpointsofthe court day, attended bydozensofcourtiers, allvyingfor attention and dictated byan arcane and complexetiquette that had been

handeddownforgenerations.Ironic then that MarieAntoinette’s own tastesinclined towards the discreetand modest. To the ordinarypeople, she was a haughty,spoiled, pampered creaturewho delighted inextravagance and ceremonywhereas those who wereclosest to her, knew that onthe contrary she preferredsimplicity and a total lack ofpompandfuss.

She had an unerring andexquisite taste and thebeautiful objects owned andworn by Marie Antoinettestill exert a tremendousfascination today. Sadly theravages of the Revolutionresulted in the destruction ofMarie Antoinette’s fabulouswardrobe and much of herbelongings were eitherlooted, sold abroad or lostforever but enough remainsfor us to have a very good

idea of the luxury that shelikedtosurroundherselfwith.The Queen’s clothescollection was vast, withthree whole rooms put asideat Versailles just to store it.The rooms were open topublic so it was possible tovisittheQueen’sclothes,justas you could go and watchher have dinner orwalk paston her way to Mass in themorningandit’slikelythattothe fashion mad ladies of

Versailles a trip to theQueen’swardrobe,whereheramazinggownswerelaidouton special shelves to keepthem from crumpling andother damage, was viewedwith as much reverence asseeingherinperson.Marie Antoinette was

given a fixed allowance of120,000 livres a year forclothesandaccessories,avastsumthatwassomehowneverquite enough (she spent

258,000 livres in one year),probably because at somepoint along the line etiquettehad decreed that eighteenpairs of pastel colouredgloves scented with violet,hyacinth or carnation andfournewpairsofshoeshadtobe ordered for her on aweeklybasisalongwithothersuch items that seemed likesmall fry but amounted tovast sums when addedtogether. Her weakness for

the designs of Rose Bertinwasalsoaproblemaseachofher gorgeous dresses whichhad swooning, romanticnames like ‘IndiscreetPleasures’, ‘Heart’sAgitation’and‘StifledSighs’cost around 1,000 livres,sometimes even 6,000 livreseach,whichquicklymountedup when you were orderingdozens at a time along withmatching shoes, perfumedfans,feathersandextravagant

hairdecorations.Strictly speaking, Marie

Antoinette’s wardrobepurchases were supposed tobe restricted to orders ofthirty six dresses for thesummerandthirtysixfor thewinter but the Queen adoredfashion and so ordered farmore, bypassing the usualcourtdressmakersandinsteaddirectly consulting with thefashionable couturiers ofParis. According to etiquette

she was only supposed toweardressesonceandhadtochange three times a day butclearly seventy twodressesayear wasn’t going to cutmuch of a dash at Versaillesand so she ordered more.Onceworn, favourite dresseswere kept and carefullylooked after, and perhapscleverly altered, so that theynever looked anything lessthan brand new but othersweregivenawaytoherladies

in waiting, who saw this asbeing one of the mostvaluable perks ofwhat couldbe a very arduous andtiresomejob.When the Queen’s

gorgeous bedchamber wasrenovated in the last century,several pins were discoveredwedged between the woodenfloorboards, a remnantof theelaborate daily ceremonialthat surrounded the dressingof theQueen.Everymorning

before she got out of bed,Marie Antoinette would bepresentedwiththegazettedesatours, a huge book full offabric swatches from each ofher gowns and she wouldplaceapininthedressesthatshewanted towear that day,whichwouldthenbebroughtdown from the wardrobe invastgreentaffeta(whichwasprovided brand new everyday)coveredbaskets.Marie Antoinette would

change three times in thecourseof theday: first of allthere would be a formal silkorvelvetgowntobeworntoMass, followed by a lighter,more informal muslin, lawnorcottondressfor therestofthe day and then finally agorgeously elaborate eveningdress to be worn to dinner,concerts, balls or the theatrein Paris, where MarieAntoinette had private boxesattheOpéraHouse,Comédie

Française and ComédieItalienne.TheyoungQueen’spreference was for lightfabrics and pale, pastelcolours such as a soft lemonyellow,dovegrey,palegreenand lilac. Again, MadameBertin was inventive, takingan almost poetic pleasure inthinking up names fordifferent shades – ‘Incendiede l’Opera’ was a vividorange red; ‘Cheveux de laReine’asoftgoldinspiredby

her hair colour and, mostpoetically, ‘Caca Dauphin’wasapalebrown.Marie Antoinette took as

much care of her person asshe did her clothes and herbeautyregimewasextensive.At night she would sleepwearing gloves lined withwax, rose water and sweetalmond oil and she probablytreated her hair with a washof saffron, turmeric,sandalwood and rhubarb in

order to accentuate itsstrawberry blondness. Beforesheappliedhermakeup, shewould carefully cleanse herskinwithEauCosmetiquedePigeon, followedbyEau desCharmes astringent and thenEau d’Ange, a gentlewhitener. After this, whitepaintwascarefullyappliedtoher face, followed by adusting of scented powderthenkohlaroundhereyesanda touch of rouge to her

cheeks. Sticks of pomadescented with rose, carnationor vanillawere used to glossher lips, eyebrows andeyelashes. Marie Antoinettehad survived a childhoodbout of small pox relativelyunscathedbarafewscarsbutit is likely that she stillenjoyed thefashionforblackvelvet beauty patches –perhaps applying one to thecorner of her mouth, whichsignalled her wish to be

kissedoroneontheforehead,which suggested that thewearerwashaughty.There was a definite

emphasis on the senses –Versailles at this time wasabsolutely foul smelling andthe courtiers did everythingthey could to keep the smellat bay. Marie Antoinette’srooms were scented with aprofusion of fresh flowers,melted fragrant pastilles, potpourri, oils and perfumed

sachets. She particularlyloved the fresh scents oforangeblossom, lemon, rose,lavender and violet and herrooms would have smelledheady and sweet as youentered them. The Queenloved to douse herself witheau de fleur d’oranger(orange blossom water);simple violet, rose andjonquil scents or morecomplexperfumesmadewithvanilla, musk, lavender, iris,

jasmine and lily or lemon,cinnamon, angelica, clovesand coriander. It seems thateverywhere she went, shewanted to be surrounded bygorgeousfragrances.Unusually for the time,

Marie Antoinette insisted onfrequent baths and herbathroom at Versailles stillexists with simple dove greywallsandaslopingtiledfloorso that thewater could drainaway. Her perfumer Fargeon

invented for her the bain demodéstie, which involveddonninga flannelchemisesothat her body would not beexposed even to the gaze ofherladiesinwaiting.Onceinthe bath she would sit on alarge pad filled with sweetalmonds, pine nuts, linseed,marshmallow root and lilybulbwhileshewashedherselfwith muslin pads filled withgentle and exfoliating branandsoapsscentedwithherbs,

amber and bergamot, beforesettling back in the water todaydream about what thefuturemighthold.Glimpses of this world of

beautiful lace trimmeddresses, scented hair anddelicately applied cosmeticscan be gleaned from theportraits of Marie Antoinetteduring this time. She wasperhaps one of the mostpaintedQueensofFranceandportraits exist from every

periodofherlife,chartingherdevelopment fromwide eyedingénue to dignified Queen,dressedinelaboratesilksandwithaglitteringcrownonthetable beside her. However,her famously luminouscomplexion was difficult toaccuratelycaptureandasshegrew older and her featuresdeveloped, artists seem tohave difficulty reconcilingher strong and notconventionally attractive

Habsburg looks with theannoyingly intangiblequalities of charm andcharisma that the vivaciouslittle Queen exuded in reallife. Certainly her motherwould frequently complainabout the likenesses thatmadetheirwaytoViennaandMarie Antoinette would beforced to explain that theavailable artists were notquiteuptoscratch.The famous 1775 portrait

by Jean-Baptiste Gautier-Dagoty, which depicts theyoung Queen in anextraordinarily elaborateswagged and embellishedstate gownwith the robes ofstate falling elegantly fromher shoulders and one smallhand resting lightly on aprominently positioned globeisconsideredverypleasingtomodern eyes but failed tocome up to scratch atVersailles, where it was

roundly denounced as ahideous and amateurishdaubing. It was actuallyintended as a present forMarie Antoinette’s motherbut she decided that shewastoo scared to send it toVienna and so insteadpresented it to a friend.Gautier-Dagoty’s 1776goachepaintingoftheQueensitting in her beautifullyflounced dressing gown inher exquisite bedroom at

Versailles surrounded byfriends, her milliner,musicians, hairdressers andpoorGautier-Dagotyhimself,shown hard at work on hisearlier portrait, was muchmore successful, as were hisportraitsofhersisters-in-law,whom he managed to makelookexceedinglypretty.On 6 August 1775 the

Comtesse d’Artois, wife ofLouis’youngestbrotherwentinto labour at Versailles and

gave birth to a son, the Ducd’Angoulême. Although thenew régime had gone someway towards abolishing theoutmoded ceremonials of thepastithadnotyetmanagedtodo away with the traditionwhereby ladies of theimmediate royal family gavebirth in public, a mosthumiliatingritualdesigned toensurethatnotinyinterloperscould be smuggled into theroyalbedchamber to take the

place of still births or girlbabies. Not that theComtesse, thoroughlyenjoying her new andunprecedented prominence atcourtasthefirstofthetrioofwives to give birth, caredabout this and indeed sheprobably relished having asmanypeopleaspossiblethereto witness her triumph.Etiquette decreed that MarieAntoinette should be presentat the birth along with her

husband and although shefound this to be an intenselypainful experience, fullyaware that the censoriouseyesofthecourtweretrainedas much on her as on thelabouringComtesse,sheboreit as gracefully as she couldand even managed to smileand compliment theoverjoyed new parents whentheirsonwaseventuallyborn.However,onherwayback

to her apartments, she was

rudelyharanguedbyacrowdof market women, thetraditionally self appointedvoice of the Parisian people,whodemandedtoknowwhenshe would give the nation aDauphin and shouted crudeadviceaboutwhatsheshouldbe doing with the King tomake it happen.Overwhelmed, humiliatedand devastated, MarieAntoinette broke down assoon as she reached the

relative safety of hermagnificent bedchamber andaccordingtoherFirstLadyofthe Bedchamber, thesympathetic MadameCampan, cried for a longtime. When her friend, theDuchesse de Chartres gavebirth to a stillborn child, theQueen told her mother thatshe envied her even thissadness for she longed somuch to be pregnant andfeared that it might never

happen.Encouragedbyherfriends,

Marie Antoinette nowbecame even moreextravagantandreckless thanever, seeking to forget herpersonal troubles with anendless round of parties,gamblingandselfindulgence.Her innocent flirtations withthose handsome,sophisticated womanisers theDucdeLauzun(whowassaidto be the secret illegitimate

son of the Duc de Choiseul,whowasmarried to his auntand had also been hismother’slover),thePrincedeLigneandtheDucdeCoigny,the latter the acknowledgedlover of her friend, thePrincesse de Guéménée,causedmuchcommentatthistime, even though they werealmost certainly justmeaningless and entirelyunderstandable distractionsfrom her dissatisfactory

marriage. While MarieAntoinette loved to flirt andto be admired as the mostbeautiful lady at her court,shewasnotbynature averysensual woman and thethought of taking these brieflittle infatuations any furtherwould have appalled her,although on the other handthere was talk at court thatshe had told her friends thatshe wished the King wouldtake a mistress and that she

wouldbe‘neithergrievednorvery annoyed’ if it happenedas he ‘might thereby acquiremore vitality and energy’.Perhaps more troublingly inthe long term, she alsodeveloped a fascination withjewels,particularlydiamonds,encouraged by the Princessede Guéménée, who hadextremely expensive tastesherself and persuaded theQueen to buy a pair ofbeautiful diamond earrings

from the Swiss jeweller,Boehmer for the amazingsumof400,000 francs.Hugesums were also spent on thecontinued beautification ofthe Petit Trianon whichbecame her refuge nowagainst the mountingdisapproval of the court andCountMercy’sendlessboringlectures about her mountingdebts which Louis, withtypical generosity, insisteduponpayingoff.

Like many other youngpeople at court, MarieAntoinette was also grippedby a passion for all thingsEnglish, particularly horseracing and country dances,which she loved to dancewithyoungBritishgentlemenvisitingthecourt.ShesenttoLondon for her riding habitsand smattered herconversation with a fewchoice English phrases,although it must be assumed

that she stopped short ofreading the translations ofShakespeare’splaysthatwerepopularatthetimeandsuchafavourite with her husband.Shealsodelighted inmakingfriends with English visitors,in particular striking up avery close friendship withGeorgiana, Duchess ofDevonshire who visitedVersailles in 1775. The twoyoungwomenhadmetbeforebut it was during this visit

that they really hit it off,perhapsbecausetheyrealisedthattheyhadalotincommon- both had beenmarried at ayoung age to men that theydidn’t love, had difficultrelationships withoverbearing and highlycritical mothers, had atendency to form extremelyclose and passionatefriendshipswithotherwomenand had had difficultiesconceiving a child and were

hiding their frustrations andunhappiness beneath a brittleveneer of fashionablefrivolity.Yes,Georgiana andMarie Antoinette probablyhad much to talk about overthe hot chocolate and cakesthat were served when theygot together at the PetitTrianon.Another, perhaps more

surprising friendship was theone that developed over theyears between Marie

Antoinette and her Britishcounterpart Queen Charlotte.It had long been the customfor the British and Frenchrulerstowritepolitelettersofacknowledgment of happyandsadeventsineachother’slife, maintaining at least apretence of friendship evenwhen hostilities ragedbetween the two nations.However, a true friendshipsprang up over the yearsbetweenCharlotte andMarie

Antoinette, who had bothbeenintheirteenswhentheywere sent away from theirown countries to be marriedand had become queensbefore theywere out of theirtwenties. Although theirpersonalities were markedlydifferent and Charlotte,obviously,hadneverhadanyproblemsconceivingchildren(by May 1774, when MarieAntoinette became Queen ofFrance,Charlottealreadyhad

tenchildrenandwouldgoontohave fivemore) theywerestill drawn together by thethings that they did have incommon which included atypically Germanic lack ofpretension and a certain wrysense of humour. Later on,when things turned sour forMarie Antoinette, Charlottewould urge her to escape toEngland and even hadapartments made ready forthe French royal family

should they make it toLondon. Sadly they wereneverused.Rather touchingly, Marie

Antoinette also at this timeadopted a little peasant boycalled Jacques, who had thebadlucktobeknockeddownbyhercarriagewhileshewastravelling past Louveciennes.The impetuous Queenimmediately jumpeddown tomake sure that the boy wasunhurt and then, upon

learning that he was anorphan and had five othersiblings besides, offered toraise him at court beforewhiskinghimaway to anewanddoubtlessbewilderinglifein the lap of luxury atVersailles. Her mother didnot at all approve of thismeasure, which was asfoolish as it was wellmeaning, but MarieAntoinette did not care andforatimewasfullyabsorbed

inhernewroleas‘mother’toJacquesbeforesheonceagainlost interest and returned toherformerpleasuresalthoughshecontinuedtosupervisetheboy’s education and send anallowance to his family aspaymentforkeepinghim.Increasingly troubled by

the reports ofMercy and theAbbé de Vermond, who atone point handed in hisnotice, which the Queenrefused to accept, Maria

Theresaredoubledhereffortstoforceherdaughtertotakeamore sensible course in life,foreseeing that her currenthedonisticlifestylecouldonlyend in ruin. She was alsoprofoundlyshockedbyMarieAntoinette’s dismissive,almost contemptuous way ofspeaking about the King,even referring to him as ‘thepoor man’ which to MariaTheresa’s mind suggestedthat there had been a severe

diminishment in her respecttowards him. The continuinglack of a royal baby, whichshe blamed on the fact thatMarie Antoinette and Louisdid not share a room everynight, also weighed heavilyontheEmpress’mindandshenever ceased to lecture herdaughter about how best toaccomplish this while at thesame time apparentlycompletely failing to graspthat Marie Antoinette’s

marriage and, indeed,husband were very differenttohowherownhadbeen.Intheend,shedecidedthat

thebestcourseofactionwasto send Marie Antoinette’seldest brother, EmperorJosephII,toParistospeaktothe hapless pair and find outwhat was happening - orrather, not happening. Aprevious royal visit fromMarie Antoinette’s youngerbrother, Archduke

Maximilian had ended badlydue to some arguments withthe royal dukes overprecedence as the youngArchduke was travellingincognitoasalowlycount,aswas the fashion at the time,butstilldemandedthatproperreverence be paid to him asthe brother of the Queenwhich the royal dukes,unsurprisingly, refused todo.It was determined that thisvisit would go much more

smoothly and, unlike the lastone, cause the Queen ofFrance, already in such aprecarious position, noresidualembarrassment.The Emperor Joseph II,

travelling incognito as Countvon Falkenstein, arrived atVersailles on themorning of18 April 1777. Unlike hisyoungest brother, he had nowish to insist upon the fullhonours that were due to hisrank but instead rather

relished being treated as alowly count just as his sisterMarie Antoinette loved toplay at being an ‘ordinary’woman at the Petit Trianon.The always faithful Abbé deVermond was waiting todiscreetly escort theEmperorthrough the secret backstaircasesandpassagesofthepalace to where his sister,dressedinasimplemourninggown (her godfather, theKingofPortugalhadrecently

died) and with her hairlooselypinnedupand lightlypowderedasshehadbeensoimpatient to see him thatshe’d rushed away from hermorningtoilettebeforeitwasfinished,waswaitingforhimin the warren of intimateprivateroomsthat laybehindheropulentbedchamber.Marie Antoinette had not

seenhereldestbrother,whomshehadheroworshippedasachild, for seven years and

wept with joy as she threwherself into his arms andembraced him, delightedbeyond measure to bereunited with someone fromher own family andfurthermore one who hadalways seemed so capableand supportive. Surely, shefelt, if anyone could sort outthemessthatshehadmadeinFrance, it would be Joseph?She tookhim intooneofherprivate sitting rooms and for

thenextfewhourspouredallofher troublesandwoesintohis apparently sympatheticears, sparing no detail abouther unfulfilling marriage,desperatewishtohaveachildand sad attempts to distractherself andat theend, toherimmense relief, Joseph didnot read her the riot act butinsteadpromisedtodoallthathecouldtohelp.She then tookhim tomeet

theKingforthefirsttimeand

found that, rather touchingly,Louis had made a great dealof effort to look presentablefor his brother-in-law whichmadeagood first impressionand probably confoundedJoseph’s preconceived ideasabout the King of Francebeingascruffy,badlydressedclown. They then tookluncheon together at a tableplaced at the end of MarieAntoinette’s bed andeverything looked set for a

verycordialvisit.Joseph stayed in Paris for

over three weeks, having awhaleofatimeexploringthecity and its environs andspendinglotsoftimewithhisbelovedsisterwhointroducedhim to all of her friends andspent most of her afternoonsalonewithhim,talkingabouther life and its problems tothis most sympathetic andkindly of listeners.However,afterlisteningforhourstothe

shy yet astonishingly frankconfidencesofboth theKingandQueenabouttheirsexlifeand relationship, Josephsuddenly went on theoffensive and started to laydown the law. First of all hetoldMarieAntoinette thathedidn’t approve of her friendsand considered them at bestfrivolous and stupid and atworst downright iniquitous.Secondly, he informedher atan evening soirée that they

were attending without theKing, that she ought to payher husband more attentionandmadehergooffandfetchLouis, who no doubtprotested strenuously to bedraggedawayfromhisbooks,telescope and forge, to theparty.Most crucially though, he

took a great interest in theyoungcouple’ssexualissues,writing to his brotherArchdukeLeopoldthat‘inhis

conjugal bed, he has normalerections; he introduces hismember, stays there withoutmoving for about twominutes, then withdrawswithout ejaculating, and stillerect,bidsgoodnight.Thisisincomprehensible because hesometimes has nocturnalemissions, but while insideandintheprocess,never;yethe is content, and says quitefrankly that he is doing itpurely from a sense of duty

and without any enjoyment.Oh,ifIcouldonlyhavebeenpresent once, I would havetaken care of him; he shouldbewhipped so that hewoulddischarge sperm like adonkey.My sister,moreover,has very little temperamentand together they are twocompletefumblers.’Ouch.Hefurthercommented that

Louiswas‘badlybroughtup;hisappearanceworksagainsthim, but he is honest… The

man is weak but no fool.’About his sister MarieAntoinette, he was far moreharsh, saying that she was‘fulfilling neither her dutiesasawifenorherdutiesasaQueen in satisfactoryfashion… She is emptyheadedanddriven to run allday from dissipation todissipation.Shethinksonlyofhaving fun. She feels nothingfortheKing.Sheisalikeableand honest woman, a bit

young, unreflective, but deepdown honest and virtuous.’All of this would form thebasis of the instructions thatJoseph left with MarieAntoinette upon hisdeparture, which he hopedwould go someway towardsrectifying her poor attitudetowards both her marriageandherhusband.‘Lookintoyourself.Doyou

put all your efforts intopleasing him? Do you study

his desires andhis characterand try to conform to them?Doyoutrytomakehimenjoyyour company - beyond allotherobjectsoramusements-and the pleasures you cangrant him, where, withoutyou, he would find only avoid? Do you make yourselfessential to him? Have youpersuaded him that no oneloveshimmoresincerelythanyou, or takes his glory andhappiness more to heart?

Does he see your affectionfocused exclusively on him?’AlthoughJosephcouldtotallyunderstand why Louis, solacklustre and shamblingbeside the debonair Duc deLauzun and other highlypolished gallants of MarieAntoinette’scircle,hadfailedtocaptureeitherherattentionoraffection,hewasstillveryclear that itwas her absoluteduty to make the King lovehernomatterwhat.

He also strongly criticisedthe‘dreadful fecklessness’ ofher current lifestyle,addressing poor MarieAntoinette in the strongesttermsbecausehehadcometothe conclusion that shamingherwasperhapstheonlywayto make the reckless youngQueen, of whom he wasactually genuinely extremelyfond, see sense. ‘What is itthat you want? To beunknownandplaytheroleof

a person different toyourself? Why the need foradventures and naughtiness?Why mingle with a crowd oflibertines, girls, strangers,listeningtotheirconversationand replying in kind? Whatindecency! The King leftalone for a whole night atVersailles and you mixingwiththeParisriffraff!’Marie Antoinette was

exceedingly distressed bothby her brother’s departure

and his final missive beforeleaving which she saw as apersonal attack not just uponherself but also her dearestfriends, whom he made nosecret of thoroughlydisapproving of. However,shewas also forced to admitthetruthofhiswordsanddidher best to comply with hisadvice by toning down herwhirlwindofasociallifeandtrying to spend more timewith the King and less with

her friends. In October sheproudly wrote to her motherthat ‘I hardly ever stay uplateatnightanymore,and Ihardly went out all summer,both for my health andbecauseIknowa littlebetterhow to spend my time athomethaninthepast.Iread,Iembroider,Ihavetwomusicmasters, one for voice, theother for the harp; I havestarted drawing again - allthat keeps me busy and

entertainsme.’She also told her mother

that she was gambling muchless but pointed out thatetiquettedecreedthatshestillplay in public three times aweek.Thesepublicroyalcardgames took place onWednesdays, Saturdays andSundays and occurred at alargeroundtablesetupintheSalon of Peace that laybetween Marie Antoinette’srooms and the Hall of

Mirrors.However, unlike thegambling thatwent on at thePalaisRoyalorapartmentsofthe Princesse de Guéménée,thestakesattheroyaltableatVersailles were exceedinglysmall and they were reallyonly a way of making thepresented ladies, who wereallowed to either takepart inthe game or decorously sitand observe on stools placedagainst the walls, feelincluded.

As for Louis, nothingremains of the advice thatJoseph left for him but wecan be sure that it wasexpressed in equallyblisteringly forceful termsand doubtless reminded theyoung King that it was hisdutytowardshiswifeandhisnationforhimtomanupanddothedeedproperly,whetherhelikeditornot.LikeMarieAntoinette he was doubtlessexceedingly stung and

humiliated by whatever theforthright Joseph said to himbut similarly was forced toconcede that his brother-in-lawwasintherightandsodohisbesttocomply.Althoughtheyoungcouple

would never fully regain thehoneymoon atmosphere ofthe beginning of their reign,they made a great deal ofefforttoincreasetheintimacyand affection in theirmarriage by once again

walking about arm in arm inpublic and taking the signalstep of spending two hoursevery day closeted alonetogether in their rooms,Joseph having advised hissister to ‘get him tobedwithyou in the afternoon asthere’s no use waiting untilafter supper, when he isalready sunk in a state ofapathy’. Finally, on themorningof18August,notallthat long after Joseph’s

departure, the King shylycame to see his wife aftershe’d had her bath and theyfully consummated theirmarriage for the first time. ‘Iam now enjoying the mostessential happiness of myentire life,’ Marie Antoinettewrote to her mother. ‘It hasalreadybeenmorethaneightdays since my marriage wasperfectly consummated; theevent has been repeated andagain yesterday more

completely than the firsttime…. I do not think I ampregnant yet, but at least Ihavethehopeofbeingsoanyday.’In fact, Marie Antoinette

was not to become pregnantuntil the following spring.She wrote to her mother on19 April 1778 that: ‘Alreadyeight days ago I wanted totell you something of myhopes but did not dare to doso, for fearofhowupsetyou

would be if they failed tomaterialise.’ Luckily, herhopesturnedouttoberealityand the royal pregnancywasannounced the followingmonth, causing enormousexcitement at court wherequite a few people had longgiven up all hope of theQueen ever conceiving achild. Asmight be expected,Louis was pleased as punchabout the great news and hisapproaching fatherhood gave

him a new swagger andconfidence while his wiferenouncedher formerchaoticlifeandinsteadtookupmoregentle pursuits, preferring tospend her time in solitude atthePetitTrianon,supervisingthe planting of her newgardens,thanstayingupuntilall hours gambling anddancing with the PolignacandChartressets.Marie Antoinette’s first

and much longed for

pregnancyshouldhavebeenapeacefulandhalcyontimebutwas instead marred by theeruption of hostilitiesbetween Prussia and Austriaafterherbrother,emboldenedbythedeathoftheElectorofBavaria, laid claim toterritoriesinsouthernBavariawhich were immediatelycontested by the King ofPrussia, who had no wish toseehisAustrianenemiesgrabstill more land. To the

annoyance of MarieAntoinette, the French camedown firmly on the side ofthe Prussians and she soonfoundherselfcaughtbetweenarockandahardplace,beseton one side by passiveaggressive recriminationsfromher familywhoorderedher to secure French supportand kept at arm’s length ontheotherbyherhusbandwhoinformed her, notunsympathetically, that ‘the

ambitions of your family aregoing to upset everything.TheystartedwithPolandandnow it is Bavaria. I amannoyedonyouraccount.’As might be expected,

Marie Antoinette completelylackedthepoliticalacumentobeabletonavigatethepitfallsof such a situation and,unsurprisingly, ended uppleasing nobody. Althoughhernaturalinstinctswerenowto be loyal to her adopted

countryFrance, shehad triedherbest toplacateherfamilyby promising them as muchassistance as shewas able toprocure,whichwhenitfailedto materialise ended upleaving them disappointedand, worse, aroused the oldfeelings of distrust in herhusband and his advisors,especially Maurepas.However,whenitcametothefledgling war betweenAmerica and England, in

whichtheFrenchhadthrowntheir support behind theAmerican republicans, MarieAntoinette had no qualmsabout wholeheartedlysupportingtheFrenchinwhatlooked set to develop into awarwithEnglanditself,eventhoughshehadmanyEnglishfriends, including thecharmingGeorgiana,Duchessof Devonshire and QueenCharlotteherself.However,allthesepolitical

contretemps could notentirely diminish the joy thatMarieAntoinettefoundinherpregnancy. The proudexpectantmothersentregularreportsaboutherhealthtohermother and was often to befoundmeasuringherwaistasif to reassure herself that,after all those years oflonging, a child was indeedgrowinginsideher.Whenshefelt the baby’s firstmovements she immediately

hastenedtoLouis’apartmentsand announced: ‘YourMajesty, I have come tocomplain about one of yoursubjects, who has had theaudacity to kick me in thestomach.’ Louis was thrilledandimmediatelyliftedherupinto his arms and kissed herinfrontofeveryone.Although there were still

weeklycardparties,ballsandsuppers at Versailles, theoverall atmosphere was

altogether more muted andlow key as everyone waitedfortheroyalbabytobeborn.Marie Antoinette no longertravelled by carriage for fearthat thismightbringonearlylabour and so the usualsummer excursions toCompiègne and Marly werecancelled. Instead, theQueenfledthestiflingapartmentsofVersailles for the PetitTrianon, which she hadtransformedintoasumptuous

jewellery box of a housesince Louis had presented itto herwith thewords: ‘Vousaimez les fleurs. J’ai unbouquetàvousoffrir’.It’seasy to seewhyMarie

Antoinette lost her heart tothe Petit Trianon though –built along the lines of asmall and compact chateauand exquisitely decorated inlight,freshcolours,itwastheperfect size for a tiny courtwith only enough bedrooms

to house the Queen, herchildren and a couple of herclosest companions, whichincluded her sister in lawMadame Élisabeth, MadamedePolignacandthePrincessede Lamballe.Aswith all theroyal palaces, there was aspecial Trianon Livery –scarlet andwhite,whichwasworn by all visitinggentlemen and would havemade a striking spectacle setagainst the delicate gilded

panelling, which had beendesignedtosetoffthegoldenhaired beauty of a mistressbutwasnowthebackdropofaqueen.Over the years, Marie

Antoinetteprobablyspenthermost happy hours at theTrianoneitheroverseeingherextensive (and extremelyexpensive) plans for thegardens, playing with theanimals on her farm, puttingon plays before extremely

exclusive audiences in hertheatre and entertainingfriends in the beautifulpavilions.Althoughherworldthere was extremely private,she did from time to timeshow especial favour tovisitingroyaltiesby throwingwonderful parties in thegardens, complete withilluminations, dancing andfireworks, all carefullyorchestrated and planned tohighlighttheexquisitebeauty

ofherpersonaldomain.The rooms of the Petit

Trianon remain one of themostperfectexamplesoflateeighteenthcenturydesignandmark the moment when therococo frivolity of the midpart of the century began togiveway to themoreausterebeauty of the neo-classical.Keen to stamp her ownpersonaltasteonthebuilding,Marie Antoinette verydeliberately eschewed the

grandeurofnearbyVersaillesand instead filled her roomswith pale greens, blues andpinks and hung soft paintedmuslins at the windows andaroundherbed.Thepaintingstoo were a mixture ofromantic classical scenes andportraits of her own brothersandsisters,mostofwhomshewould never see again.Rumours gradually spreadacross France that the PetitTrianon was a temple to

excess with diamondencrusted panelling and allmanneroflavishnesstoframetheorgiesof thewomantheywerebeginningtoregardasaCourtesan Queen. The truthwas actually very different,although her critics wouldprobably have had heartattacks if they’d known howmuchshewassquanderingonthe gardens rather than theactual decor of her house,whichremainedasimpleand

unstuffy antidote to thestifling splendours ofVersailles and the perfectretreat from the rigours of apregnancyinthepubliceye.Tounderlinethedifference

between Versailles and thePetit Trianon, MarieAntoinette also dressedcompletelydifferentlythere–eschewing the powderedcoiffures, stiff pannieredgownsandjewelsthatformedher court attire and instead

favouringsoftlyflowingsilksandherfavouritemuslins,un-powdered loosely dressedhair styles and straw hats.Obsessedwiththeatre,itmusthave seemed natural andperhaps even comforting toMarie Antoinette to dondifferent costumes for whatshe must increasingly haveseen as her two completelydifferentlives–astheelegantand sparkling Queen ofFrance and also the private

individual, quietly tendingher flowers and drinkingherbal tea in a muslin dressand straw hat at the PetitTrianon.Therewasanewarrival to

Marie Antoinette’s closecircle of friends that yearwhen the handsome Swedishnobleman Axel von Fersenarrived back in France afteran unsuccessful attempt towoo an heiress in England.The young Axel loved

Parisianhighsocietyandwasalso hopeful of securing acommission in the Frencharmy in the war againstEngland.AlthoughtheQueenhadcertainlynotbeenpiningforhimduring thefouryearsthat had passed since theyfirstmetandbrieflychattedatthe Opéra ball, she was gladto have him back atVersailles, where his goodlooks and charming mannerwon hearts everywhere.

However, it didn’t take longfor jealous whispers aboutMarie Antoinette’s obviousadmiration of this goodlooking and rather dashingyoungman to start doing therounds, even though theflirtation between them wasalmost certainly entirelyinnocent,notleastbecauseoftheQueen’spregnancy.There were also,

predictably, all the usualmalicious rumours about the

paternity of the royal baby,probably fanned by Louis’disgruntled younger brotherthe Comte de Provence whosawhispositionasheirtothethrone slipping away fromhim.ItwaswhisperedaroundthelouchesalonsofParisthatthe baby had actually beenfatheredbyeither theDucdeLauzun or Duc de Coigny,bothofwhomwereknowntobeparticularfavouritesoftheQueen, who had the much

prized entrée to the PetitTrianon. It was all nonsenseofcoursebuthadtheeffectofmaking Marie Antoinetteretreatstillfurtherawayfromthe court, hurt that hermuchlonged for happiness wasbeingtarnishedsocruellyandturningmoretowardsthefewpeoplethatshefeltshecouldreallytrust.Likemany other expectant

mothers, Marie Antoinettetookagreatdealofinterestin

herappearance,turningtotheredoubtable Rose Bertin toprovide her with lovely,flowing new gowns to makeher feel more comfortableand attractive. MademoiselleBertin started to makewonderfulbreezysilkgowns,knownaslévitesforherroyalmistress, which weredesignedtoaccommodatethegrowing royal bump, whichthe royal physicians thoughtwasmeasuringvery largefor

her dates, and also keep hercool during what turned outtobeascorchinghotsummer,when it was so hot that theQueen had to spend all dayindoors and could onlyventure out in the eveningwhen it was cooler andmusicianswere hired to playontheterraceswhileshetookthe air beneath the stars.There were also concernsabout Marie Antoinette’shair, which had a habit of

thinning whenever she wasunder emotional strain andwhich now began to fall outinclumps,acommonenoughproblem inpregnancy,whichher hairdresser Léonard hadto conceal with artful use ofhairpieces,feathersandpoufsofmuslin.The long awaited royal

labour began in the earlyhours of 19 December 1778,whenMarieAntoinettebeganto feelominouspains shortly

after midnight and realisedthat her time had come. ThePrincesse de Lamballe wasimmediately summoned topreside over the event andword was sent to everyonewho had the right to bepresentwiththeKingarrivingat three in morning, full ofexcitement and also not alittlefeartooforchildbirthinthe eighteenth century wasstill a very risky businessindeed.MarieAntoinettehad

chosen Charles-Toussaint deVermond, the brother ofAbbé de Vermond, to act asheraccoucheurandunderhiswatchful eye she paced herchamber until eight in themorning when, overwhelmedby the pain, she took to thelittle delivery bed that hadbeenplacednexttotheornatefireplaceinherchamber.As Marie Antoinette

laboured,shewasattendedbyVermond, physicians and

midwives and surrounded bythe royal family, the princesand princesses of the bloodand her closest friends whilebeyond in the cabinet nextdoor there was crammed therest of the royal householdsand everyone else who hadtherighttobepresentatsuchan auspicious event.The restof the court, their numbersswollen by nobles who hadtravelledtoVersaillesjustforthe day, found whatever

space they could in theouterrooms of the Queen’sapartments and the Hall ofMirrors, where they loungedagainst the walls as theywaited for news of the royaldeliverytospread.Thewholesituation must have beenabsolutely intolerable for awoman so fastidious andconcerned with her privacybut it’s likely that, at leastonce the pains of labour hadbegun in earnest, Marie

Antoinette probably didn’tcare who was there to see italthough she was no doubtglad to have the steadfast,practically minded Louiskeepingvigilatherside.Thebaby, a littlegirl,was

born at around 11.30am. Atfirstshedidnotmakeasoundand there was panic when itwasthoughtthatshehadbeenborn dead but then the firstcries were heard and all waswell. Enthralled by his

daughter,Louiswentoffwiththerestoftheroyalfamilytowatchthechildbeingwashedand swaddled in the nextroom leaving MarieAntoinette, who had not yetbeen informed of the child’ssex, to the ministrations ofthe midwives. However,within moments of the Kingleaving the room, the Queenhad a convulsive fit and lostconsciousness, no doubtovercome by exhaustion and

the sweltering heat of theroom in which the windowshadbeensealeduptopreventeven the slightest wintrybreeze touching the preciousnewborn. Seeing that theQueenhadcollapsedsomeofthegentlemenjumpedupandtorethewindowsopen,whichrevivedherfromherfaint.Shortly after this the King

returned with their daughterand Marie Antoinette wasallowed to hold her for the

first time. Naturally bothMarie Antoinette and Louishadhopedthattheirfirstchildwould be aDauphin, as girlswere barred by Salic Lawfrom succeeding to thethrone, but they hid anydisappointmentwell.Fornowthey were both just trulydelightedtofinallybeparentsat last. ‘Poor little girl, youarenotwhatwasdesired,butyouarenolessdeartomeonthat account,’ Marie

Antoinette, visibly moved,said to her daughter. ‘A sonwouldhavebeenthepropertyof the state. You shall bemine; you shall have myundivided care; you willshareallmyhappinessesandyou will alleviate mysufferings.’MarieAntoinette spent the

next eighteen daysrecuperatingfromthebirthofher daughter. As was thecustom she remained in bed

and received her friendsYolande de Polignac and thePrincesse de Lamballe there,propped up against laceedged pillows and dressed ina charming lace and ribbontrimmed peignoir and adelightful cap which hid thefact that her hairdresserLéonard had given up withherhairandpersuadedher tohave it cropped so that itwould grow back stronger.She was extremely proud of

her baby, who had beenchristened Marie ThérèseCharlotte(thefirsttwonameswereinhonourofhermother,while Charlotte was almostcertainly for her favouritesister Maria Carolina, theQueen of Naples), and keptherbesideherasmuchasshecould. She even tried tobreastfeed for a time, eventhough itwas farmore usualfor women of her status toexclusively employ wet

nursesasherownmotherhaddone. Naturally, thisdeviation from traditioncaused someconsternation inVienna, with Maria Theresamaking her displeasureknown.

MadameDeficit1779-1788

‘My fate is to bring badluck.’

Everything changed forMarie Antoinette when shefinally became a mother.Reared since early childhoodto believe that one of herprimaryfunctionswastobearchildren for some unknown

prince, she had regarded thelackof a child as a shamefulfailureandatotalbetrayalbyher own body. She had doneher best to distract herselffromthisgreatlackinherlifeandhadintheprocesslostofher husband’s affection andthe respect of her people.Now, however, Louis lovedhermore thaneverbutcouldshe also regain the love oftheir people? Only timewould tell but for now the

future looked promising asthe young couple celebratedthe birth of their baby bydistributing money to theirfavourite charities andattending a celebratoryMassat Notre Dame. Naturally,there was somedisappointment that the babyhad turned out to be a girlrather than the hoped forDauphin but they were bothstill only in their earlytwenties and now that they

haddefiedallexpectationandhad one child, surely morewouldfollow?Meanwhile, the main care

ofthelittleprincess,whowasto be known as MadameRoyale at court, fell to thechargeoftheroyalgoverness,the Princesse de Guéménée,whose rather rakish lifestylemakes her seem like a mostunsuitablepersonforsuchanimportant charge. However,thiswas typical ofVersailles

whereall themostplumjobshad been passed downthrough families forgenerations, regardlessof thesuitability of the latestincumbent. In this instance,MadamelaPrincessewastheniece of the former royalgoverness Madame deMarsan, who had had thecharge of Louis XVI and allof his siblings until herretirement, upon which thePrincesse had taken over the

post.The Princesse de

Guéménée had been bornVictoire Armande de Rohanat the beautiful Hôtel deSoubiseintheMaraisdistrictof Paris, the daughter ofCharles de Rohan, Prince deSoubise andhis secondwife,Anne Thérèse de Savoie,whichmade her a relative ofthe Princesse deLamballe aswell as the Comtesse deProvence and Comtesse

d’Artois. Clever, lively andextravagant, the Princessewas known to be somethingof an eccentric, who wasalwayssurroundedbyseveraltinydogswherevershewent,some of whom she claimedwere able to communicatewith the dead. She had also,more seriously,beenaccusedseveral times of cheating atcards, not that thisdiscouragedMarieAntoinettefrom attending her card

parties in her apartmentswhich the Emperor Joseph,who thoroughly disapprovedofthesophisticatedPrincesse,described as nothing betterthan a ‘gaming hell’.However, for all her faults,Victoire, who had fivechildrenofherown,seemstohavehad an affectionate, funloving nature that youngpeople really responded to.Even Madame Élisabeth,Louis’ pious youngest sister

(her elder sister MadameClotilde had beenmarried tothe Prince of Piedmont, thebrother of the Comtesse deProvence and Comtessed’Artois, in August 1775),who had entered her chargeafter the departure ofMadamedeMarsan,wasveryfond of the Princesse deGuéménée although, unlikeMarie Antoinette, shemanaged to resist the lady’sattempts to make her attend

herratherrisquéparties.The low key atmosphere

that had prevailed during theQueen’spregnancycontinuedfor quite some time to comeas Marie Antoinette devotedherself to her daughter andallowed herself to delight inthe entirely novel butthoroughly delightful joys ofnew motherhood. Dutycompelled her to continue toattend the weekly cardparties,suppersandballsthat

had always formed animportant part of her routinebutshetookmuchlessjoyinthe rakish soirées andclandestine excursions to themasked balls that had oncedelightedhersomuch.In the spring of 1779,

Marie Antoinette was struckdown by a bad case ofmeasles which left her sodebilitated that she wasencouragedbyherphysiciansto completely retire from

courtlifeforthreeweeksandrecuperate in the peace andquietofthePetitTrianon.Upuntil now she had only beenthere during the day andalthough there was a prettybedroomsetasideforheruse,hadneveractually stayed thenight so naturally she wasdelighted tobepackedoff toher favourite little bolthole,which she had transformedinto a house entirely to herown taste. There was only

room for her most favouriteladiestostaywithherthough,while the rest of thehousehold stayed at thenearby Grand Trianon.Unfortunately, Madame dePolignac had also fallen illwithmeaslesandwasunabletojoinher.AlthoughMarieAntoinette

felt genuinely poorly at first,shestillmanaged tohave themost delightful time as shespent her days eating

strawberries in her lovelynew gardens and lazilydrifting across the GrandCanal on a boat. Theevenings were spent in thenew salon where she wasattended by her favourites:the always loyal Duc deCoigny, Baron de Besenval,CountEsterhazyandtheDucde Guines (whose influenceover the Queen wasconsideredespeciallyharmfulby Count Mercy), who took

turns to amuseherwith lightconversation and theoccasional musical interlude.It was all completelyharmless but as usual themalicious tongues of thecourt gossips had plenty tosay about the whole thing,especially as the King, whohadneverhadmeaslesandsowas kept away for fear ofcontagion, was not presentalthough he visited on oneoccasionandstoodout in the

courtyard, calling up to theQueenwho leanedoutofherbedroom window like JuliettohisunlikelyRomeo.Itwasaroundthistimethat

MarieAntoinettewaspaintedfor the first timebyMadameVigée-Lebrun, whoseportraitsoftheQueenremainamongst her most iconicrepresentations. Theirassociation began whenMarie Theresa asked theCount Mercy to approach

Marie Antoinette to requesttwofull lengthportraits foraroom filled with familyportraits. Forgoing the usualcourt painters, MarieAntoinette chose someonenew for this importantcommission: a rising star inart, the Parisian portraitistÉlisabethVigée-Lebrun,whohad already painted MarieAntoinette’s brother in lawthe Comte de Provence. Itwastobethefirstpaintingin

a series that was toimmortalise both sitter andartist in theeyesofposterity:when one thinks of MarieAntoinette, it is the vision ofher as painted by MadameVigée-Lebrun that oneusuallysees,eitherdressedinshimmering white silk withplumes inherpowderedhair,radiant in blue silk andholdinga rose in thegardensof the Petit Trianon, shylysmiling in soft white muslin

or holding her preciouschildren close whilesurroundedbythesplendoursofVersailles.‘She was then in the

heyday of her youth andbeauty,’ Madame Vigée-Lebrun later wrote in hermemoirs. ‘Marie Antoinettewas tall andadmirably built,beingsomewhatstout,butnotexcessivelyso.Herarmsweresuperb, her hands small andperfectlyformed,andherfeet

charming. She had the bestwalk of any woman inFrance, carrying her headerect with a dignity thatstamped her queen in themidstofherwholecourt,hermajestic mien, however, notin the least diminishing thesweetness and amiability ofherface.Toanyonewhohasnot seen the Queen it isdifficult to get an idea of allthegracesandallthenobilitycombined in her person.Her

features were not regular;she had inherited that longand narrow oval peculiar totheAustriannation.Hereyeswerenotlarge;incolourtheywere almost blue, and theywere at the same timemerryand kind. Her nose wasslender and pretty, and hermouth not too large, thoughherlipswereratherthick.Butthe most remarkable thingabout her face was thesplendourofher complexion.

I never have seen one sobrilliant, and brilliant is theword, for her skin was sotransparent that it bore noumber in the painting.Neither could I render therealeffectof itasIwished.Ihad no colours to paint suchfreshness, such delicate tints,which were hers alone, andwhichIhadneverseeninanyotherwoman.’Thefirstofthepaintings,a

fulllengthworkdepictingthe

twenty three year old Queeninwhite silk,was sent off toVienna in January 1779 andthe Empress immediatelyfired off a letter saying howdelighted she was with itwhileMarie Antoinette likedit so much that she orderedanother copy to be hung inher apartment at Versailles.MarieAntoinettewaspaintedseveral times during thisperiod by a wide variety ofdifferent artists but none

managed to capture heressentialcharmandfreshnessaswellasVigée-Lebrun,whomanaged the hithertoapparently impossible feat ofmanaging to capture alikeness while at the sametime hinting at the elusivecharm that made MarieAntoinette so irresistible inperson and softened thoserather heavy Habsburgfeatures.The period of

convalescence at PetitTrianon was just thebeginning of MarieAntoinette’s gradualwithdrawal fromcourt lifeasshe pursued amore informaland private existence.Whereas before she hadbecome a mother the Queenhad perhaps been a little toovisible thanks to her hecticParisian social life, now shewas not seen enough andwould often spend weeks on

end at the Petit Trianonsurrounded only by thecongenial company of herclosest friends and enjoyingthe delights of the gardens,small farm and the theatre,completedin1780,wheresheputonamateurtheatricalsfora very select audience and,tellingly, made a point ofalwaysplayingsimplevillagemaidens, milk maids andservant girls - women whowere free of expectation and

responsibility in a way thatthe Queen of France couldneverbe.When Marie Antoinette

entered a room at the PetitTrianonnoonewasexpectedtostopwhat theyweredoingand rise, as they were at thepalaces, but instead couldcontinue playing the piano,reading or sketching withoutdoing anything more thanpolitely acknowledging theQueen’sarrival.AtVersailles

too, things were taking amore informal tone. In 1783,itwasdecidedthatgentlemencould appear before theQueen in a plain frock coatand not the glorious courtdress previously demanded.While debutantes beingpresented for the first timecould now wear coloureddresses instead of the formalblack, which had previouslybeen worn. Otherwise, courtdress for women barely

changed over the years andremained the formal grandhabit of a panniered gownwith a tightly laced bodiceand short sleeves thatrevealed the pearly whiteshoulders of the wearer. Formore informal occasions, thecourt ladies would wear themuchlessconstrictiverobeàla Française, which wasmuchmorebecomingandfarlessunwieldytowear.Meanwhile, behind the

scenes,MarieAntoinettewascopying her husband bycreatingaveritablewarrenofstairs, corridors, mezzaninesand exquisite little roomsbehind her apartments atVersailles, where she couldescape from the prying eyesof the courtiers and beentirely herself with only afew of her most favouredcompanions. Here there wasto be found a library, somepretty little sitting roomsand

a billiards room as well asrooms for her maids. It wasallverycosybutagainaddedtothegeneralfeelingthattheQueen was graduallyvanishing from public life,which naturally gave rise torumours that she clearly hadsomething to hide - after all,Louis XV’s well knownpassion for privacy waspopularly supposed to havederived from his dissoluteand sexually promiscuous

lifestyle which he wished tokeep a secret from both hiscourtiers and the generalpublicsowhyshoulditnotbethe same case with MarieAntoinette, whose fondnessfor both handsome youngmen and clandestinebehaviour were both so wellwellknown?In the spring of 1780, her

childhood friends theprincesses of Hesse-DarmstadtcametovisitParis

and Marie Antoinette wasdelighted to be reunitedwiththem after so many yearsapart and show them aroundher world. They wereimmediately honoured withinvitations to the mosthallowed precincts of thePetit Trianon with MarieAntoinette writing that: ‘It’slooking so beautiful that Ishouldbecharmedtoshowittoyou…Ishallbequitealoneso don’t dress up; country

clothes and the men in frockcoats.’ The young Queentrulyrelishedwhatshefondlyimagined to be a simplebucoliccountryexistenceandconsidered it to be a muchneededrespitefromwhatsheincreasingly regarded as therelentless and tiresomedrudgeryofcourtlife.However, although 1780

began brightly for MarieAntoinette it would endwithtragedy. Her mother Maria

Theresa had been ailing forquite some time but hadstruggledon,her indomitablespiritrefusingtoacceptthatitwastimetoslowdown.On3November she wrote to herdaughter: ‘Yesterday, I spentthetimemoreinFrancethanAustria,andIrememberedallthe happy times in the past,whichisindeedgone.Justthememory consolesme.’ Itwasto be her last letter toMarieAntoinetteasjustacoupleof

dayslatertheEmpresscaughta chill while praying in thefamily vault beneath theCapuchin church. The chillturned into pneumonia andafter two terrible weeks theEmpress died in the arms ofthe distraught and sobbingJoseph.It took eight days for the

terrible news to reachVersailles and when iteventuallydid,Louis insistedthat the Abbé de Vermond

should be the one to tellMarie Antoinette that hermother, who had been themainstay of her life, wasgone. ‘Crushed by mostdreadfulmisfortune, I cannotstopcryingasIwritetoyou,’shewrote toJoseph. ‘Oh,mybrother, oh, my friend! Youalone are left to me in acountry which is, which willalways be, dear to me! Takecare of yourself, watch overyourself; you owe it to all…

Adieu,InolongerseewhatIwrite.Remember thatwearefriendsandallies.Loveme.’Marie Antoinette was

completely devastated by hermother’s death, perhapssensing that without MariaTheresa’s overbearing careand,admittedlyoftenentirelyunwelcome, advice, she wasfrom now on adrift in theworld without a properanchor to keep her fromharm. Her mother may have

been prophesying doom andallmannerofwoeever sincethe giddy, thoughtless MarieAntoinette first arrived inFrance over ten years earlierbutatleastshehadbeenableto be reasonably confidentthatshouldtheworsthappen,MariaTheresawouldbetherebehind her to pick up thepieces,dustherdownandputeverythingrightagain.Couldshe trust Joseph, nowEmperor in fact as well as

name,todothesameforher?Inconsolable, Marie

Antoinette retreated forseveralweekstothepeaceofthe Petit Trianon where sheremained sequestered alonebut for her closest friendsMadamedePolignacand thePrincesse de Lamballe. Shegaveherselfupcompletelytogrief, reminiscing for hoursabout her childhood andberating herself for notpayingproperattentiontoher

mother’swellmeaningadvicewhileshestillhadthechance.Itwasonlynow that shehadlost her forever that MarieAntoinette finally came torealise just how much hermother had loved her and,equally, how much she hadlost.Louis,itseems,wasoneof

those clumsy, awkward menwho have the gift of beingable to truly step up to themarkwhencalledupontodo

soandhewasarocknowforMarie Antoinette. He sat forhours with her, listening toher outpourings of grief andregret and always seemed toknowexactlywhat todoandsay to make her feel better.The couple were drawntogether by MarieAntoinette’s sorrow andwithin a couple of monthswere surprised and delightedto find that shewaspregnantonce again. Intimidating

thoughshemayhavebeeninlatter years, Maria Theresahadalways retainedacertaindry senseofhumour and shewould no doubt haveappreciated this unlooked forresult of her passing,especially as she had spentthe two years sinceMadameRoyale’sbirthharanguingherdaughterconstantlyabout thenecessity of having anotherbaby.Marie Antoinette’s second

labour began on themorningof 22 October 1781 with, asbefore, the Princesse deLamballe summoning theKing and other dignitaries tothe royal bedchamber wherethe Queen was pacing backandforthinordertoalleviateher pain. However, keen toavoid the terrible andmortifying press of peoplethathadattendedtheQueen’slast lying in, Louis restrictedthe audience this time to just

those who absolutely had tobe there with the Comted’Artois, aunts andPrincessede Lamballe representing theroyal family. Also presentwereMarieAntoinette’smostfavouredladies:theComtessedeMailly,Comtessed’Ossun,Princesse de Chimay andComtesse de Tavannes aswell as the Princesse deGuéménée, who was waitingto take the baby to the royalnurseries. Everyone else was

banished to the outer roomsof theQueen’s apartments towaitfornews.Asiscommonwithsecond

labours, this one was muchquickerthanthefirstandwasover in around an hour andfifteen minutes when theQueengavebirthtoahealthychild. The baby, as was thecustom, was immediatelywhisked away to be washedand swaddled before theKing, weeping and his voice

trembling with emotion,brought the child back toMarie Antoinette saying,‘Madame, Monsieur leDauphin asks for permissiontoenter.’The wonderful news was

announced to the crowds ofcourtiers waiting outside andspread like wildfire throughthepalacesothatbythetimethe Princesse de Guéménée,lookingasproudasifshehadgiven birth to the heir to the

throne herself, appearedwiththe baby in her arms andseatedinabathchairsotherewouldbenoriskofdroppingthe precious heir on his waydown to the chapel to bebaptised, there wereenormous crowds throngingtheHallofMirrorstoseehergo by.KingLouis hurried inthewakeofhisson,unabletotake his eyes off this mostmiraculous and longed forchild, andgrinningaffablyat

theshoutsofcongratulations.Finally, he felt that he haddone his duty andfurthermoreprovedhimselftobeamanlikeanyother.The baby, who weighed

thirteen livres and measuredtwenty two inches in length,was baptised Louis JosephXavier François in theglorious chapel at Versaillesbefore being taken off to theroyal nursery to meet hissisterMadameRoyaleandbe

placedintothecareofhiswetnurse,thewonderfullynamedMadame Poitrine (MadameBreast). Meanwhile, MarieAntoinette, completely wornout,restedinherbedchamberwhere shortly she wouldreceived the homage of theParisianmarketwomen,whoregaled the happy royalcouple with some salaciouscouplets about Louis’ sexualprowess before trooping offtoenjoya splendid supper in

theroyalapartments.ShortlyaftertheDauphin’s

birth,on21November1781,thewilyoldMaurepas,Louis’chief advisor and ChiefMinister and uncle ofMadame de Polignac, passedaway. There was immediatedebate about who would behis successor as ChiefMinister but Louis surprisedeveryone by rejectingLoménie de Brienne, whowasthechoiceoftheQueen’s

party and making it knownthatfromnowonhewouldberuling alone,with theComtedeVergennesasadvisor.Thisnews was greeted withdelight by Mercy and theEmperor Joseph, who hadtaken up Maria Theresa’smantle when it came topersuading Marie Antoinetteto make herself the powerbehind the throne. However,Marie Antoinette had verylittletasteforpoliticsandher

few attempts at persuadingKing to take her advice hadhad mixed results. She hadfailed when it came torestoring Choiseul but thenagain had undoubtedly had ahand in the disastrousappointmentof theComtedeSégurasMinisterofWarandthe fall of Turgot in 1776afterhehadattempted toputthrough plans for a moreegalitariantaxsystemthatnolonger disproportionately

favoured thearistocracy.Theprincipledangerhere though,as Louis knew all too well,was that Marie Antoinettehad no real grasp of politicsand based her politicalopinions on personal likesand dislikes and, worse,whatever her friends,specificallytheambitiousandgrasping Polignac cotérie,and family chose to tell her.Her advice could thereforenever be trusted as she was

usually acting as themouthpieceofotherpeople.‘This ill starred princess

either did not know how toconsider people’s feelings orwas not prepared to do so,’Madame de la Tour du Pinwould later recall. ‘Whenshewasdispleasedshealloweditto be evident, regardless ofthe consequences. And thisdid great harm to theKing’scause. She was gifted with avery great courage, but very

little intelligence, absolutelyno tact and worst of all amistrust always misplaced inthose who were most willingtoserveher.’However, evenif her political use wasseverely limited by her owndeficiencies, MarieAntoinette could still beuseful in other ways. Whenher brother and EmpressCatherineIIofRussiawereincahoots and planning topartitiontheOttomanEmpire,

Joseph asked MarieAntoinettetolendahandandroyallyentertaintheEmpress’son and heir Tsarevitch Pauland his wife ArchduchessMaria Feodorovna when,travelling incognito as theComte and Comtesse duNord, they visited Paris inMay1782.TheirvisitwasnotaltogetherpopularwithLouisand Vergennes, who did notatallapproveoftheAustrianalliance with Russia or their

plansfortheOttomanEmpireand were well aware thatalthough the Tsarevitch waskeen to make his visit looklike simple tourism, he hadactually been sent by hismother to try and gain someFrench support. WhenMarieAntoinette, following herbrother’s instructions, askedto be allowed to entertainthem, Louis was grateful tohand the baton over to her,relievedtohavenothingtodo

withit.MarieAntoinettesparedno

expense when it came toentertaining their Russianguests,whoweretreatedtoaconcertinthePeaceRoom,asplendid supper party, a tripto Trianon, severalmagnificentgalasandafancydress ball in the royal opérawhereMarieAntoinetteagainappeareddressedasGabrielled’Estrées, themistress of herancestor Henri IV, with the

Pitt diamond, valued at 2millionfrancs,attachedtoherplumed hat. The whole visitwas extraordinarilyexpensive, with the Queenand her ladies spending afortuneondressesfromRoseBertin and Madame Éloffeand the Russian partyspending evenmore in ordertocompetewiththefamouslyfashionableFrenchcourtiers.There was also a visit to

the famous porcelain factory

at Sèvres, which had longenjoyed the particularpatronageoftheroyalfamily,which involved a specialweek every year when thecompany’s newwareswouldbe laid out on display atVersailles so that the courtcould make purchases. TheRussian visitors spent over300,000 francs at the Sèvresfactory, with the additionaltreat of discovering that aparticularly lovely lapis blue

toilette set which the GrandDuchess had particularlyadmiredwastobeapersonalpresent from MarieAntoinette.The visit ended with a

formal court ball in the Hallof Mirrors where the Queendanced with the Tsarevitchand Louis partnered MariaFeodorovna. However,although the Russian partyleft Versailles completelyoverawed and delighted by

the reception they hadenjoyed, Marie Antoinettewas pleased to see them go,having taken one of hersudden dislikes to theTsarevitchafterhehadaskedher some very impertinentquestions about her fallingout with Madame du Barry,who was still banished fromthecourt.Once her awkward guests

had gone, Marie Antoinettetook herself off to the Petit

Trianon for a few weeks,doubtless congratulatingherself on the success of herhostessingevenifshewincedabitathowmuchithadcost.However, the truecostswereyet to be counted as thepeople grumbled about suchextravagance at a time whenthe nation’s coffers wereknown to depleted almost tothepointofbankruptcybythewars inAmerica.Worse stillwas to come later on in the

year when the Prince deGuéménée, husband of theRoyal Governess, declaredhimself to be bankrupt withastonishing debts of over 33million livres. Thiscatastrophe caused anenormous scandal at courtwith wider repercussionselsewhere as the fall of thepowerful Guéménée familyalso ruined countlesstradesmen and others whowere owed vast sums of

moneyandwouldnowneverbe paid. The ripples causedby the Prince’s bankruptcywere to be widespread anddevastating, not least for hiswife who was now inawkward position when thefull extent of the disasterbecame known, as it wasconsidered utterlyunthinkable for the wife ofsomeone so completelyruined to continue asgoverness to the royal

children.MarieAntoinette,whowas

very fond of the Princesse,did everything she could tohelp even though Mercycounselled her to keep herdistance so that she wasn’ttainted by association, buthad to accept the Princesse’sresignation of her post inOctober 1782, exactly a yearafterthebirthoftheDauphin.Shemanagedtosecureahugepensionforthecouplethough

and encouraged the King tobuy the Princesse’s countryestate at Montreuil, nearVersailles, for his sisterÉlisabeth who had fallen inlovewith the spotduringhernumerous visits there whenshe was under the charge ofthedisgracedgoverness.The whole dismal affair

was talked about everywhereand although MarieAntoinettehadhadnothingtodo with the Guéménée’s

debts, it still had a parlouseffect on her alreadydwindling popularity, whichhad revived a little after thebirthof theDauphinbut thenplummeted sharply whenwordoftheextravagancethatattended the Russian visitstarted doing the rounds ofParis. With the countryteetering on the verge offinancial disaster, theexcessive spending of theroyal family and those close

to themwasbeinghelduptoscrutiny and this very publicdisgraceoftwokeymembersof the royal household wasconsidered a justification ofthe criticisms that werebeginning to be directed atthefrivolityandwastefulnessofthecourtingeneralandtheQueeninparticular.The not entirely

unexpected appointment ofMadame de Polignac (whohad recently become a

Duchesse) to the post ofRoyalGoverness also causedmurmuring at court as theposition had been passeddown through the Rohanfamily for years and tobestow it elsewhere and,furthermore,onsomeonewhowasnotfromoneofthemostprominent blue bloodedfamilies at court, wasconsidered extremelycontroversial, if notprovocativeonthepartofthe

Queen. Here again, MarieAntoinette’spersonalfeelingshadgotthebetterofher-shehad never quite liked thenumerousRohanfamilysincehearingthattheirscionPrinceLouis de Rohan (nowCardinaldeRohan),whohadperformedMassbeforeherinStrasbourg when she firstarrived in France, had beengoing about the place sayinginsulting things about hermother. She knew that

Madame de Polignac’sappointment to such aprestigiouscourtpositionwasnot entirely appropriate butshedidn’tcareandinthisshewas unexpectedly supportedby Louis, who would havepreferredtoplacehischildrenin the care of his auntAdélaïdebutknewbetterthantoopposeMarieAntoinetteina matter of such personalinteresttoher.MadamedePolignacdidn’t

have any complaints though.The post of governess camewithasplendidthirteenroomapartment next door to therooms of the royal children,rightonthepalaceterraceandoverlooking the famousOrangerie. The enterprisingDuchesse proceeded to buildan elaborate woodenconservatory at one end ofher rooms so that she wouldhave more space to throwlavish parties three times a

week, which were attendedby theentirecourtaswellasthe Queen, who astoundedeveryone by behaving like aguest rather than themistressofthepalace.In early 1783, Marie

Antoinette posed again forMadame Vigée-Lebrun, thistime choosing not to appearin a splendidly ornate courtdress but rather a simplemuslin gown of the sort thatshe liked to wear while

frolicking with her childrenand pet dogs at the PetitTrianon. Although she stilllikedagoodparty,thetwentyseven year old Queen wasengrossed by her domesticlife, preferring to spend hertime at her own privateresidenceratherthanshowingherself off amidst thesplendoursofVersailles.Thisportrait was intended toportray what MarieAntoinette was increasingly

seeing as her true self; thereal woman behind theglitteringfaçadeoftheQueenofFrance.The painting caused a

sensation when it wasdisplayed at the prestigiousParis Salon of 1783. MarieAntoinette and MadameVigée-Lebrun, youngwomenwithmindsfullofallsortsofromantic and idealistic ideasabout the simplicity andvirtue of private life were

entranced by the lack ofetiquette in the painting, bythelackofheavycourtgownsand jewels, by its essentialcharm and honesty. Thecritics and visitors to theSalon, however, were ratherless charmed and saw in thelack of queenly decorationand etiquette a quitedeplorable lesé majesté thatacted as a metaphor for thegradualerosionofthedignityof both France and its royal

family.Itwasalsowhisperedthat the Queen had posed inhershift,whichofcoursewasnotatallthecaseand,worse,that the painting wasdeliberately intended to ruinthe silk industry at Lyons,which formed an importantpart of the country’srevenues. The painting wasintended for Versailles butMarie Antoinette was soupsetbythereactionthatshesent it to her friends the

Princesses of Hesse-Darmstadt instead.Interestingly a very similarportrait by Vigée-Lebrun ofthe Comtesse de Provencedressed in a muslin gownwith a pale blue sash wasdisplayed nearby at the sametime and received no waynear so much opprobrium asthe one of Marie Antoinetteandwasinfactpraised.A second portrait, painted

in the same year, was far

more popular as it depictedtheyoungQueeninmuchthesame pose, holding a pinkrose, but this timedressed inshimmering pale blue silk,trimmedwithcostly laceandribbons and with pricelesspearls around her whitethroat. This was apparentlymore like how a Queen ofFrance should look andindeed this painting remainsthe most iconic portrayal ofMarie Antoinette even now,

probably because it deliversthe most perfect balance ofmajestyandcoquetry,bothofwhicharequalitiesassociatedwiththedoomedQueen.Certainly, Marie

Antoinette’s alleged coquetrywas giving rise to plenty oftalkthatyearasthehandsomeSwedish nobleman Axel vonFersen,whowasallchiselledhigh cheeks, steelyblue eyesand pouting lips, had arrivedback in Paris and been

immediatelyacceptedintotheheartoftheQueen’scircleyetagain. It was rumoured thathe was her lover but thisseems very unlikely to havebeen the case. MarieAntoinette may have beencapricious,rathershallowandessentially frivolous but shewasalsoextremelypersonallymodest and above all deeplydevoted and loyal to herfamily. She may never havebeen madly in love with

Louis, her ‘poor man’, butshe respected him andfurthermore knew that sheowedhimherloyalty.However, that’s not to say

that she wasn’t partial to theoddbitofharmless flirtation,asseveralothergentlemenofthecourt,suchasthedashingDuc de Lauzun, could (andsadlywould) testify to. Thatshe, as we would say today,fancied Axel von Fersencannot be doubted and that

he, deeply flattered to havebeen singled out by theQueen of France,reciprocated her attraction isalsovery likelybut it isveryunlikely that this was everacted upon or at least wentfurther than perhaps the oddkiss if it evenwent as far asthat. That Marie Antoinette,raised by hermother to be adutiful spouse and bred forthe very highest position,should compromise the

French royal succession forthesakeofapairoffineeyesand a tumble in bed isunthinkable, while for Axelvon Fersen it was her veryuntouchability, herunattainability that made herso irresistible. One gets thesense from his letters that ifMarie Antoinette hadcapitulated and welcomedhimtoherbedthenhisimageof her would have beenforever tarnished as his

adoration was fuelled asmuch by her aloofness as byhergentlecharmandobviousfavouritism.Marie Antoinette became

pregnant again during thesummer of 1783 but despitetaking all of her usualprecautions she suffered amiscarriageonherbirthdayinNovember. It was to have adevastating effect on herhealth and she did not fullyrecover for several months,

which were naturally mostlyspent in the seclusion andsafety of the Petit Trianon.Therewereotherworries tooasthetwoyearoldDauphin’shealthbegantogiveconcern,whereas his sister MadameRoyale continued to be aboisterous butterball of achild, all pink cheeked goodlooks and bouncing blondecurls, just as hermother hadbeen in her youth.TheDauphinwaswan and sickly

though and it was becomingunpleasantly clear to hisdotingparentsthatitmightbeprudent to have another sonto secure the successionshouldtheworsthappen.In the meantime, Marie

Antoinette lavished attentiononherchildren,who tookupresidence with theirhouseholds in the GrandTrianon so that she couldkeepthemclosetohandwhenshe was living at the Petit

Trianon.Sadlyfor theQueenthough,theclosenessthatshehadanticipatedwithMadameRoyalefailedtomaterialiseasthe child made it plain thatshemuchpreferredherfather,probably because he was farless strict than her mother,whowas fondofmakingherplaywith peasant children inorder to curb her snobbishtendencies (even adopting agirlcalledAlbertinetobeherconstant playmate) and on

one occasion gave all of hertoysaway to thepoor.Whilesuch egalitarian sentimentsareobviouslyadmirable,theydon’t seem to have pleasedthe haughty little MadameRoyale verymuch andwhenthe Abbé de Vermond toldher that her mother hadalmost died after suffering afall from her horse, the littleprincess replied that shewouldn’thaveminded,beforegoing to explain that she

wouldn’tmindnotseeinghermother ever again becausethen she could do as shepleased.Althoughtheprincessonly

turnedfiveattheendof1783,herfuturemarriagewasstillatopic of considerableimportance with severalglittering matches, rangingfrom the heir of the King ofSweden to various HabsburgcousinsonMarieAntoinette’sside,beingconsidered.Closer

to home there was also theDucd’Angoulême, theeldestson of the Comte d’Artoisand the Duc de Valois, theeldest son of the Duc deChartres,whowould beDucd’Orléans one day.AlthoughMarie Antoinette wasnaturally hoping for a matchthatwouldkeepherdaughterinFrance,shecouldnotbringherself to approve of amarriage into the Orléansfamily now that her early

friendship with the Duc deChartres, who had acted asher host at the Palais Royalon more than one occasion,had soured into an icy feudthanks to her not entirelyunfounded suspicions that hewas responsible for some ofthe nasty rumours circulatingabout her.When the Duc deChartres formally requestedthe hand of the princess forhissonatthestartof1784,hewas turned down flat by her

parents which had the effectof increasing his enmitytowards Marie Antoinette,whomheregardedasentirelyresponsible for thishumiliation. In hindsight itwas probably not the wisestcourseofactiontooffendtheDuc and turn down thisopportunity to allythemselveswith thepowerfuland, above all, very popularhouse of Orléans but theeventsof1789werefivelong

yearsawayandnoonecouldever have predicted whatterrible calamities lay in thefuture. By the summer of 1784,

Marie Antoinette hadrecovered from hermiscarriage and wasbeginning to feelmuchmoreoptimisticabout thefuture. Itwas during this period thatshe oversaw the building ofherprettylittlehamletatPetitTrianon, a masterpiece of

elaboratesetdesignwhichtheQueen fondly imaginedlookedjustlikearealpeasantvillage. Here, she couldoversee the milking ofspeciallyimportedpurewhiteSwiss cows, feed her hensandhelp her children pet therabbits. The sight of MarieAntoinette frolicking in herwhite frock and straw hat(both of which cost afortune), was utterlycharming to be sure, but not

everyonewasafan.‘Perhapsbyspendingalittlemore,HerMajesty would have beenable to erase the look ofmisery worn by our realhamlets within a radius ofthirty leagues and improvethe dwellings that are thehomes of so many decentcitizens, instead ofrepresenting them in theirhideous decay,’ the Marquisde Bombelles wrote,admittedly with some

justification.In June 1784, Louis and

Marie Antoinette wereastounded by the news thattheeccentricKingGustavIIIof Sweden had suddenlyarrived,fashionablyincognitoofcourse,atVersaillestopaya surprise visit. That he hadbroughtthedashingAxelvonFersen with him in his trainwas probably of smallconsolation to the Frenchroyalcoupleastheyhastened

to greet their unexpectedguest with all the necessarypompandaplomb.Infact,sohasty were their preparationsthat Louis, who had beenhunting in the forests atRambouillet when the newsof Gustav’s arrival came,appearedinoddshoes,whichearned him a gentle rebukefrom his famously soignéewife, who naturally lookedimmaculateasever.KingGustavstayedforsix

weeks and despite hisunexpectedarrival,LouisandMarie Antoinette put on anastonishing and mostgratifying parade ofentertainments for hisamusement, culminating in awonderful party at the PetitTrianon on 27 June, wherethe guests had towearwhiteand were treated to balletsandmusic by Grétry as theywandered freely about thepavilions, hamlet and new

Englishgardens,allofwhichwere illuminated bythousands of colouredlanterns for the occasion.Marie Antoinette also foundtimeduringthevisittowhiskoff to Paris for the galaperformance ofBeaumarchais’ Le Mariagede Figaro, which had beenpreviously banned by theKing due to its seditiousnature, and was reportedlyvery much amused by this

tale of aristocratic iniquity,assignations and mistakenidentity. Her husband, onlytoo aware of the calumniesthatwere being spread abouthis wife and her friends,thought that Beaumarchais’playwoulddothemalluntoldharm but Marie Antoinette,who loved to be at theforefront of all that wasfashionable even if it was atthe cost of her own dignity,believed that itwasall just a

pieceofharmless funandnoworse than the Shakespeareplays thatLouiswas so fondof.MarieAntoinette,whohad

become so large duringpregnancythatitwasthoughtthatshewasexpecting twins,gave birth to her third child,anotherson,athalfpastsevenin the morning of 27 March1785.Aswasthecustom,thebaby was immediatelywhisked away to the royal

chapel to be baptised LouisCharles and was given thetitleDucdeNormandiebyhisoverjoyed father beforeMadame de Polignac tookhim off to the royal nurseryonthegroundfloor,wherehejoined Madame Royale andthe Dauphin. As with hiselder sister, Marie ThérèseCharlotte, his last name wasgiven in honour of hisgodmother, MarieAntoinette’s favourite sister,

Maria Carolina, Queen ofNaples.However, whereas the

births of her two eldestchildren had been greetedwith universal acclamation,Marie Antoinette wasastounded to be greeted bysilent, resentful crowdswhenshe drove into Paris for theformal thanksgivingceremony at Notre Dameafter the birth of LouisCharles,whomshereferredto

as her ‘chou d’amour’. Untilthat moment she had had noreal idea just how unpopularshe actually was and wascompletely shocked andbewilderedbytheexperience.‘Why do they hate me somuch?’ she asked herhusband upon her return toVersailles. ‘WhathaveIeverdone to them?’ Herunpopularity was furtherincreased when the King,who inhisusualclumsyway

wasseekingonlytoshowhisgratitude and affection to hiswife, purchased the Orléans’family’s rathergrandcountryseat, Saint Cloud on theoutskirtsofParisfor6millionlivres (with the assistance ofhis brilliant Director GeneralofFinance,Calonnewhohadtemporarily abated thepressure on the royal coffersby borrowing large sums ofmoney) and presented it toMarieAntoinette.

The main impetus for thisrather expensive and foolishpurchase was the ongoingmajor renovationwork goingon at Versailles (in fact,Louis and Marie Antoinettehad even consideredrebuilding large parts of thepalaceuntil theyrealisedthatthis plan was financialunfeasible) which made itadvisable to have anotherlarge residence near Paris. Itwas also thought that the air

at Saint Cloud, which wasbuiltonahilloverlookingthecity and had famouslybeautiful gardens that sweptdown towards theSeine,wasfar healthier than that atVersailles,whichafterallhadbeen built on a swamp, andwould therefore be better forthe royal children, inparticular theailingDauphin.The purchase of Saint Cloudwas still an act of follythough and the fact that it

now belonged to MarieAntoinette just made thesituation far worse as it wascompletely unprecedentedthat a foreign Queen ofFrance should own propertyinherownrightandthereforehavetherighttodisposeofitas she pleased. That she hadalreadysaid that thepropertywouldbe inheritedbyoneofher younger children did notmatter -peoplewereworriedthat it would somehow

become the property of thehated Austria and that theEmperor would thereforehavea foothold inFrance,asif having his sister on thethrone with the Kingpopularly supposed to beunder her thumb,wasn’t badenough.Marie Antoinette ignored

all of the murmurings andthrew herself wholeheartedlyinto the refurbishment ofSaint Cloud, which hadn’t

been visited by the Orléansfamily for quite some timeandwasinseriousneedofanoverhaul, which the Queenenthusiastically delivered,installing beautiful pastelcolouredpanellingandfillingthe rooms with exquisitefurniture and costlydecorations. She took greatdelight in posting rules there‘by order of the Queen’ andinsisted that all of theservants wore her own

personal livery and if sheknew that this was causingopprobrium in certainquarters, she didn’t seem tocareonelittlebit.In thewakeof theDucde

Normandie’s birth and thepurchase of Saint Cloud,rumours about the Queen’sprivate lifebegan tomultiplyatanalarmingrate.Therehadalways been ill-naturedwhispers about the paternityof the royal children, but

neveronquitethesamescaleasnowwhenallofPariswastalkingaboutthefactthatthelatest royal baby hadobviously been conceivedduringtheSwedishroyalvisitwhen King Gustav had hadthedashingAxelvonFersen,whom theQueenwasknowntohave a liking for, amongsthis entourage of handsomeyoung men. Pamphlets,leaflets, ribald songs anderotic novels about the

Queen’s alleged sexualexploits with a variety ofpartners that included herbrother-in-law Artois andfriends Yolande de Polignacand the Princesse deLamballe began to appear insuch great numbers that theParisian police could barelykeep tabs on the situation,although they seized anddestroyed as many as theycould. However, countlessmorewerebeingopenly sold

in the arcades of the PalaisRoyal and many even madetheirwaytoVersailleswheretheywereleftonchairsintheroyal salons and even onoccasion surreptitiouslyplaced where the Queenherselfwouldseethem.Marie Antoinette did her

besttolaughallofthisoffbuttherealdangerlayinthefactthat although the pamphletsand rhymes were seen asamusing little pieces of

nonsenseintheglitteringandsophisticated salons of Parisand Versailles there was arisk that they were beingtaken as fact by the lesserudite and cosmopolitancitizens of her country. Thesullen reception that she hadreceived in Paris after thebirth of the Duc deNormandie certainlysuggested that her star wasnotsomuchon thewanebuthadfallencompletelyandthe

rumours of her promiscuityhadhadmuchtodowiththis.‘How many times have youleft themarriagebedandthecaresses of your husband toabandon yourself toBacchantes or satyrs and tojoin yourself with themthrough their brutal joys?’one pamphlet demanded oftheQueen.Themessagewasclear -Marie Antoinette wasabadwoman,abadwifeandabadQueen.

Not that the rumourswereentirelyrestrictedtothegutterpress of Paris, however.There had been all sorts oflurid little tales floatingaroundthecandlelitroomsofthe royal palaces for years:whispers about the Queen’sflirtations with variousgentlemen of the court andraised eyebrows over herclose friendships withMadame de Polignac andMadamedeLamballe,which

were obviously completelyinnocent but, then as now,malicious tongues will findfodderwherevertheycanandcan twist even the mostinnocuous things to makethemappearfarmoresinisterthan they actually are. Therewas alsoplentyof talk aboutMarie Antoinette’s secretivebehaviour at Versailles andthe other palaces where sheinsisted upon locking herselfaway in her private cabinets

and even the King wouldoften find himself left out inthe cold on the other side ofthe door. There had beenmuch laughter, for example,over the occasion atFontainebleau when poorLouis had traipsed pastseveral amused courtiers tovisithiswife’sbedchamberatnight only to find the doorfirmly locked against him.The unfortunate andextremely embarrassed King

had then had to perform thevery worst sort of walk ofshame past a crowd ofsniggeringcourtiers,whohidtheir smiles behind thepainted fans and wonderedjust what the Queen wastryingtohide.However,badasallofthis

may have seemed, thingswere about to take a turn forthe worse for MarieAntoinette.On12 July1785,while the Queen was

excitedly preparing for thecourt’s first period ofresidence at the newlyrefurbished Saint Cloud andpainstakingly learning herlinesfortheroleofRosineina private performance ofBeaumarchais’TheBarberofSeville, the Parisian jewellerCharles Auguste Boehmer,who worked in partnershipwith Paul Bassenge,presented her with a verystrangeandperplexingnote.

‘Madame,We are filled with

happiness and venture tothink that the lastarrangementsproposedtous,which we have performedwith zeal and respect, are afurther proof of oursubmission and devotion toYourMajesty’sorder,andwehave genuine satisfaction inthinking that the mostbeautifulsetofdiamondsnow

existing will belong to thegreatestandbestofQueens.’

Amused by what shebelieved must be anunfortunatemisunderstanding, MarieAntoinette read the note outto her First Lady of theBedchamber MadameCampan then, remarking thatthe letter wasn’t worthkeeping, set fire to it with acandle. Boehmer and

Bassange had visited her afew times in the past to beghertobuyamostextravagantand extremely outmodedlooped necklace which hadactually been made forMadame du Barry when shewas at the height of herrelationship with Louis XVand had her royal lover socompletely wrapped aroundherlittlefingerthathewouldhaveboughtitforherwithouta single qualm. Marie

Antoinettehadnevergotoverher adolescent loathing ofMadame du Barry, who wasstill banned from everreturning to Versailles andthisassociationwiththehatedformer royal mistress wouldhave beenmore than enoughto put her off buying thenecklaceifithadn’talsobeenutterly hideous and ruinouslyexpensive at an eyewatering1.8 million livres. Alwayseager to please his wife,

Louis at one point offered tobuy the piece for her butMarie Antoinette, whothought it a most outmodedand crude piece ofwork andhad, besides, begun toeconomise where diamondswere concerned, turned himdown,sayingthatthecountryhad more need of war shipsthan diamonds and besidesshe had enough of the latteranyway.However, the cryptic note

brought none of this tomindand insteadMarieAntoinettethoughtthatitmustsimplybea rather stupid ploy topersuade her into buyingsomeother extravagant pieceof jewellery. She instructedMadame Campan to letBoehmer know that shewould no longer bepatronising him and thenwould almost certainly havethoughtnomoreofthematterif it hadn’t been forced upon

her attention once again andinrathermorealarmingtermsafter Boehmer visitedMadame Campan later thatsamedayandpouredhis taleof woe into her increasinglyhorrifiedandshockedears. Itseemed that having given upall hope of the Queenrelenting and taking the nowinfamous necklace off hishands, Boehmer had beendelighted to be contacted bythe Cardinal de Rohan who

informed him that he hadbeen instructed to buy thenecklace on behalf of MarieAntoinette, who wished thetransaction to be kept secret.Convinced by notes that hadallegedly been signed by theQueen herself, the jewellerhaddelivered thenecklace tothe Cardinal, who in returninformed him that theQueenwouldmakethefirstpaymentof400,000livreson1Augustandwouldmakeherglittering

début in her purchase in thenextfewweeks.A few days later Boehmer

and Bassenge weresummoned to Versailles inorder to repeat their tale infront of Marie Antoinette,Vermondand theMinisterofthe King’s Household, theBaron de Breteuil, all ofwhom were appalled by theimplications of what theywere being told. MarieAntoinette was particularly

incensed - she had hated theCardinal deRohan for years,ever since he’d beenextremely rude about hermother, and had snubbedseveralattemptsonhisparttoget into her good books. Itseemed absolutely incredibleto her that he, knowing fullwell how much she dislikedhim,couldeverhavebelievedthat she would put such acommissionintohishandsorthat she could have been in

cahoots with him behind thebackoftheKing.However, Baron de

Breteuil’sinvestigationswereto uncover even worserevelations when furtherquestioningoftheunfortunateBoehmer and BassengebroughtthenameofMadamede la Motte-Valois, a wellknown adventuress whoclaimed descent from theValois kings and wasobviously desperate to get

accepted into the Queen’sinner circle, into the mix.Madame de la Motte-Valoishad been going about Parisboasting of her friendshipwith Marie Antoinette andpopularityatcourtwhere,shesaid, she was receivedeverywhereasacousinoftheKing and Queen and wasprivytoalltheirlittlesecrets.Itwas all lies, of course, butthe desperate jewellers hadfallen for it hook, line and

sinker and asked her if shewould have a word inMarieAntoinette’s ear about thediamond necklace. Aftertaking a look at the piece inquestion, Madame de laMotte-Valoishadpromisedtodoherbestandatthestartof1785 had returned to informthem that she had succeededin her quest andmanaged topersuade the Queen to buythe jewels. According toMadame de la Motte-Valois,

Marie Antoinette had beensecretly hankering after themallalongbuthadnotdaredtoopenly buy them for fear ofdispleasing the King anddrawing further adversecomment about herextravagance.At the same time as she

was enmeshing theunfortunate Boehmer andBassenge in her web of lies,Madame de la Motte-Valoiswas also spinning a fairytale

for her lover Cardinal deRohan,whowaswell knownto be desperate for theQueen’s favourandachanceto reinstate himself in hergood books. The Cardinal,who was clearly a rathercredulousman,was only toowilling to believe thatMadame de la Motte-Valoiswas friends with the Queenand after she appeared to setupa secretmidnightmeetingbetween him and Marie

Antoinette in one of thesecludedgrovesatVersailles,hewaslikeputtyinherhandsand agreed to act as gobetweenwiththejewellersinthe purchase of the fabulousnecklace, his haughtyaristocratic authoritydispelling any lingeringconcernsthattheymighthavehad about the veracity ofMadame de laMotte-Valois’claimstobeonintimatetermswith the Queen. It was the

Cardinal who had takencharge of the necklace afterthejewellersbroughtittotheHôteldeRohanatthestartofFebruary and he who hadmade the arrangements forpaymentbeforeitwaspassedon to Madame de la Motte-Valois, who had allegedlybeen instructed to take itstraighttotheQueen.However, when Marie

Antoinettefailedtoappearinpublic wearing the fabulous

necklace,Monsieur Boehmerhad begun to get rathernervous about the wholetransaction. Reports thatMadame de la Motte-Valoishad gone on a massiveshopping spree then departedParis in order to take upresidence in her extremelyopulently furnished châteauwere also very worrying andin the end the jewellers haddecidedtobreaktheirsilenceand approach Madame de

Campan, in order to find outwhathadhappened.At first the Baron de

Breteuil had advised keepingthe whole affair from theKing until more was knownabout the Cardinal’sinvolvement.However,on14August he decided that thetime had come and laid thewhole sorry affair in frontofhis master, who in turndiscussed it with his advisorVergennes and Lord

Chancellor Miromesnil.Breteuil, who waswholeheartedly the Queen’sman, was all in favour ofpublicly humiliating theCardinal for this act of lesemajesté but the more cannyVergennes and Miromesnilwere mindful of the terriblescandal that this mightprovokeand insteadhastenedto advise the King to treadcarefully and privatelyquestion the Cardinal about

theaffairbeforehemadeanyrashdecisions.The Cardinal was ordered

intothepresenceoftheKing,QueenandthreeMinistersthevery next day, 15 August1785. Itwas theFeast of theAssumption and MarieAntoinette’s name day andthe whole of Versailles hadturnedoutenmassetowatchtheprocessionandattendthatmorning’s Mass in theQueen’shonour.Havingbeen

outofroyalfavourforseveralyears,CardinaldeRohanwasextremely surprised to beinformed that he had beensummoned to the King’spresencebut,hopefulthathissecret assignment for theQueen had marked a turn inhis fortunes at court, heobediently made his waythrough the huge crowds inthe Hall of Mirrors to theCouncilRoom.Howeverifheexpected to find the King

wreathedwithgratefulsmileshe was sorely mistaken asinstead he found himselfbeing interrogated by Louisand his ministers, all underthe cold and distinctlyunfriendly gaze of MarieAntoinette who spoke onlyonce to insist that the notesthat had allegedly passedbetween herself and theCardinal must have beenforgeries.WhentheCardinalhadleft,

Vergennes and Miromesnilcounselled the King to treadcautiously and keep thewholesorryaffaircompletelyquiet, no doubt alreadyfearingthattherewerefurthersordid revelations in thepipeline and all too wellaware how much damagesuchascandal,touchingasitdidupontheQueen’sallegedextravagance as well as hermuch whispered aboutpersonal relations with the

courtiers, would do toMarieAntoinette’s alreadybeleaguered reputation.However, Breteuil and theQueen, who had burst intotears,weredetermined to seethe Cardinal fully punishedfor his actions and urgedLouis to have him arrestedand properly questioned.Neverabletoresisthiswife’stears, Louis duly gave theorder to have the Cardinalarrested and his Lord

Chancellor, no doubt ratherreluctantly,steppedoutoftheCouncil Room and loudlygavetheordertohaveRohanapprehendedatonce.Itwouldhave been more usual forsuch a high profile arrest totake place in private so tohave theCardinal arrested sopubliclyandwithin thewallsof Versailles itself wasextremely shocking and hadthe effect of causing animmense scandal before

anything was even knownaboutthewholeaffair.Madame de la Motte-

Valois was arrested shortlyafterwards and, naturallyenough, denied everything,painting herself as theinnocent patsy in theCardinal’s schemes andclaiming to have nothing todo with the necklace, whichhad, of course, nowcompletely vanished fromsight. The official

investigations continued wellinto the summer until Louiscalled another meeting and,despite the continuedreservations of Miromesniland Vergennes, ordered thattheCardinalbeputontrialsothathiswife’snamecouldbecompletely cleared of anyinvolvement in the matter.Marie Antoinette washorrified that the Cardinal, aman whom she absolutelyloathed, could have been so

stupidastothinkforsomuchas a second that she wouldnotonlypasshimsecretnotesbehind Louis’ back but, farworse still, arrange privatelittleassignationswithhiminthemiddle of the night.Thata public revelation of suchmatters could hardly do heranycreditdidnotatallweighon her mind which wasentirely focussed on bothclearinghernameandgettingrevenge on the arrogant

Cardinal. Itwouldhavebeena kindness on the part ofVergennestopointoutatthisjuncture that her ownreputation was by now soblackened that a public trialof this nature could only doharm no matter what theoutcome was, but heremainedsilentandthewholemiserableprocesscontinued.Meanwhile, Marie

Antoinette continued todistract herself with her

performanceasRosineinTheBarber of Seville which wasput on at the Petit Trianontheatre in front of a veryselect audience made up ofmembers of the royal familyand the Queen’s own closelittle circle of friends. Shehad also thoroughly enjoyedher first proper stay at hernew acquisition Saint Cloud,which had lived up toexpectations and quicklybecome a favourite residence

of the royal family. MarieAntoinette even opened upthegardens to thepublicandthe curious Parisians hadturned up in their droves tosee the royal familydisportingthemselvesintheircountry idyll and evenmanaged to politely applaudwhen theQueenappearedonthe flower lined and fragrantparterresholdingtheDauphininherarmsandwithMadameRoyale trotting at her side in

a pretty dress. However, ifMarieAntoinettethoughtthatthis applause was indicativeof a softening of the publicmoodtowardsher,shewastobe sorely disappointed as therumours were worse thanever thanks to the ongoinginquiry into the affair of thediamond necklace, the juicydetailsofwhichwere,ashadbeen gloomily predicted byVergennes, being talkedaboutalloverEurope.

At the start of October,MarieAntoinettetravelledbyboat to Fontainebleau for thecourt’s traditional autumnvisit to the palace,where theKingwas looking forward tosome excellent hunting. Theboatwas a new purchase - apleasure yacht in theEnglishstyle, complete with abeautifully appointed salon,which had cost 100,000livres. However, despite theglory of her arrival, looking

like Cleopatra aboard hersplendidnewship,theQueenwasdowncastduringherstayat Fontainebleau, with theevents in Paris clearlyweighingheavilyonhermindas La Motte-Valois and theCardinal did their best toincriminateeachotherintheirtestimonies. However, theonly person who was reallyincriminated, in themindsofthe people at least, was theQueen. Although she had

been amazed to hear that theCardinal believed her to bethe woman he met in themoonlightgladeatVersailles,it seemed that no one elsefound this all that hard tobelieve, so thoroughly hadMarieAntoinette’s reputationbeentarnishedovertheyears.When itwas further revealedthat the woman in questionhad in fact been a PalaisRoyal prostitute who tradedoff her spurious resemblance

to the Queen, this made thewhole scenario all the moreappalling as people chuckledover themental imageof theproud Cardinal falling to hisknees in reverence before acommon whore. However,there were those whomuttered that Queen orwhore, there was nodifference either way andtherein lay the danger of thewholeenterprise.On 2 November, Marie

Antoinette turned thirty andlike plenty of other womenshe had some troublereconciling herself to theinexorable onward march oftime and became obsessedwith her weight andappearance,declaringtoRoseBertin that she would bedressingmorematurely fromnow on and renouncing theostentatious fashions of heryouth. Possibly she alsoregrettedherfoolishwordsas

anarrogantnineteenyearoldQueen, when she hadwondered why women overtheageofthirtystillbotheredshowing their faces at court.Although delightfully prettyby anyone’s standards as ayoung girl, by her thirtiesMarie Antoinette had filledout and become rather morerubenesque and was, inmodern parlance, more awomanwhomadethebestofherself than a natural beauty.

Although never naturallyblessed with great naturalbeautyshehad, thanks to theartifice ofwonderful clothes,elegant coiffures, make up,jewels, exquisite bearing anda winsomely charmingdemeanour,longbeenusedtohearing herself described asthe most beautiful woman atcourt - now, however, hernew young ladies inwaiting,newly married girls in theirlate teens and early twenties,

were instructed by the olderandwiser ladies of the courtto stay out of direct sunlightso the fresh radiance of theircomplexionswouldn’tremindthe Queen of the youthfulgood looks that she had nowlost.Marie Antoinette’s

rejectionofthepretty,frothy,beribboned gowns of heryouth can be charted in theportraits of Madame Vigée-Lebrun who painted the

Queen’s favourite portrait ofherselfinlate1785,depictingMarie Antoinette in a laceandfurtrimmedgownofrichcrimson velvet that opensoveraskirtofsaffronyellowsilk. Her fichu is trimmedwithexquisitelaceandonherheadthereisbalancedoneofMademoiselle Bertin’sfamouspoufsofwhitemuslintrimmed with pearls. TheQueen’s gaze is steady andsomewhatamusedand inher

hands, neatly arranged on agreen velvet cushion, sheholdsabookwithherfingersmarking the place -presumably to signify herrenunciation of the frivolitiesof youth. It’s a delightfulportrait and one of the veryfewthatproperlymanages toconvey Marie Antoinette’sfamous charm, despite beingmoreobviouslysoberinbothpalette and composition thanherpreviousdepictions.

Alsocaptivating is anotherportrait that Vigée-Lebrunpainted in the same year fortheComted’Artois’exquisiteParis residence the ChâteaudeBagatelle,whichwasbuiltintheBoisdeBoulogneafterMarie Antoinette, who loveda wager, bet her brother-in-law that he couldn’t build achâteau in less than threemonths. In the end it tooksixty three months tocomplete and a grand full

length portrait of MarieAntoinette, who was oftenentertained there, wascommissioned for one of thesalons. In this work, whichbears some aestheticresemblances to the latermore famous painting ofMarie Antoinette with herchildren, Madame Vigée-Lebrun painted the Queenagainst splendidsurroundings, dressed in asumptuousgownof richblue

velvet,trimmedwithlaceandfurandopeningoveracreamsilk skirt. Once again sheholds a book in her lap, herfingers marking the place,while her gaze is dignifiedwith just a touch ofamusement.Thistimethoughthe overall effect isundoubtedly majestic thanksto the combination of thatsplendidly restrained yet stillmagnificent gown, the richswags of crimson velvet

fallingfromthetableandtheopulent beauty of the sitterherself,whopresidesoverherpalatial surroundings with acombinationofbothgrandeurandgrace.One of her pages,

Alexandre Tilly, describedher at this time as having‘eyes which were notbeautiful but which wereexpressive of everydisposition: benevolence oraversion were displayed on

hercountenanceinamannerwhichwasentirelyherown…Her skinwas admirable; herneck and shoulders also; thebust a little too full and thefigure lacking in elegance; Ihave never seen suchbeautiful arms and hands.Shehadtwowaysofwalking:one firmand a little hurried,but always noble; the otherless vigorous, more poised.’He added that: ‘In a word,shewasthesortofwomanto

whomonewouldinstinctivelyhaveofferednotachairbutathrone.’With great insight into the

characteroftheQueenthatheserved,Tillyalsowrotethat:‘She treated us all with asingularsweetnessandwealladored her. Her mostdestructive fault, and onewhichdida lotofharm,washer dislike of all pomp andformality,theformalitywhichis more necessary in France

than anywhere else. Shewaschildish and inconsequential,with no definite ideas exceptto free herself of theburdensome ties imposed byher rank. When she wantedto, no one could be moreroyal and dignified.One hasneverseenanyonecurtseysogracefully, singling out tenpersons in one curtsey andgiving to each in turn theregardwhichwastheirdue.’Marie Antoinette’s

charitable and philanthropicinstinctneverabatedandeachsignificant event in her courtlife, suchas thebirthsofherchildren, was marked withgenerous financial gifts tofavourite charities, such asthose set up for orphans orindigent wet nurses, whileLouis also regularly emptiedhis coffers to assist the lessfortunate. During the winterof 1784, he distributed threemillion francs of his own

money and also ordered thatmuch of the royal forestshould be cut down toprovide firewood for thosewho could not afford it.Madame de la Tour du Pin,one of Marie Antoinette’sladies in waiting and thedaughter of the delightfullypretty Madame Dillon whohad been mistress of thePrincedeGuéménéeandsuchafavouriteoftheQueenearlyon in her reign until her

premature death ofconsumption,wouldrecordinher memoirs that the Queenwouldwalkaroundthegamesroom at Versailles with asmall bag in order to collectdonations from the courtiersplaying at the cards tables.Menwereexpected togiveagoldlouis,whilewomenwereasked for six francs - amerepittance compared to thefortunes that were won andlost at cards at court on a

daily basis, and yet thisstrategy ‘arousedconsiderable resentmentamong the youngercourtiers’.The Cardinal’s trial came

to a dramatic conclusion on31May1786,whenMadamede la Motte-Valois and heraccomplices were foundguilty and the gullibleCardinal, whose family, thepowerful Rohan clan hadturned up to the court room

all decked out in fullmourning, acquitted. MarieAntoinette was incensed bythis result and not at allpacified by the sentencing ofthe others, who were smallfryincomparisontothehatedCardinal.Sheburst into tearswhen she heard the verdict,furious and deeply hurt thatthe judges had appeared tobelieve the Cardinal’sdefence that he had totallybelieved the web of lies

created by La Motte-Valoisand seen no reason to doubtthatthewomanhemetinthearbour at Versailles was notin fact the Queen. Otherswouldgofurtherandexpresstheir belief that the Cardinalhad been the puppet of notonebuttwofaithlesswomen:La Motte-Valois and theQueen, who had probablycolluded together to try andbring about his downfall.Eitherthatortheentireblame

lay at the door of MarieAntoinette who hadengineeredthewholethinginorder to grab the diamondswithout paying for them andbring down the Cardinal atthe same time. Either way,although the Cardinal hadbeen acquitted and the trialwas at an end, MarieAntoinette felt as though sheherself had been condemnedby the judge’s verdict whichhad,asVergenneshadfeared,

only served to underline thefact that she was now sounpopular that the Frenchpeople would believe herguiltyofanycalumny.The news at the start of

1786, that Marie Antoinettewas expecting another babydid nothing to cheer thedepressed Queen up butrather made her feel evenmorepressuredandputuponas she had considered herfamily complete and had no

wishtoundergotherigoursofpregnancy and childbirthonceagain.TheKingleftherat Versailles for the last fewweeksofherpregnancywhilehewentofftoNormandyonarare trip to the provinces,which lasted for eight daysand involved visits toharbours and coastalfortifications. Astonishingly,it was the first time thatLouis,who had only once inallhislifelefttheenvironsof

Paris and the Ile de Francewhen he travelled to Rheimsfor his coronation, had everbeheld the sea. MarieAntoinette, however, wouldneverseeitandwouldinsteadhave to content herself withherhusband’s excited reportsabout his visit when hereturned to Versailles to begreeted by herself and theirthree children, who shouted‘Papa!Papa!’when theysawthe King approach, standing

on the balcony overlookingthe marble courtyard of thepalace.Justoveraweeklateron9

July, Marie Antoinette’slabourbegan.Keentoputoffthe inevitable and also ratheralarmed as the babywas notdue for a few more weeks,she at first claimed that allwas well and the pains weredue to indigestion beforefinally having to concededefeatataroundhalfpastfour

in the afternoon when theministers were summoned toattend the royalbirth.SophieHélène Béatrice was bornthreehourslaterandfromthestart itwasclear that likehereldest brother the Dauphin,this new baby was far fromrobust, which just added toMarieAntoinette’sfeelingsofdejected lassitude. She wasalso physically ailing andsuffering from unexplainedpains in her legs, terrible

headaches and feelings ofbreathlessness which wereprobably all due to anxietyand depression. When hersisterMaria Christina visitedParis for a month in thesummer of 1786, MarieAntoinette made very littleeffort to see her and causedgreat offence by not invitinghertothePetitTrianonandafew months later she turneddown an opportunity to visither brother Joseph in

Brussels, claiming that herfragile health and that of theDauphin and baby Sophiewouldnotallowit.Later on in the year the

royal family went toFontainebleau for thecustomaryautumnvisit, littlerealising that this was to betheir last stay in the splendidold Renaissance palace.Marie Antoinette inhabitedrooms as opulent as those atVersailles, including her

pretty boudoir decorated inshimmering mother of pearlwhich had only just beencompleted for her that yearand which she would barelyhave a chance to enjoy.Madame Vigée-Lebrun, theQueen’s favourite portraitpaintersawhertherethatyearand later recalled in hermemoirs that: ‘When theQueen went for the last timeto Fontainebleau, where thecourt, according to custom,

was to appear in full gala, Irepaired there to enjoy thatspectacle.IsawtheQueeninher grandest dress; she wascovered with diamonds, andas the brilliant sunshine fellupon her she seemed to menothingshortofdazzling.Herhead, erect on her beautifulGreek neck, lent her as shewalked such an imposing,such amajestic air, that oneseemed to see a goddess inthe midst of her nymphs.

During the first sitting I hadwith Her Majesty after thisoccasion I took the libertyofmentioning the impressionshe had made upon me, andof saying to the Queen howthe carriage of her headadded to the nobility of herbearing. She answered in ajesting tone, “If I were notQueen they would say Ilooked insolent, would theynot?”Things went from bad to

worse in 1787,which startedwith the death of Louis’friendandadvisorVergennesin February, just when theKing needed his support andlevel headed advice morethan ever in the face of afinancialcrisisthatthreatenedto tip the country over theedge of bankruptcy. Thedistraught Louis cried whenhe heard the news andlamentedthat‘Ihavelost theonly friend that I could rely

on, the only minister whonever betrayed me’ and hisdistress deepened whenrumoursbegan to spread thathis wife had poisonedVergennes in order to put astop to his consistently anti-Austrianpolicies.Without Vergennes at his

elbow, Louis flounderedwhen confronted with thefacts about his country’sfinancial situation whichinvolved a deficit of 112

million francs and appallingdebts, many of which weredue to the Frenchinvolvement in theAmericanRevolution. Calonne, whoseclever juggling of loans hadenabled thepurchasenot justofSaintCloudbutalsothatofthe château of Rambouilletfor Louis, came up with aplanforaradicaltaxoverhaulthatwouldfreeupsomeextracashbutasitinvolvedtaxingthe property of the nobility,

whohadbeenlivingituptaxfree up until then, this wasbitterly opposed atVersaillesand led to the ignominiousfall from grace of Calonneandcallsfor thereturnofhispredecessor Jacques Necker,whose resignation in 1781was blamed on MarieAntoinette, who had beendispleasedbytheattentionhedrew to the enormousexpensesof thecourtandtheextravagant financial favours

being showered on herfriends, particularly Madamede Polignac. It would beanother year before Neckerwas recalled to office andhailed as the saviour ofFrance but in the meantimethings would only get worsefor thebeleagueredQueenofFranceas shewasharanguedby Count Mercy and herbrotherabouttheappointmentof replacements for bothVergennes and Calonne. It

washerduty,theytoldher,toensure that both posts werefilled by people sympatheticto the Austrian alliance.However, Marie Antoinettehad had enough of playingpiggy in the middle betweenthe interests of Austria andthose of France and curtlyinformed Mercy that: ‘It isnot right for the Viennesecourt to appoint ministers tothe court of Versailles.’However, it was her choice

LoméniedeBriennewhowasappointed to the position ofDirector General of Financeintheend.The atmosphere at court

was becoming increasinglygloomy. As Madame de laTour du Pin wrote in hermemoirs: ‘It was the fashionto complain of everything.One was bored being inattendance at court. Theofficers of the Garde deCorps, who were lodged in

the château when on duty,bemoaned having to wearuniformallday; theladiesofthehouseholdcouldnotbearto miss going to supper inParisduringtheeightdaysoftheirattendanceatVersailles.Itwastheheightofbontontocomplain of their duties atcourt, profiting from themnonetheless.All the tieswerebeing loosened, and alas itwas the upper classes whichled the way.’ Attendance at

courtwasextremelypoor(theroyal couple held ‘court’ onSundays and for religiousfestivals and occasionally onTuesdays, when theambassadors would come topay their respects) and eventhe Queen’s balls were veryscantily attended, which ledto a lack of partners andgeneral disgruntlement allround.The royal couple were

becoming increasingly

elusive.Louishadsunkintoadepression after the death ofVergennesandspentallofhistime either hunting, eating,sleeping or crying on hiswife,whileMarieAntoinettehidherselfawayeitherat thePetitTrianonorinthewarrenoftinyroomsbehindherstateapartmentsandsawveryfewpeople. Even Madame dePolignac,fromwhomshewasbecoming increasinglyestranged, was being kept at

arm’s length as the Queenbeganbelatedlytorealisethatit was the favours that shehad showered upon Yolandeandhersetthathad,inpartatleast, contributed to thisterrible mess. However, withLouiswallowinginastateofdepressed apathy, it fell toMarieAntoinette,encouragedby Loménie de Brienne, totakeupamoreactive role inthe government. She hadtakennointerestinpoliticsin

the past and had very littlewishtoget involvednowbutthe circumstances demandedthatshedoherbesttosupporttheweakenedKing-whichofcourseplayedstraightintothehands of her enemies whocouldnowgoabouttheplacesayingthatshewasmeddlingin politics and entirely toblame for everything thatwentwrong.Shewasevenbeginningto

feel alienated from people

who had always beenwholeheartedly on her side,such as the Duc de Coigny,who had always been one ofhergreatest admirersbuthadfallen out with the King andQueen when their financialreforms at court had forcedhim to lose one of his mostprestigious and fiscallyrewarding positions. TheComtedeVaudreuilandDucde Polignac also lostpositions and income and

becamenoticeablyicyaroundtheQueenandherhusbandasdid many others who alsofound themselves bereft ofvaluable favours and officesin the royal economy drive.Marie Antoinette had alwayscounted upon her littlefaithful cotérie of friends toboost her ego and offer asweetened antidote to theunpopularityandcensurethatshe faced elsewhere but itseemed as though even they

were beginning to desert hernowthatshehadcutofftheirsupply of favours. It musthave made the alreadydowncast Queen wonder ifshe had ever truly had anyfriendsatall.There were some

consolations though. ThePrincessedeLamballewasasfaithful as ever and MarieAntoinette was alsobeginningtospendmoretimewith her Mistress of the

RobestheComtessed’Ossun,who was an altogether moresteadycharacterthanYolandedePolignacandherrakishsetand did her best to cheer thedisconsolateMarieAntoinetteup with quiet supper partiesand balls in her apartments.The Queen, who had onceonce danced until dawn,rarely danced nowadays butshe obliged the kindlyComtesse by politely takingpart in a few dances before

sittingouttherest.Marie Antoinette also did

herbesttofosterafriendshipwith her young sister-in-lawMadame Élisabeth, who hadturned twenty three in 1787.Élisabethwasasweetnaturedand extremely devout girl,very similar inappearance toher eldest brother Louis andpassionately devoted to bothhimandheryoungestbrotherthe Comte d’Artois, whocoulddoabsolutelynowrong

in her eyes.Onher sixteenthbirthday in May 1780, theprincess had left the nurserybehind for good and movedinto her own apartment atVersailles which MarieAntoinette, with typicalgenerosity, had arranged tohave freshly and mostsumptuously decorated. Theprincess had nevermade anysecret of her wish to beallowedtobecomeanunlikeher aunt Louise and as the

years went by without anysign of a suitable husband(the princess told Madamed’Oberkirchthat‘Icouldonlymarry a King’s son, and aking’s son must reign in hisfather’sstatessothatIwouldnolongerbeaFrenchwoman.Bettertostayhereatthefootof my brother’s throne, thanto ascend another’) it isprobable thatherbrotherandthose who loved her wereworried that she too might

take flight in the middle ofthe night and run away to aCarmeliteconvent.However, her new rooms

overlooking the Orangerywereinacompletecontrasttothe tiny nun’s cell that hersoul desired. She had eightrooms to herself: twoantechambers, a receptionroom, a bedroom (hungwithgreen Lyons damask in thesummer and crimson silkvelvet in thewinter), agrand

cabinet, a billiard room, alibrary and then a privateboudoir, all of which werefurnished with the mostexquisite taste and luxury.She also now owned thePrincesse de Guéménée’sdelightful country house atMontreuil and was happilydoing it up although herbrother had ordered that shewould not be allowed tospendthenightthereuntilsheturned twenty five in 1789.

Always delighted to offer asurprise to someone that sheloved, Marie Antoinette hadrevealed the news of thepurchase of Montreuil in atypically playful manner bysuggesting to Élisabeth thatthey drive out to the housetogether to say goodbyebeforesurprisingherwiththekeyswhentheyarrived.However, despite this

generosity andthoughtfulness, the two

youngwomenneverreallyhitit off. Although she wouldnever say so to MarieAntoinette, MadameÉlisabeth very muchdisapproved of her sister-in-law’s ramshackle lifestyle,the dissolute company thatshe insisted upon keepingand,perhapsworstofall, thedisrespectful manner withwhich she occasionallytreatedandspokeoftheKing.Meanwhile, for her part,

Marie Antoinette foundÉlisabeth’s gentle mannersandrigidpietyextremelydulland perhaps sensed thedisapproval that the youngerwoman tried so hard toconceal, fearing that itwouldhurt her brother’s feelings.However, for now theymuddled along well enoughand Marie Antoinette likedher sister-in-law’s companyenough to have a roomprepared for her beneath the

eaves of thePetitTrianon sothatshecouldstaytherewithher.However, her main

comfort during these drearylast years of the ancienrégime was the elegantSwedeAxelvonFersen,whohad returned toFrance in thesummer of 1787 andimmediately hastened to theside of Marie Antoinette atVersailles. Although theywere almost certainly not

lovers in the sexual sense,they were definitely veryclose with Axel seeinghimself as a sort of chivalricknight chastely adoring anddefending the honour of hislady while Marie Antoinette,whose life seemed full ofcares and troubles, soughtsolace in his flatteringattentionsandthefactthatheneverseemedtoaskanythingof her, unlike everyone else.Thefactthat,likeher,Fersen

was an outsider and alsodidn’t come with ademanding family andclinging troop of hangers onallclamouringformoneyandpositions can’t have hurteither. Although theyprobably weren’t sleepingtogether, it is likely thatMarie Antoinette, wishing tokeep him close, invitedAxeltostayinthewarrenofroomsthat lay behind herapartments, which were so

secret that one of her ownpageswasastoundedtocomeacross them after the courtleft Versailles for good in1789.Besides her tattered

reputation and the everworsening financial crisis,Marie Antoinette was alsodesperatelyworriedaboutthehealth of her children. Thedelicate Dauphin was stillcontinuing to give concernand on 14 June 1787 her

youngest daughter Sophie,who had been weak andailing since birth, died at theageofjustelevenmonthsoldprobably as a result ofconvulsions brought on byteething. Marie Antoinettewasdevastatedtoloseoneofher children and referred tothe baby as her ‘little angel’when she took her sister-in-lawMadameÉlisabeth to theGrand Trianon to view thechild lying in statebeneath a

tiny coronet and a mantleembroidered with gold fleurde lys. According to courtetiquette princesses were notofficially mourned until theyhad reached theageof sevensoonlyherimmediatefamilywore black in her memorythatsummer.Nonetheless, there was a

last lingering reminder ofSophie in the painting of theQueen surrounded by hersurvivingchildrenwhichwas

painted by Madame Vigée-Lebrun in 1787, where theDauphin points towards thebaby’s blue silk swathedempty cradle, the childherself having been hastilypainted out after her death.To modern eyes, MarieAntoinette,dressedinopulentcrimson velvet trimmed withexquisite lace, lookscareworn and rather olderthan her thirty one years andeven Vigée-Lebrun’s

famously flattering brushcouldn’t conceal thecoarsening of the Queen’sonce radiant complexion, herdouble chin or the puffinessofeyesthatsparklednotwithhappiness but with tears.Overall though theportrait isatriumphthatcleverlydrawsinspiration from paintings ofthe holy family to createsomething both stately andtouching. For many thoughthis portrait evokes feelings

of sadness, representative asit is of a way of life and afamily that was rapidlyapproachingdestruction.The portrait of the Queen

and her children, for whichMadame Vigée-Lebrun waspaid an enormous 18,000francs, was due to bedisplayedatthatyear’sSalonin Paris. However, it arrivedlate and when the emptyframewasdisplayedforafewdays before its arrival,

someone pinned a placardsaying ‘Behold the Deficit!’inside.However, thepaintingitself was to be a greatsuccess,muchtothereliefofits artist who, well aware ofthe unpopularity of its chiefsitter, had stayed away fromthe Salon for fear of hearingit insulted. When theexhibition ended it wastransferred to Versailles andplaced where MarieAntoinette could see it every

day as she passed by on herway tomorningMass, whilethe King informed theextremely gratified MadameVigée-Lebrun that ‘I knownothing about painting, butyoumakemelikeit.’Meanwhile, the political

situation was worsening bythe day as Loménie deBrienne, well meaning butcompletely lacking thebrilliance of the likes ofCalonne and Necker, battled

to save them from financialruin, was aghast at the everincreasing deficit andstruggled to make the King,now completely sunk intoapathy,asserthimselfagainsthis opponents. Louis, neverthe most prepossessing offigures at the best of times,was cruelly lampoonedeverywhere and mocked forhis corpulence, laziness andlack of vigour, which ofcourseincludedsexualability

as well as political acumen.The worst insults, however,were as always reserved forMarieAntoinette, the foreignQueen who was nowcompared to Catherine de’Medici, Isabeau of Bavariaand Messalina, all womenwho were deemed to havebrought disgrace upon theirsex by behaving in an ‘un-womanly’way.Thenasnow,women who refused toremain meekly silent and

were seen to step out of lineand meddle in affairs thatwere considered best left totheir menfolk, were deridedas being somehow unnaturalandimmoral-their‘vices’,ofcourse, being traits that theirpowerful male counterpartswere usually congratulatedfor. That Marie Antoinettewasactuallynowherenearaspolitically savvy, intelligentor ruthless as the likes ofCatherine de’ Medici is

perhaps her tragedy but thisfact didn’t spare her fromhaving a placard saying‘Tremble, tyrants’ placedinsideherboxatthetheatre.In August 1787, Louis

madeararevisit to the litdejustice at the parliament, inorder to give his support toLoménie de Brienne’sextremelyunpopularfinancialreforms. However, when hetried to push the edictsthrough he was loudly

opposed by his cousin theDuc d’Orléans who had sethimself up as a liberalopponent of the royal partyand a mouthpiece for thedisaffected nobility. Furious,Louis stalked out of the hallthen had the recalcitrantDucexiled to his château atVillers-Cotterets, far awayfromhisrabblerousingcircleatthePalaisRoyalwhichhadbecome the source of somedisturbingly anti-monarchist

sentiments, inflamed byOrléans himself who nowcame out as MarieAntoinette’s greatest andmost implacable enemyalthough social politesse stillcontinued between the twopolitically estranged sides ofthe royal family with MarieAntoinette and Louis actingasverygenerousgodparentsto the Duc’s eldest sons attheir official baptism inMay1788.

Added to these publictroubles, there were privateones too as the Dauphin’shealth became increasinglyworse and his despairingparents were forced toconfront the fact that theirsweet natured and handsomelittleboywasunlikelytolivefor much longer. In March1788 he was sent to live atMeudon, a charming châteauwith a famously beautifulviewthathadinthepastbeen

the traditional residence oftheDauphinsofFrance.Herehe resided in great comfortwith the Duchesse dePolignac and his tutor theDuc d’Harcourt inattendance. His parentsvisitedasoftenastheycould,although his mother wasextremely distressed by hisappearance which wasemaciated and twisted bytuberculosis.However,theairat Meudon was said to be

extraordinarily good and soshe was still hopeful that hewould make a miraculousrecovery.Unabletofacethecourtlet

alone the general populace,Marie Antoinette moved tothePetitTrianoninJulybutitwas a sad shadow of formersummers spent there as sheheld no balls or any sort ofgalas and instead playedgames of bowls, readsentimental novels and

pluckedoutmelancholytunesonherharp.Shekepthertwoother children MadameRoyale and the Duc deNormandie close by her andeven entertained the aunts toasplendidsupper,wheretheywere served roast sucklingpig, capon in breadcrumbsandGermanwaffles amongstother treats.TheKingsoughtdistraction from his cares byspending most of his timehunting at Rambouillet but

cametoTrianoneverydaytodinequietlywithhiswifeandchildrenwhentheyweren’tatMeudonkeepingtheDauphincompany. The stateapartments of Versailles laysilentandempty,desertedbyeveryone.Unfortunately, Marie

Antoinette’s hopes for thenation were not quite sosanguine as those sheharboured for her son. Thepolitical and financial crisis

proved unstoppable andsteadilyworsened throughout1788 as Loménie deBrienneand his efforts to resolvematters became increasinglydiscredited and the Kingincreasingly powerless to doanything to stop the tiderisingagainsthim.Finally,on8AugustLouis took the stepof announcing a meeting ofthe Estates General hopingthat this would calm hiscritics and show that he was

ready, willing and able todealwiththemountingcrisis.The Estates General was acoming together of the threenotional estates of France -the nobility, clergy andcommons (known as the‘thirdestate’)wherevotedforrepresentativesmettodiscussthe issues of the day.However, although it soundsmuch like a contemporaryparliament therehadbeennomeeting of the Estates

General for a hundred andseventyfiveyearssothiswasa bold and significant moveon the part of Louis and hiscouncil.There was a small respite

from all the strife when thethree ambassadors of TippooSahib, King of Mysorearrived at Versailles on 12Augustandtookupresidenceat the Grand Trianon wherethe air was soon filled withthescentofspices fromtheir

meals.Theirformalreceptiontookplaceat themainpalacewhen they were received bythe royal family and rest ofthe court in the magnificentHercules Room where theKing, looking suitablymajestic, was waiting forthem on his throne, MarieAntoinette at his side on anarmchair. Their daughter thenine year old MadameRoyale, who had justrecovered from an alarming

fever,wassittingamongstthemost important ladies on abrocade covered dais to theside.Everyone was fascinated

bytheseexoticvisitorstothecourtandthegrandreceptionrooms of the palace werecrammedfullofcourtiers,alldressed in their very finestclothes and eager to catch aglimpse of the threeambassadors and theirentourage as theymade their

waythroughVersailles.Afterthe formalities had beendispensed with they weretaken on a barouche ridearoundtheparkandtreatedtoa display by the beautifulfountains before returning tothe lofty marble colonnadesof the Grand Trianon.MarieAntoinette,alwayskeentobedistracted by novelties, wasdelighted by them but ratherless keen on their curries,although she still gamely

managed to try one beforedeciding that spicy foodwasnotforher.However, although

apparently itwas business asusualatVersailles,behindthescenes the crisis had reacheda head and the nation wasfinally bankrupted while theroyalsharesplummetedattheStock Exchange. Thedesperate Loménie deBrienne announced that themuch anticipated Estates

General meeting would takeplace the following May,hoping that this would causeanupswinginconfidenceandshare prices but it was toolittle,toolate.On16August,a few days after the gloriousreception of the Mysoreambassadors, word spreadthat he was consideringcompulsory taxation in orderto give the economy amuchneededboost.Thisunpopularmeasure turned out to be his

downfallandafteralastditchattempt to secure the supportof Necker, who disdainfullyrepudiatedhim,hewasforcedto handMarieAntoinette hisresignation just over a weeklater.ShesummonedNecker,stillcommonlybelievedtobethe only hope of turning thesituation around, to see herearly the next morning andasked him to accept theposition of Director Generalof Finance as well as a

position on the Council ofState. ‘As I am responsibleforbringingbackNeckerandmyfateistobringbadluck,Ifeel that, should someinfernal combinations beonce more at work to makehim fail, then the King’sauthoritywillsufferandIwillbe even more detested thanbefore,’ the dejected Queenlater told Mercy, sadlyaccepting that as far as theFrench people were

concerned, nothing she everdid would ever be right andshe would be damned bythem whatever she did. Shemayneverhaveactually saidthewords‘Letthemeatcake’butas faras theFrenchwereconcerned, shemight aswellhavedone.

TheAustrianWoman1789-1791

‘Theabyssopeningattheirfeet.’

The winter of 1788 wasone of the harshest thatanyone could remember andas it followed on from thedroughtandterriblehailstormof that summer which haddecimated much of the

country’s crops, the poor ofFrance were brought to theirknees, crippled by risingbread prices. Meanwhile atVersailles, Louis and MarieAntoinette preparedthemselves for the worst asthe Dauphin’s conditiondeteriorated by the day. TheQueennowspentmuchofhertime at Meudon, watchingoverherchild’s sickbedandmakingstiltedsmalltalkwithhis governess, Madame de

Polignac.The two women, once so

closethatrumourshadspreadthat they were lovers, werenow barely on speakingterms. Having finally wokenup to the harm that thegrasping, gossiping Polignacset was doing to herreputation Marie Antoinettehad taken a step back anddisassociated herself fromthem and their antics. Shealso found herself at odds

with the Duchesse over thedisgraceofCalonne,whowasvery much a creature of thePolignacs, and the financialcut backswhich had resultedinthelossofsomepecuniaryfavours to Madame dePolignac’s relatives includingherhusbandandherlovertheComtedeVaudreuil.The Dauphin, suffering

from the final stages of hisillness but still as sweetnaturedasever,wasquickto

pickuponthesilenthostilitybetween the twowomen andnow declared that he didn’tlike the Duchesse’s headyfloral scent as it gave himheadaches and asked for herto be banned from hisbedside,whichmeantthathismother was alone as she satbeside him during the longcold early months of 1789.The little boy tried to cheerherupbyorderingthatshebeserved all of her most

favourite meals when shestayed to dine with him butstill the silent tears trickleddown her cheeks as shelooked at her sick child andwondered what the futureheld.Therehadbeenagreatdeal

of argument aboutwhere themuch anticipated meeting ofthe Estates General, the firstfor 175 years, should takeplace before the King, whohopedtogetplentyofhunting

in between the variousdebates that he would beforced to attend, got hiswayand the meeting wasscheduled to open atVersailles on 4 May 1789.Wracked with worries abouther son’s health, MarieAntoinette could hardly bearto contemplate what wasbound to be a miserableexperience and so when shewasn’t at Meudon, spent allof her time shut up alone in

her private rooms atVersailles where she whiledawaythelonghoursworryingabout the Dauphin’s health,the forthcoming meeting ofthe three estates and thereports of serious unrest onthestreetsofParis,wheretheRéveillon wallpaper factoryhad been involved in animmense riot in which threehundred people were killedbefore the royal troops couldimposeorder.

‘Come, dress my hair,Léonard, I must go like anactress and exhibit myself topeople who may hiss me,’Marie Antoinette said to herhairdresseronthemorningof4May as she readied herselffortheprocessionthroughthestreets of the town ofVersailles that was due tostart the meeting of theEstatesGeneral.Althoughherwords sound flippant, it wasclear thathermoodwasvery

far from light hearted asdressed in glittering cloth ofsilver and with the Sancydiamond in her hair, shewalkedatthesideoftheKing(who also looked splendid inclothofgold,withtheRegentdiamond pinned to hisplumedhat)attheheadoftheenormous procession thatmade its way past hugecrowds from the Church ofNotre-Dame in Versailles tothe Church of Saint Louis,

where a celebratory Masswould be heard. Behind theroyal couple there was therest of the royal family andtheir attendants, followed bythe deputies of the EstatesGeneral, with the clergy intheir religious dress, thenobility in black silk andwhite breeches, flourishingplumed hats and with theirswords jangling at their hipsand theThirdEstate in plainblack.

To Marie Antoinette’sgreat annoyance, Louis’mutinous cousin the Ducd’Orléans was a deputy forthe nobility but in typicalshowman style had opted towalk with the Third Estateinstead, towering over theother deputies and makingsure that all of the loudestcheers were for him whileLouis received only a fewmutedshoutsofapprovalandthe Queen, who stared

straight ahead in haughtysilence, got nothing at all. Itmust have been an alarmingexperience, to findherselfonfoot and surrounded byhostilecrowdsbutasthetruehorror of the revolutionarymob had not yet beenexposed, it’s unlikely thatMarie Antoinette feltparticularlyfrightenedforherlifeasshewalkedby,herfacecompletely impassive untilshedrewlevelwith theroyal

stables where the littleDauphin, who had beenbroughtfromMeudonfortheoccasion,waslyingonasofaononeofthebalconies.Boththe King and Queen lookedupand smiledat their sonasthey went past but it wasnoticed that theyhad tears intheireyesastheydidso.The meeting officially

began a day later when theroyalfamily,courtandoverathousand deputies crammed

into the huge Salon of theMenus Plaisirs at Versaillestoheartheopeningspeeches,one of which was to bedelivered by Necker, whowas still being hailed as theman of the moment and thepotential saviour of France.Marie Antoinette, this timewearingpurplesatinspangledwith diamonds and with atoweringwhiteostrichfeatherand delicate aigrette ofdiamonds in her powdered

butsadlythinninghair,satonan armchair placed slightlybelow her husband (who fellasleep and audibly snoredduring Necker’s admittedlyextremely long windedspeech) and fanned herselfwith a diamond studded fanas she bleakly surveyed therowsof faces in frontofher,whoallstaredbackcuriouslyat the Queen of whom theyhad heard so much and seensolittleinrecentyears.

Versailleswas expected toplay host to the deputies forquite a fewmonths andwithtypical generosity MarieAntoinette insisted that thegardensofVersaillesandherown Trianon should be opento the delegates, who werethen able to assuage theirnatural curiosity about theextravagance that they hadheard so much about. It hadbeen reported that theTrianon was incredibly

opulent with columns inlaidwithhugediamondsandclothof gold hanging at all thewindows and all manner ofshocking self indulgentluxuries but the deputies,seeing instead a charminglittle pavilion decorated withelegant simplicity, weredisappointed to find that thiswasnotatall thecase.Whatelse, they might havewondered, had beenexaggerated about theQueen

and her reportedly depravedlifestyle, which allegedlyinvolved orgies with bothsexes.However, Marie

Antoinette’s thoughts werenotwiththedeputiesbutwithher son the seven year oldDauphin who was quietlydyingatMeudon.Bothoftheboy’s parents spent manylong hours at his bedside,doing their best to remaincheerfulandtryingtodistract

the ailing child from hissufferings. Like his father hewasextremelyfondofhistorysotheKingreadtohimfromhis favourite history books,while theQueendidherbestto hide her tears beforecollapsing and sobbing herheart out on her husbandwhen theyhad left the room.Itwas said that the little boywas so good natured that heeven endured theministrationsofaparticularly

clumsyvaletratherthanhavethe man sent away and onewonderswhatsortofKinghewould have made if he hadsurvived.Possiblyhewastoogentle for the fledglingFrance that was emergingeven as he lay on hisdeathbed.The Dauphin died in the

arms of his mother in theearly hours of 4 June. BothLouis and Marie Antoinettewere devastated by their

son’sdeathandspentthenextday in total seclusion atVersailles while theembalmed body of the deadprincelayinstateatMeudon.On 7 June, the entire courtturned out to offer theircondolences to MarieAntoinettewhowasgoingoutof her mind with grief andexhaustion as the result ofsevere insomnia, while thedeputies of the Third Estategaveoffencebyasking if the

King would receive them inthepalacetodiscussbusinesspertaining to the EstatesGeneral.‘Aretherenofathersamongst them?’ thedistraught King asked. Bothof the royal couple werestung by the general lack ofinterestintheirson’spassing.It seemed inconceivable tothem that they had lost thelove of their people to suchanextentthatthedeathoftheDauphin, whose birth had

occasioned suchextraordinaryjoyamongstthepopulace, gave rise to littlemorethanapoliteapathy.Marie Antoinette’s eldest

son was laid to rest besidethatofhissisterSophieattheroyal necropolis at Saint-Denis on 12 June. It wasnormally decreed that thefuneralofaDauphin,withallthe fuss and ceremony thatcourt etiquette demanded,should cost in the region of

350,000 livres but the royalcoffers were completelyempty and so a rather moremodest funeral took placefunded by some cash thatLouis had managed to gettogether by cutting cornerselsewhere. According tocustom, the King andQueendid not attend their son’sfuneral but instead spent theday in prayer at Versaillesbefore going to Marly withtheir most trusted attendants

forwhattheyhopedwouldbea week of solitude andmourning away from thepressuresofthecourt.However, their troubles

only pursued them fromVersailles when on 17 June,after weeks of squabblingbetweentheorders, theThirdEstate, who saw themselvesas the saviours of France,declared themselves aNational Assembly, invitedthe other orders to join them

and announced that they, notthe King, would beresponsiblefordraftinganewconstitution for the nation.Louis and Marie Antoinettewere appalled by what theysaw, quite rightly as ithappened, as a direct attackon the authority of themonarch.Neckertriedinvainto persuade them to seekterms with the fledglingAssembly, which hereminded them was intended

to be the mouthpiece of thenation, and even proposedthat they modify the currentconstitution so that it wasalongthesamelinesasthatinEngland. However, MarieAntoinette,backedbyhertwobrothers-in-law and most ofthe aristocracy, urged theKing to hold firm andrepudiate their insolence,even appearing before himwith her remaining twochildrenand falling,weeping

prettily, toherkneesinorderto beg him not to give in tothe demands of the ThirdEstate.Indecisiveasalways,Louis

wavered between the twosides.Ononehand,hehadnowish to annoy the Queen,whom he feared as much ashe loved,buton theotherhewas terrified of causingoffence to Necker and thedour facedmen of the ThirdEstate, whom he knew had

ever increasing supportthroughout thecountry.Onceagain he bemoaned theabsence of the deadVergennes, who would haveknownjustwhattodoandinthe end agreed to give aspeech, prepared by Necker,to the deputies of all threeorders on 23 June. AlthoughLouis promised to introducereforms and overhaul thecurrent taxation system,Necker was furious to hear

the King whom he hadcounselled to be conciliatorytowards the members of theThird Estate, alter thewording of his carefullypreparedspeechandgoontodenounce themerging of thethree orders as a NationalAssembly as illegal andagainst the constitution ofFrance. Clearly Louis hadhoped to please everyonewith his speech but whileMarie Antoinette was

relievedtoseehimstandfirmagainst the Third Estate,Necker was furious andimmediately handed in hisresignation.Angry crowds gathered at

the palace when news ofNecker’sresignationbegantospread and Marie Antoinettewas forced to go to him andpersonally beg him toreconsider, even though shehadeveryintentionoffoilinghis attempts to get Louis to

accept the NationalAssembly. In the event, ittookjustfourdaysforNeckertohavehiswayandLouis toagree that the estates couldmeet and vote together, bywhichtimemostoftheclergyand a large chunk of thenobility, including the Ducd’Orléans and the extremelypopular Marquis deLafayette, had already joinedwith the Third Estate. Thenews was greeted with

acclamation in Paris, butalthough people werecelebrating on the streetsabout ‘their’ victory over theold régime, the uneasyatmosphere simmeredonandtherewereincreasedboutsofviolence and rioting amidstthecelebrations.At Versailles, Marie

Antoinette appearedwith herson in her arms on thebalcony above the marblecourtyard to receive the

cheersofthehugecrowdthathad gathered there whennews of the NationalAssembly’s triumph broke.However, although she wasall smiles for the populace,inside she raged againstNecker and the King, whoseweakness, she believed,looked set to leave thementirely at the mercy of theThird Estate. She urged theKing to use his troops tomakeashowofpowerandat

the same time control theunrest in the capital but asmight be expected, thesudden arrival of severalthousand soldiers aroundParisjustmademattersmuchworse as the populace,whipped into terror by thespeechesoftherabblerousersof the Palais Royal, believedthat the King, hithertoregarded as the apathetic butultimately benevolent tool ofhis wicked wife, was

planning to massacre themall.The National Assembly

demanded that the troops bewithdrawn only to beinformedthattheywerethereto control unrest not causetrouble. Urged on by talk ofan ‘aristocratic plot’masterminded by the Queenand designed to overthrowthe Assembly, the deputies,fearing for their lives,proclaimed themselves to be

a Constituent Assembly withthepower tomake their ownlaws. Urged by MarieAntoinette, Louis reacted bydismissing Necker and mostof his ministers on 11 July,replacing them withconservative nobles whocould be relied on to followtheKing’sline.The news of Necker’s

dismissal was greeted withdisbelief and then fury inParis, where the Queen and

her cronies were blamed forthe former minister’sdisgrace. There were riots inthe capital’s streets, whichwere exacerbated when aregimentledbythePrincedeLambesc, a distant cousin ofthe Queen, charged into acrowd at the Tuileries in anattempt todisperseprotestorswho had been pelting themwith stones, giving rise tomore fears that theKingwasplanning the massacre of his

own people. On 12 July, ayoung lawyer called CamilleDesmoulins clambered on toa table outside the Café duFoy at the Palais Royal togive a rabble rousing speechthat likened the currentsituation to the infamous StBartholomew’s DayMassacreofAugust1572andended by entreating thealready panic strickenpopulace to arm themselvesanddoncockadessothatthey

wouldknoweachotherintheviolence that was sure toensue.Whippedintoafrenzyby this the people firstadopted a green cockade,green being the colour ofliberty, but then when wordspread that green was thecolouroftheComted’Artois’livery, red and blue, thetraditionalcoloursof thecityofPariswereworninstead.Two days later a huge

crowd seized control of the

Hôtel des Invalides, wherethe royal weaponry wasstored, and took severalthousand guns and a numberof cannons which they usedtoarmthemselvesagainsttheroyal troops. They had noammunition though andbelieving that this could befound at the royal fortress oftheBastille,whichhadbeenasymbol of royal oppressionfor over a century thanks tothe practice of sending

prisoners there by order of aroyal lettre de cachet whichinvolved no trial and couldnot be appealed against, theyduly marched in theirthousands across town to theFaubourg St Antoine wherethedarkfortresstoweredoverthe neighbouring streets.Although more stronglydefended than the Invalides,theBastillefellinamatterofhours and its governor theMarquisdeLaunaywastaken

prisoner and crudelydecapitatedwitha flickknifebefore his head was paradedin grisly triumph through thestreets.At Versailles, the royal

family remained in blissfulignorance of events in Parisuntil nightfall when the Ducde Liancourt woke Louis upat dawn to inform him thatthe Parisians had rioted andseizedcontrolof theBastille,releasing the seven political

prisoners held there. ‘Is it arevolt?’Louis askedwearily.‘No, sire,’ Liancourt replied.‘Itisarevolution.’The next morning, Louis

paidavisit to thedeputies inthe Menus Plaisirs,interruptingaratheroffensivespeech about his wife andMadame de Polignacfraternising with the troopsthat had recently beenstationed at Versailles. Foroncehehadnotreliedonone

ofhisministerstopreparehisspeechbutinsteadimprovisedhis own, in which heinformed the deputies that itwas never his intention toattackthepeopleofParisbutrathertoprotectthemandthatthe royal troops stationedthere would be immediatelyordered to withdraw. Inreturn,thedeputiesdemandedthat Necker be reinstated tohis former position as thiswould do much to calm the

agitated populace, which theclearly beleaguered Kingreluctantly agreed to do.Louiswasthenescortedbacktothepalacebyagreatcrowdofcheeringdeputies,relievedthat the crisis looked set toend.However, back at the

palace all was in turmoil asMarieAntoinette ordered hertrunks to be packed withclothes and her jewels anddiscussions took place about

where the royal family andtheirassociatesshouldfleeto.Word had got back toVersailles that the leaders ofthe mob that hadoverwhelmedtheBastilleandthen murdered its governor,had threatened to kill theQueen, Comte d’Artois andMadame de Polignac aswellandsoitwasdecidedthatthelatter two at least shouldleave France with theirfamilies until the situation

had calmed down. However,there was still some doubtabout what Louis, MarieAntoinette and their ownfamily should do. Louis,hesitant as always, called ameeting of his council andfamily and suggested thatthey should withdraw eithertoCompiègneortoMetz,thefortified town close to theAustrian borderwhereMarieAntoinettehadspenther firstnightonFrenchsoilnineteen

yearsearlier.TheQueenwasin total agreement with theMetz plan, which had theadditional bonus of meaningthatshewouldbeclosetoherown country of Austria aswell as far away from thedangersofParis.However, some members

of the council as well as theComte de Provence arguedthat the King and his familyshould remain at Versaillesand that it would be ill

advised for the royal familyto be seen deserting thepalace at such a time. Theyalso thought that Metz’sproximitytoAustria,theverything that recommended it toMarieAntoinette,wouldgiverisetoevenmorepaniciftheParisian rabble rousers got itintotheirheadsthattheforcesof the Emperor would soonbe massing against them indefenceof theforeignQueenwhiletheroyalfamilynipped

across the border andabandoned the countryaltogether.Therewasalsothefact that unlike his wife,Louis had not yet beendirectly threatened by theParisian mobs and so hissafety was not felt to be atimmediate risk. MarieAntoinette, however, was adifferent matter but when itwassuggestedthatsheshouldtake the royal children andleave for a place of greater

safety, she haughtily refusedand reminded everyonepresentthatasbothhisQueenandhiswifeitwasherdutytoremain at Louis’ side duringthis time of crisis even hehimself was urging her toleave.However, everyonewas in

agreement that the Comted’Artois and Madame dePolignac,bothofwhomwerealmostasunpopularasMarieAntoinette and held equally

toblameforthefinancialruinthatthreatenedthestabilityofthe nation, should leaveFrance as soon as possiblealong with the Abbé deVermond and some of theconservative members of thecourt such as the Prince deCondé. The Comte d’Artois,who remained sanguine thatthis was just a temporaryhiccup and everythingwouldberestoredbacktoitsnormalstatebeforelong,waskeento

leave but Madame dePolignac proved harder topersuadeand initially refusedtogo,claimingthatherplacewas beside the Queen andwith her charges, the royalchildren. In the end, MarieAntoinetteandLouis,bothofthemintears,hadtopersuadeher to leave, with the Queentellingherthat:‘Iamterrifiedofeverything; inthenameofour friendshipgo,now is thetime for you to escape from

the fury of my enemies.Don’t be a victim of yourattachment to me, and myfriendshipforyou.’The Artois and Polignac

families, as well as severalothers of the Queen’sformerlycloselittlecotérieoffriends left Versailles atmidnight on 16 July. Theemotionally shattered Queen,unable to believe the surrealsituation that they had foundthemselvesin,couldnotbring

herself to say goodbye inperson to her dearest friend(whowasdisguisedasamaidfor her escape) but insteadsent a purse containing fivehundred louis, the last of theroyal gifts that had broughtruin to themboth, and a tearstained note that said only:‘Adieu, the most tender offriends. The word is terribleto pronounce but it must besaid.Hereistheorderforthehorses. I have no more

strength left except toembrace you.’ AlthoughMarie Antoinette had beensomewhatestrangedinrecentyears from both Madame dePolignac and her brother-in-law Artois, who had oncebeen the most sympatheticmemberofherFrenchfamily,allofthiswasforgotteninthehorrors of the presentsituation and the terriblesorrow of hearing theircarriages rumble out of the

palace courtyard at the startof their long journey. It wastheendofanera.The next morning, Louis

went off to Paris to showhimself to his disorderedpopulace and try his best torestore calm to the situation.Marie Antoinette offered togowithhimbut,awareofherunpopularity, Louis sadlyrefused to allow this andinstead insisted upon goingalone, having taken the

precautionofwritinghiswilland receivingwhat he hopedwould not be his finalcommunionbeforedeparture.Left behind at Versailles,Marie Antoinette spent theday alone in her apartmentswith her children, trying herbest todistract themwhileatthe same time attempting tohide her apprehension. Shehadalreadydecided to throwherself on the mercy of theNational Assembly should

LouisfailtoreturnfromParisand as the day wore on sheconfided tearfully in thefaithfulMadameCampanthatshe believed that he wouldnotbecomingback,herfaithin the basic humanity of theParisian mob having beenshattered by the hideous andvicious death of theMarquisdeLaunay.At six,wordcame that the

King was returning fromParis and several hours later,

LouishimselfarrivedbackatVersailles - exhausted,bedraggled but otherwiseunharmed and with atricolour cockade, the newsymbol of the French nation,attached to his hat. His wifeand children ran down thestairs togreethimandMarieAntoinette, overcome withrelief, threw herself into herhusband’s arms and huggedhimashemurmured: ‘ThankGod there was no more

violence.’The departure of the

Polignacswasjustthefirstinwhat was to be a steadyexodus over the next fewmonthsasseveralaristocraticfamilies, fearing the violenceand, like theComted’Artois,believing that they wouldsoon be able to return toFrance, fled Versailles andtravelled abroad. The oncebustling palace now fellominously quiet as the

cramped apartments, once soprizedandhotlysoughtafter,began to empty while theirnoble inhabitants scurriedaway like rats fleeing asinking ship. MarieAntoinette,desperatelylonelyandfearfulofwhatthefuturewould bring for her family,did her best to keep upappearances but it wasobvious to everyone that shewas on the verge of abreakdown.Thenewscoming

in from the rest of France ofriotingintheprovincialcitiesand destruction of dozens ofchâteauxdidnothing toallayher fears but ratherunderlined that thisrevolution, apparently nolongercontainedjusttoParis,wasnotaproblemthatwouldeasilygoaway.The beleaguered Queen

spent therestofJulyisolatedin her apartments, seeinghardly anyone other than her

family, Count Mercy, whocame to deliver bulletinsabout the latest events inPariselsewhereandAxelvonFersen, who had discreetlyrented rooms in Versaillesand spent asmuch timewithherashedared to.Shespentmuch of her time writingfrantic letters to her sistersandbrothersandMadamedePolignac, who had settled inSwitzerland with her family.Absence did much to make

the heart grow fonder in thecaseof these twofriendsandtheQueennowpoured all ofheranxietiesandfearsoutonto the paper, expressingthoughtsthatshebarelydaredto speak out loud in thisnewly silent and sinisterVersailles. ‘We aresurrounded only by distress,misfortune and unhappypeople. Everyone is fleeingand at this point I takecomfort in thinking that all

thepeoplewhomIcaremostabout are far away fromme.AlsoIseenooneandIspendthe whole day alone in myquarters.Mychildrenaremysole resource.’ For MarieAntoinette, always sodesperate for approval andadmiration, the thought thatshe brought only misfortuneto those whom she caredabout was a deeplydistressingoneandtheQueenbecame increasingly

withdrawn as the yearprogressed, while all thewhile the lampoons andpamphlets denouncing herdepravity and crueltycontinued to multiply andbecomeevermorevicious.Outwardly, it seemed as

though things had not reallychanged at Versailles, wherethe remaining ladies andgentlemen still attended theKing and Queen’s levée andcourtiers could still watch as

theyatetheirdinnerorplayedcardsinpublic.But thesignsof strain were visibleeverywhere.Itwaswhisperedthat theKing, like his sister-in-law, the Comtesse deProvence, had taken to drinkto ease hisworrieswhile theQueenwasfrequentlyseentoblink away tears or fiddlenervously with her braceletsand rings, which shecompulsively twirled aroundher thin fingers. She seemed

utterlybewilderedbythenewstate of affairs and fatallyunabletograspthattimeshadchanged and she needed tochangewith them if shewasto survive. On the King’snameday inAugust thestaterepresentatives came toVersailles to pay theirrespects to their monarchswho looked as glittering andremote as ever on theirthrones. The new Mayor ofParis, the astronomer Bailly

decided tobow to theQueenratherthanfalltohiskneesinabject reverence as etiquetteusually decreed and wasrewardedwithalookoffrigidhauteurandanunfriendlynodthat broadcast her annoyanceatthisimpudencetoeveryonepresent.It was at this time that an

English visitor, Dr EdwardRigby, who was visitingVersailleswrotehomethathecouldnot ‘behold the faceof

MarieAntoinette,andnotseesymptoms of no commonanxiety marked on it. Thedignityofcountenancewhich,according to variousdescriptions, formed at anearlier period of her life amost interesting addition tothose claims of naturalbeauty soprofuselybestowedonher,mightbesaid,indeed,toremain,butithadassumedmore of the character ofseverity. The forehead was

corrugated, the eyebrowsthrownforward,andtheeyesbut little open, and, turningwith seeming caution fromside to side, discovered,instead of gaiety or evenserenity an expression ofsuspicion and care whichnecessarily abated much ofthatbeautyforwhichshehadonce with truth beencelebrated.’Theonebrightrayofhope

at this time was the

appointment of the Madamede Tourzel as Governess totheRoyalChildren,replacingYolande de Polignac whocould obviously no longercontinue in this role.Sensible, kind hearted,pragmatic and extremelyloyal, Louise-Élisabeth deTourzel was the perfectchoice for such an importantrole in the royal householdand gave the Dauphin andMadame Royale some much

needed stability at thisdifficult time. MarieAntoinette wrote her somelengthyinstructionswhenshetook up the post, describingher children’s characters andadvising Tourzel about thebest way to deal with them,naturally with a particularemphasis on the Dauphinwhowas,afterall,theheirtothethrone.‘Mychildrenhavealways been accustomed tohavecompletetrustinmeand

when they do somethingwrong, to tell me sothemselves.Whichmeansthatwhen I scold them, I lookmorehurtandsadaboutwhatthey did than angry. I haveaccustomed them to the ideathat a yes or no from me isirrevocable;butIalwaysgivethem a reason befitting theirage,sothattheydonotthinkit is moodiness on my part.Mysondoesnotknowhowtoread and has difficulty

learning; but he is toodistracted to concentrate.Hehas no idea of rank in hisheadandIwould like that tocontinue:ourchildrenalwaysfind out soon enough whothey are. He is very fond ofhis sister and has a goodheart. Every time somethingmakes him happy, a tripsomewhereoragift, his firstimpulseistorequestthesamething for his sister. He wasborn cheerful; for his health

heneedstobeoutsideagreatdeal, and I think it is best tolethimplayandworkon theterracesratherthanhavehimgoanyfarther.’LifeatVersaillesmayhave

carried on much as it hadalways done with theinhabitantsdoingtheirbesttoignore what was happeningoutside their privilegedbubble but events weremovingquicklyelsewhere.Atthe end of September, the

wife of a labourer who hadbeen assisted by MadameÉlisabeth requested a privateinterviewandtoldherthatthepeopleofParis suspected theKing of plotting to escapewith his family to Metz andwereplanningtopreventthis.Alarmed, Élisabethimmediately went to tellMarie Antoinette whonaturally began to worryabout what measures thepeople might possibly be

planning to take. Herthoughtstookamorehopefulturnafewweekslaterthoughwhen the loyal FlandersRegiment arrived atVersailles to act asreinforcements in case therewas indeedan incidentat thepalace. Their arrival at thestart of October didmuch tolightenthemoodatcourtandencouraged the Queen tomake the imprudent gestureof takingher family along to

visitthebanquetbeingheldinthe regiment’s honour in thepalace theatre, on the verysame stage where her ownwedding banquet had beenheld over nineteen yearsearlier.The cheers and shouts of

‘Long live the Queen!’ thatgreeted her as, dressed inwhite and blue silk with abeautiful turquoise necklacearoundher neck, she steppedinto the royal balcony went

straighttoMarieAntoinette’shead and smiling radiantlyshe led her family down tothestage tomeet thedashingand no doubt rather drunkofficerswhonowcheeredallthe more loudly. She carriedthe Dauphin, who lookedmost winsome in his sailorsuit, in her arms andencouraged by the men, sheallowedtheboytowalkfromoneendofthediningtabletothe other, surrounded on all

sides by smiling happy facesashisdotingmother,whohadnot been so acclaimed for avery long time, stood to theside and proudly watchedwithtearsofjoyinhereyes.However, as always, this

innocent diversion that hadgiven Versailles’ sadlydeflated morale such animmense boost, wascompletely twisted by theParisian gutter press whodescribed it as an appalling

orgy of drunken sedition.They claimed that theQueenandherladieshaddistributedwhite cockades designed toshowsupportoftheBourbonsto replace the tricolourcockadesthatthesoldiershadtorn from their hats andtrampled on the ground in afit of royalist fervour. Theyalso claimed that the Queenhad deliberately intoxicatedthe soldiers before orderingthem to march on the

NationalAssembly and closeit down and once they hadaccomplished this, who wasgoing to stop themmarchingonthecapitalaswell?Thishystericalreportingof

the Versailles banquetunfortunately coincided witha total lackofbread inParis,where the bakers shopswereominously closed and not asingle loaf was to be had inthe entire city. Enraged, themarket women stormed the

HôteldeVilleonthemorningof 4 October and finding nosatisfaction there, armedthemselves and, no doubtinflamed by the speeches ofthe Duc d’Orléans’ paidrabble rousers who hadprobably engineered thewhole sorry situation,announced their intention ofmarching on Versailles todemand that the King, whowas still regarded as beingintrinsically benevolent,

provide them with flour.However, amidst the shoutsdemanding bread for theirstarving families, there weremoresinistercriesthreateningviolence towards the Queen,whohadforalongtimebeenthe focus of all their mostbitterhatredandresentment.Itwasabeautifuldayand,

completely unaware of theturmoil in Paris, MarieAntoinettedecidedtospenditat the Petit Trianon, which

was still her most favouriterefuge.Axel von Fersenwasbackinthevicinityagainandit’s likely that he spent atleast some of the morningthere with her beforereturning to the palace.Certainlyshewasaloneinhergrotto, enjoying thetranquility of a perfectautumnday,whenoneofherpages raced across the lawnto tell her that an immensemobofwomenwasmarching

on foot towards Versailles.Alarmed, the Queenscrambledupintothewaitingcarriage and, perhaps withone last wistful look at thepleasure pavilion where shehad spent so many happyhours over the years, hurriedback to Versailles where shewas reunited with herchildren and awaited thearrival of theKing,whowashunting atMeudonwhen thenews reached him. She was

also joined by her sister-in-law Madame Élisabeth whohad been at Montreuil butimmediately hurried over toVersailles to support herbrotherandhisfamily.As the army of women

marched inexorably on thepalace, the King, Queen andtheirministersmet todiscussthebest response to thisnewand sudden threat. Saint-Priest the Minister of theRoyal Household suggested

that troops be sent to guardvariouspointsalongtheroutein order to either slow themarch down or prevent itfrom passing, while at thesame time the Queen androyal children should betaken to Rambouillet wheretherewas a garrison of royaltroops to protect them. TheKingcould then lead the restof the troops out tomeet themob and either pacify themwith promises of assistance

or, if they should proveintractable, use force todisperse them.Several of theministers thoroughlyapproved of this plan which,it must be said, showed justthe right sort of decisivenessand vigour that had hithertobeen sadly missing from theroyal response to currentaffairs. However, there wasopposition from Necker andalso,muchmoresurprisingly,theQueen,whodeclared that

shehadnowishtodesertherhusband, whom she guessedcouldnotbecountedupontoact with the necessaryfirmness,inhishourofneed.’I know that they have comefrom Paris to demand myhead,’shesaid.‘ButIlearnedfrom my mother not to feardeath and I will wait besidemy husband for whatevercomes.’Once again an opportunity

to escape passed the royal

family by thanks to Louis’indecisiveness and MarieAntoinette’s determination todoherdutyandremainatherhusband’s side. Although itwas not entirely unheard offorroyalfamiliestofleetheirpalaces and live as exiles, ithad not happened in Francefor quite some time (the lasttime was when the youngLouisXIVhadbeenforcedtoleave Paris in 1648 in thewakeof theFrondeuprising)

andseemedverymuchlikealast resort option to LouisXVI and Marie Antoinette,whowerebothoftheopinionthat leavingVersailleswouldbeaweakgesturethatleftthenation prey to furtheranarchy.Thebeautifulsunshinehad

given way to torrential rainbythetimethefirststragglinggroups of women arrived atVersailles at around four inthe afternoon with still more

arriving over the next fewhours until the courtyardbefore thepalacewasagreatseething mass of people byearly evening. The moreobservant courtiers noticedthat several of the newarrivals were eitherextraordinarily muscular andmannish in appearance orwere actually men disguisedas women, which furtherincreased suspicions that thewhole thing had been

carefully orchestrated by theDuc d’Orléans and hiscronies, who would haveknown that Louis wouldneverallowhis troops to fireon women, no matter howmuchtheywereprovoked.A delegation of women

bearing a petition wasreceived by the King wholistened to their lists ofgrievances and gave hisassurancesthattheywouldbegiven all possible assistance.

His kindly demeanourreduced all of them to tearsand one of them evenreportedlyfaintedbeforetheyall departed, chanting ‘Longlive the King’, back to theircomrades in the courtyard,who were deeplyunimpressed by this show ofloyalty and had by nowapparently conceived a planto take the King and hisfamily back to Paris withthem.Whenthisnewsarrived

in the King’s councilchamber,Saint-Priestorderedthat the gates of Versailles,stiff and rusty from lack ofuse, should be closed andagain urged both the Kingand Queen to leave forRambouillet with theirchildren. This time, terrifiedof the bedraggled mob thatshe had glimpsed from thepalace windows, MarieAntoinette immediatelyassentedandorderedfortheir

luggagetobepackedandthecarriages prepared.However,assoonas thecarriageswerebroughtfromtheroyalstablesacross the way from thepalace, the angry mob,guessingthattheroyalfamilywere planning to leave,surrounded them and cut thetraces so that they could notmove.The royal familywerenowtrappedinthepalace.Themoodwas desperately

tenseastheKingandQueen,

determined as always tobehave as normal, sat downfor supper in the presence oftheir attendants. Louis,ravenous as always, ateheartily butMarieAntoinettecouldbarelymanageasinglebite of food as she sat dazedandshockedatthetable.Thecourtiers gathered at thewindows overlooking themain courtyard and peeredthrough the gatheringdarkness at the dozens of

campfiresthathadbeenlit infrontofthepalace.WhiletheKing remained with hisministers, Marie Antoinettestayedinherapartmentswithher sisters-in-law MadameÉlisabeth and the ComtessedeProvence,allthreeofthemnotknowingquitewhattodowith themselves as theywaitedfornews.Atmidnight,General Lafayette, a warhero, liberal aristocrat (hiswife was the niece of

Madame de Noailles) andtoasted darling of all Paris,arrived with thirty thousandmen to boost the defence ofVersailles and offer hissupport to the King, tellinghim that ‘If my blood mustflow,letitbeintheserviceofmy King.’ Reassured, Louisimmediatelysentanotetohiswife, tellinghernot toworryand to go to bed for all waswell.Believing that Lafayette

hadmanagedtorestorecalm,Marie Antoinette sent awaythe noblemen who hadofferedtoprotectherandtoldher ladies Madame Thibaultand Madame Auguié, thesister of Madame Campanwho was known as theQueen’s ‘tigress’ thanks toher great height and fierceloyalty to hermistress, to goto bed and get some muchneeded sleep. However,clearlynotatallreassuredby

Lafayette’s showof bravado,thetwoladiesdecidedinsteadto barricade the doors andspend the night keepingwatchovertheirmistress.In the early hours of the

morning, a largegroupofnodoubt inebriated andthoroughly fed up womenprowling around the palacehaddiscoveredthatoneofthesmallsidegateshadnotbeenlocked overnight. In no timeat all, the mob had been

roused to action again andhad teemed through the gateand into thecourtyardbeforeracingup to thepalace itself,shoutingcursesandthreatsatthe Queen, who was fastasleepinherapartments.Theinvaders overwhelmed theguards, decapitating at leastone of them, before theyrushedintothepalaceandupthe marble staircase that ledstraighttoMarieAntoinette’sapartments where they

slaughtered anotherguardsman, brutallybeheading him with an axebefore starting to hack theirwaythroughthelockeddoor.Hearing the terrible shouts

andscreamsandtheominoussound of several dozen pairsof feet, clad in the woodenclogscommonlywornby thelower classes, rushing up themarble staircase, MadameAuguiérantotheguardroomto investigate only to be

confronted by the sight of ayoungguardsman,coveredinbloodandleaningagainst theouter door that led to thestaircasewithallhismighttokeep the invaders out. ‘Savethe Queen!’ he shouted overhis shoulder to the appalledMadameAuguié. ‘Theyhavecometomurderher!’Terrified, Auguié and her

companionMadameThibaultimmediately barred the doorandrantoalerttheirmistress,

who was already awake,havingbeendisturbedanoiseon the terrace below herwindows. Hastily pulling apetticoat and yellowredingote jacket on over hernightgown and still holdingher stockings in her hand,Marie Antoinette pushedopen the concealed doorbesideherbedand randownthesecretcorridor that led tothe Oeil de Boeuf chamberwhich acted as an

antechamber of the King’sapartments. However, thedoor turned out to be lockedagainst her and, with theterrible shouts of themob asthey broke into herbedchamber behind her, shehad to hammer franticallyagainst the door, screamingfor help until one of herhusband’s valets came toopen it with the terrifyingnews that her husband hadgone to her apartments to

lookforher.LuckilyforLouis,whohad

taken yet another one of thesecret passages that laybehind the splendid walls oftheroyalapartments,themobhad already been thrown outof Marie Antoinette’s nowcompletely trashed anddestroyedbedchamberby thetimehearrivedandreassuredthatshehadcometonoharmfrom the guards now postedthere, returned to his rooms

where he was reunited withhis wife, with their childrenappearing soon after in thecare of Madame de Tourzelwho had been given strictinstructionstotakethembothstraight to the King ifanythinguntowardhappened.Everyoneworried now aboutMadame Élisabeth and theProvences,whose apartmentslay inadifferentwingof thepalace but there was nothingthat could be done to help

them now that the awfulshouts and screams of theinvadingmobcouldbeheardintheOeildeBoeufchamber,where they were trying toforcethedoorsopentogettotheQueen.However,justasLouisand

Marie Antoinette must havebeen bracing themselves fordisaster and almost certaindeath, Lafayette arrived onthescenewithhis troopsanddispersed the crowd, forcing

them out of the palace andinto the courtyard belowwhere they massed inseething fury, shoutingthreats and insults up at thewindowsanddemanding thatthe royal family showthemselves on the balcony.MarieAntoinettestoodbesidethewindowwithherdaughterand Madame Élisabeth,mercifully unscathed, oneither side of her, while theDauphin stood on a chair in

front of her, plaiting hissister’s long blonde hair andcomplainingaboutbeingkeptwaiting for his breakfast.Naturally, no one wanted tostepoutontothebalconybutsomehow Lafayette managedtopersuadethemtodosoandso the windows swung openand after a moment’shesitation, Louis and MarieAntoinette, who carried herson in her arms andheldherdaughterbythehand,stepped

out to confront the hostilegazeofthemob.Louistriedinvaintospeak

to the people but his voicewas drowned out by theshouts of the mob. Therewereafewhearteningcriesof‘LonglivetheKing!’buttheywere outnumbered by thecallsof ‘ToParis!ToParis!’that thundered from everyside. Lafayette, who hadfollowedtheroyalfamilyouton to the balcony, spoke a

fewwordstoremindthemobthattheKinghadpromisedtoprovidebread,beforetheyallwent back inside. However,no sooner had they escapedthan themob began to chant‘We want the Queen’. EvenLafayette, who had been atsome pains to stress that themob would never actuallyhurtMarieAntoinette,triedtopersuade her to stay indoorsbut it turned out that thedaughter of Maria Theresa

wasmadeof far sterner stuffthan anyone had hithertorealisedandsheinsisteduponfacingthecrowd.Takingherchildrenby the

hand, perhaps at thesuggestion of Lafayette whohoped that the crowd wouldbe moved to compassion bythe sight of theDauphin andMadame Royale weeping interror as they clung to theirmother, she stepped oncemore on to the balcony. ‘No

children! No children!’ thecrowd bayed and reluctantlyshe sent them back into theroom and turned to standalone in front of the people.Therewasamomentoftensesilence as they stared up atherandthentothesurpriseofeveryone, including possiblythemselves, they began toshout ‘Long live theQueen!’Stunned, Marie Antoinetteresponded with a deepcurtseywhichjustmadethem

cheer all the more wildly.Lafayette, relieved that theQueen had not beenassassinated on the spot,stepped out and kissed herhand as the crowd roaredtheir approval and redoubledtheir shouts of ’To Paris! ToParis!’‘What are your intentions,

Madame?Lafayetteaskedheras theysteppedback into theblessedsafetyofthepalace.‘Whatevermaybemyfate,

it is my duty to die at theKing’s feetwithmy childrenin my arms,’ MarieAntoinette replied beforeturningtothewifeofNeckerand saying: ‘They are goingto force us to go to Paris,precededby theheadsofourbodyguards on pikes.’ ToSaint-Priest,whohadtriedhisvery best to persuade her toleave the previous day, shecould only lament: ‘Oh,whydidwenotleavelastnight?’

ThedecisiontogotoParishaving been made, everyonereturned to their apartmentsto pack and prepare fordeparture. At one in theafternoon, Louis, MarieAntoinette, their children,Madame Élisabeth and thegoverness Madame deTourzel, whose youngdaughter Pauline followed inanothercarriage,climbedintoone of the King’s enormoustravellingcarriageandsetoff

towardsthecapital.Insteadofthe usual flanking outridersthere were the grotesquelytwisted heads of theirslaughteredguardscarriedonpikes on either side of theircarriage. ‘We’re bring backthe baker, the baker’s wifeand the baker’s boy!’ thejubilant crowd chanted asthey walked alongside thispeculiar cavalcade, whilebehind thematVersailles theshutters were slammed shut

and a heavy silence fell onthegildedrooms.As the royalcarriagedrew

level with the gates ofMadame Élisabeth’s prettycountry estate at Montreuil,the princess gazed sadly upthe avenue that she alreadyhad a presentiment that shewould never see again.’Areyou admiring your new limeavenue?’ her brother askedher with a fond smile. ‘No,’she replied sadly. ‘I am

sayinggoodbye.’It took seven long and

incredibly weary hours forthe royal carriage to reachParis. Marie Antoinette,shocked and traumatised bythe events of the last twentyfourhours,spentmuchofthejourneycrouchedonthefloorof the carriage, shielding heryoung son from the sight ofthe heads being wavedoutside the windows andtrying her best to reassure

bothofher terrifiedchildren.Protected, pampered andcushioned all her life long,Marie Antoinette had been,until now, effectivelyshielded from the unpleasantrealities of life for theordinary people of France.The journey to Paris thatdrizzly, miserable afternoon,surrounded by thousands ofshouting, jeering people,many ofwhomwere dressedinlittlemorethanafewrags,

wastobeabaptismoffireforher and she would neveragain have any trust in theintrinsic goodness of theParisianpeople.They reached Paris late in

the evening and came to ahalt at the Chaillot tollgatewhere Bailly the Mayor ofParis was waiting to greetthem.Withnoapparentirony,he presented the King withthe keys to the city on avelvet cushion, saying with

an admirable attempt atcourtly grace: ‘What abeautiful day it is, Sire, thathas brought you and youraugust consort to take upresidence in the capital.’Louis, who was under noillusions that he and hisfamily were effectivelyhostages, if not prisoners, ofthe National Assembly,managed to reply with equalgood grace that he onlytrusted that his ‘coming to

Paris will put an end tolawlessness and bring backpeaceandordertothecity.’Theexhaustedroyalfamily

had expected to be takenstraighttotheroyalpalaceofthe Tuileries but insteadfoundthemselvestakentotheHôtel de Ville where theywere persuaded to appear onthe balcony again as thejubilant crowds that hadgathered in the Place deGrève cheered themselves

hoarse and shouted ‘Longlive the King!’ There wereeven a few shouts for MarieAntoinetteassheclutchedherson to her bosom and facedthe mob, rigid withindignation and wonderingwhen her humiliating ordealwould finally come to anend.In the event, the royal

family, thoroughly shatteredbytheirordeal,arrivedat theTuileriesat justafter ten that

evening. The dilapidated oldpalace, which had not beenproperly inhabited by royaltysince the minority of LouisXV, had become a kind ofgrace and favour residencesince the youngKingmovedto Versailles and was nowhome toahotchpotchmixofpeople that included elderlycourtiers, retired royalofficials, artists and actors,many of whom had alteredthe internal fabric of the

palacebeyondall recognitionby adding haphazardstaircases,partitionwallsandflimsy windows to suit theirown requirements. The newsof the royal family’simminent arrival had comethatmorningandimmediatelyMique,whowasinchargeofthe palace,now set to workevictingallofthetenantsandsupervising the dozens ofservants who now swarmedthrough the draughty old

rooms to prepare them fortheirnewinhabitants.The royal family were to

inhabit the small apartmentwhere Marie Antoinette hadonce or twice slept duringvisits to the capital in herramshackle youth, whileMadame Élisabeth wasassignedroomsonthegroundfloor and the rest of thecourtiers were expected tomakeshiftasbest theycouldwith many sleeping on sofas

and floors once all theavailable beds had beenspoken for. The rather morefortunate Comte andComtesse de Provence, whohad followed them to Paris,were allowed to go to theirownmuchmore comfortableresidence, the Palais duLuxembourg (the Comtesselived at the nearby Le PetitLuxembourg mansion on theRuedeVaugirard).Whiletheadults did their best to hide

their unhappiness, theDauphin was much moreforthright and looked aroundin horror at the shabbilyfurnishedrooms.‘It’ssouglyhere, Maman,’ he remarkedas the family sat down tosupper which the King, asusual, enjoyed enormously.‘Departure for Paris 12.30,visit to the Hôtel de Ville,dine and sleep at theTuileries,’ he wrote, ratherphlegmatically,inhisJournal

lateron.The next morning, Marie

Antoinette woke up to thesound of the market womenof Paris shouting on theterrace outside her newbedchamber.Theywantedtosee the Queen and after amoment’s hesitation sheaskedher ladies,who lookeddisheveled and tired after anight camping out on sofas,to dress her in one of herprettiestdressesandfindahat

covered in flowers andribbons. Thus charminglyarrayed, she went out on totheterracetomeetthewomenand answer their questions,eventuallywinningthemoverto the extent that she endedup distributing the trimmingson her hat amongst thembefore they let her go backinside.Lateronshewouldsitdownatherdeskandwriteaquick note to Count Mercy:‘Things look better this

morning. Don’t worry, I’mquitealright.Andifonecouldforgetwhereweareandhowwe came here we should bequitepleasedwiththewaythepeople are behaving.’ Andthings must have seemedrather more hopeful on thatfirstmorningattheTuileries-the people had appearedgratifyingly pleased to havethem in the capital andperhaps, Marie Antoinettereasoned, having them in

Paris would do much todispel the ugly rumours thathad spread about them allonce the people realised thatthey were, at heart, just anordinary loving family.Certainly, when she was intherightmood,therecouldbeno one more charming andcharismatic than MarieAntoinette.Their apartments, which

had seemed so ramshackleand uninviting the night

before,lookedmuchbetterindaylight and as the weeksprogressed the Tuileriesbegan to regain its formersplendour thanks to Mique’songoing renovations and theappearance of several cartloads of furniture, paintingsand other pieces fromVersailles,whichdidmuchtoimprove matters. The Queenwaslodgedinaprettygroundfloorapartmentthathadbeenrecently renovated at

enormous expense by theComtessede laMarck,whilethe King slept on the floorabove near the roomsassignedtotheroyalchildrenand their governess. Theaunts, who had come withthem from Versailles, werelodged in the Pavilion deMarsan and MadameÉlisabeth had rooms on theground floor but quicklymovedafteragangofmarketwomenclambered in through

herwindowswhileshewasatbreakfast. The fact that theyonly wanted to praise herbeauty and goodness wasbeside the point – after theevents in October, she wasnow very nervous andinsisted thatshebemoved tothe far less accessiblePavilion de Flore, where shewhiled away the hours withover a hundred books, mostof which were religioustracts, sent from her own

personal library at Versaillesor sadly sketching imaginarynaturesceneswhilesittingona window seat that lookedtowardstheSeine.Gradually, life returned to

somesemblanceofnormalityas the stately antechambersand reception rooms of theTuileries which, as MarieAntoinette reminded hercomplaining son, had oncebeen considered a suitableresidenceforLouisXIV‘and

we must not be moreparticular than him’, weregradually restored to theirformergrandeurandhummedonce again with life. ThePrincesse de Lamballe, whohadbeenawayfromcourtforhealth reasons, returned toonce again supervise theQueen’s household and Axelvon Fersen, who hadfollowed the royal familyfrom Versailles, was able todiscreetly dance attendance

on Marie Antoinette everyday and night just as he haddonebefore.Theladiesofthecourt continued to attend theQueen’s levée and coucherand escorted her to Mass inthe royal chapel just as theyhad done at Versailles, withthe ones fortunate enough tohave a Parisian residencebeing issuedwith passes thatallowed them entry to theTuileries. After a while theusual round of suppers and

receptions resumed again inthe state roomsof the palacewiththeQueenholdingcourton Tuesdays, Thursdays andSundaysanddining inpubliconTuesdaysandSundays. Insome ways it was as thoughnothinghadreallychanged.No one was quite sure if

the King and Queen wereindeed prisoners but for nowthey were content to staywhere they were and letthings happen. To the

deputies and ordinaryParisian people that sheencountered, MarieAntoinettewasallsmilesandbenevolence but in privateshe told Madame Campanthat ‘Kings who becomeprisoners are not far fromdeath’ and often shut herselfawaytocry,exhaustedbytheeffort of maintaining anoutwardly calm and amiableexterior and also deeplyfearful about what the future

held for herself and herfamily.The National Assembly

had agreed that the Kingshould have an extremelygenerous 25 million livres ayear, as well as the revenuefrom his estates, for livingexpensesbutwithoversevenhundred people at theTuileries,economiesstillhadto be made and althoughMarie Antoinette was stillgetting her hair done by

Léonard and her dressesdesigned byRoseBertin andMadameÉloffe,whocametosee her as often as theyalways had, she was alsohaving a lot of her olderdresses adjusted and alteredinorder to savesomemoney- with particular attentionbeingpaidtowhite,blue,redand pink dresseswhichweretrimmed with tricolourribbons in the hope ofappealing to the Parisians.

She couldn’t resist splashingsomecashonafewpiecesofexquisite Reisener furniturefor their apartments though,clearly resigned to stayingthere for quite some time tocome.However, although the

future seemed uncertain,there were somecompensationsforthisabruptchange inMarieAntoinette’scircumstances - for a start,thanks to the close

confinement of the family,shewasnowfreetoenjoyherchildren just as she hadalways longed to do andbecame more personallyinvolved in their education.She took great pleasure insupervising MadameRoyale’s lessonsandenjoyedtaking them out for walks inthe famouslybeautifulpublicgardens of the Tuilerieswhere the Dauphin, whoturned five in March 1790,

won all hearts with hisinnocent, light heartedcavortingandgamesandwasencouraged to wave andchatter to the admiringcrowds that gathered to seehim. Inside the palace, thefamily enjoyed spendingmore time together and theroyal ladieswere often to befound sitting together withtheir books and embroiderywhile the King taught hischildrenhowtoplaybilliards

and draughts or look at thestars through his precioustelescope. When someoneasked the Dauphin if hepreferred Paris or Versailles,the little boy replied: ‘Paris,because I see so much moreofmyPapaandMaman.’Thisnewdelight in family

life can be glimpsed in thecharmingly carefree paintingbyFrançoisDumontofMarieAntoinette and her twochildrensittingbeneathatree

in theTuileriesgardens.Thislovely portrait looks at firstglance as if it should belongto the family’s pre-1789existence at Versailles butwas in fact painted in thesummer of 1790 and showsjust how content the happilysmilingQueenhadbecomeinthe new even more closematernal role that she hadadopted after the departurefrom Versailles, even if shewas wracked with anxiety

behindthescenes.Thefamilyare also dressed extremelyelegantly in the palemuslinsand silks that they hadenjoyed at Versailles, whiletheQueen’sbluesilkcoveredhat, bedecked in pale pinkand white plumes, is amasterpiece of millinery.Certainly no greater contrastcan be imagined to the stiffand rather unattractiveWertmuller portrait of theunhappy looking Queen and

her two eldest childrenwalkinginthegardensof thePetitTrianonbackin1785.In February 1790 there

came the terrible news ofEmperor Joseph’s death,whichwas a terrible blow toMarie Antoinette who hadidolised her eldest brotherand had, at heart, alwaysassumed that one day hewould come and rescue herfroma situation that shewasfinding increasingly

intolerable.Hissuccessorwastheir brother Leopold, whomshehadn’tseensincehepaida brief visit to Vienna justbefore her marriage.Although she and the ratherstarchy Leopold had neverreallygoton,theletterthathewrote to her after Joseph’sdeathmusthaveallayedsomeof her fears, even if in timeshe was to be sorelydisappointedbyherbrother’slack of assistance: ‘I can

picture your grief, all thegreater as his late majestywas particularly attached toyouandhadyourinterestssoverymuchatheart.ThoughIknow such a loss isirreparable, I hope you willfind in me a friendship andattachment and a real andsincere interest in everythingthatconcernsyou,whichwillbeinnowaylessthanthatofour late brother. Please giveme the same friendship, the

same confidence in return,andIflattermyselfthatIwillin every way deserve it.’Tactfully, he made nomention of the deceasedEmperor’s ominous finaldeathbedadviceforhissister:‘Icommiseratewiththem,butfrom this distance I cannotthink of any means toextricate them from so bad asituation other than to showboth prudence and firmness.If they have both, then

everything will perhapsarrange itself. If they lackthem, then I have nothingmoretosay.’Keenly aware that they

urgently needed to win backthe love and respect of thepeople, Louis and MarieAntoinette began to go onoccasional official visitsaround Paris, much like thesort of engagements that theBritish royal family performtoday, to see hospitals,

factories and poor areas likethe streets of the FaubourgSaint-Antoine which hadonce been dominated by thenow demolished Bastilleprison, the fragments ofwhich were being sported asearrings by the fashionableladies of Paris and used aspaperweights by their lovers.The royal family would turnup looking elegant butdemure, wreathed in smilesand asking lots of questions

soastoappearinterestedandengaged. The overall effectwas very successful, withboth Louis and MarieAntoinette hearing nothingbut cheers but therewas stilla long way to go before thescars of October 1789 wereentirely healed. ‘Behold thejoy of these good people,’Bailly told the Queen whenone of her appearances wasgreeted with particularlyenthusiastic acclaim. ‘Yes,

the people are good whentheirmasters visit them,’ shereplied icily. ‘But they aresavage when they visit theirmasters.’To Marie Antoinette’s

delight, theywereallowed tospend thesummerof1790attheir château of Saint Cloudwhere the family couldindulge in such bucolic andinnocentdelightsaspicnicsinwoodland glades, flowerpicking, small concerts at

which the Queen sang onceagain, carriage rides toMeudonand,fortheKing,hisbelovedhunting.Deprivedofhis daily sport, Louis hadstarted to put on even moreweightandhadbecomeevenmore lethargic and sluggishthan before, which MarieAntoinette, unsurprisingly,found utterly annoying. ShewasboundtotheKingbytiesof loyalty and affection buthad never been romantically

in love with him - thisemotion was, it seemed,entirely reserved for thehandsome Swede, Axel vonFersen who followed thecourttoSaintCloudandthereresumedhisdailyvisitstotheQueen,oftenstayinguntiltheearly hours of the morning,which provoked a great dealof gossip in certain circles.Marie Antoinette, always abit of a flirt, seemed moreinfatuatedwithhimthanever

while Axel’s obviousdevotionhadapparentlybeeninflamed by his lady love’snew situation as a damsel indistress. Whereas theirromancehadalmostcertainlybeenintrinsicallychastewhenshe was the Queen ofVersailles it would be fair,perhaps, towonder ifmattershad not taken a rather moreintimate turn now that shewasthebeleaguerednotquiteaprisoneroftheTuileriesand

in need of whatever comfortand attention he was able toprovide.However,AxelvonFersen

was also besotted, and in avery obviously carnal way,with his lusciously beautifulmistress Eléanore Sullivan,who had once upon a timebeen the mistress of MarieAntoinette’s brother Josephbefore ending up with anincredibly wealthy IndianNabob Quentin Craufurd,

who set her up inconsiderable style in Paris.Madame Sullivan was thetotal opposite of MarieAntoinette - sophisticated,sensual and witty and was,furthermore, just the sort ofwoman that Fersen hadalways conducted his affairswithinthepast.Thesortwhoknew the rules of the gameand how to play it whichMarie Antoinette, sosentimental anddesperate for

affection, did not. However,besides being a bit of a rakewho was well aware of hisown devastating effect onwomen, Fersen was also amassive snob and the royalmystique as well as theterrible tribulations withwhich Marie Antoinette wassurrounded was enough tomake him her devoted slaveeven if their relationshipwasentirelyplatonic.It is clear though that

Marie Antoinette loved AxelvonFersenorwasattheveryleast completely infatuatedwith his handsome face, hisdashing air and, mostcompellingof all, hiswayoftreating her with dewy eyedreverence which she neededmore than ever at a timewhen everything little thingshe did seemed to attractnothingbutcensure.Fresen’sapparentlyuncriticalapprovalofhermusthaveseemedlike

abalmtohersoul.However,althoughshelovedtoflirtandbe admired by handsomeyoungmen,MarieAntoinettewasnotaparticularlysensualwoman(remember,itwasnotjust Louis’ clumsiness andlack of ardour in thebedchamber that had beencriticisedbyherbrother) andeven though Fersen wasalmostcertainlyamuchmoreattractive prospect than poorLouis, she took her duty to

herhusbandandhiscrownfartooseriouslytoeverseriouslyrisk hurting either. The factthat she was so hurt andappalled by the broadsheetsdenouncing her promiscuityand alleged affairs alsospeaksvolumes.Therewereothervisitorsto

the Château of Saint Cloudwhere courtiers andcommoners alike wereencouraged to visit thegardensandseetheirrulersat

play and Marie Antoinette,who was beginning to feelquite her old self again insuch congenial surroundings,receivedfriendsfromthepastsuch as the Duchess ofDevonshire and entertainedthemtoelegantsupperpartieson the terrace.However, onevisitor, the Comte deMirabeau, one of the leadersof the National Assemblyand, in the past, one of theKing’s most vicious

opponents, came at dead ofnight and in utmost secrecyfor an audience with theQueen. They met in thegardens, which may haveheldanechoof the infamousmeetingthathadcausedsucha stir during the DiamondNecklace scandal, and talkedat length about Mirabeau’splans for the King and royalfamily. Having been soopposed to them in the past,Mirabeau had concluded that

the revolution had run itscourse and discreetly offeredhisservicestotheKingtoactas a medium between themand the National Assembly -that this deal involved thesettlingofhisenormousdebtsand a royal salary of 72,000livres a year was just theicingonthecake.Marie Antoinette did not

like the Comte deMirabeau,whomshe regarded as venal,corrupt, immoral and violent

but, encouraged by Mercywho saw in him their bestchance of resolving thesituation, even she could notdenythathewasaformidableweapon to have in theirarsenal. He was a brilliantandpassionateorator(astheyhad learned to their costthankstohisdiatribesagainsttheroyalfamily)andwasstillregarded with great respectby both the Assembly and,most crucially, the Parisians.

Forhispart,Mirabeauhadnoillusions about Louis, whomhe regarded as completelypathetic, but he admired thespark of defiant courage thatthe Queen, whom he hadonce dismissed as frivolousand stupid, now displayed,declaring her to be the onlyoneoftheroyalfamilyworthtalkingtoandthe‘onlyman’that theKing had about him.Although Marie Antoinettewould never quite conquer

her revulsion of Mirabeau,she willingly gave him herhandtokissattheendoftheirmeeting and had to blinkawaytearswhenhefelltohisknees before her, declaring,‘Madame, I swear themonarchy will be saved.’However, he had not alwaysbeen so sanguine about theirchances of survival and hadpreviously commented to theComte de la Marck that:‘Can’t they see the abyss

opening at their feet? All islost, theKingandQueenaregoing to perish, and youyourself will see it. Themobwill trample their bodiesunderfoot.’On 14 July, the first

anniversary of the fall of theBastille, the royal familytemporarily left the comfortsof Saint Cloud to attend thegreat Fête de la Fédération,which took place on theChamps de Mars in Paris.

Naturally, Marie Antoinettehad been dreading thisoccasion which for hermarked a miserable year ofupheavalanddespair,butshepinned on a smile andappeared dressed to impressin white with tricolourribbons and feathers in herhair and a pretty red, whiteand blue trimming on hershoes. There were enormouscheersfromthethreehundredthousand strong crowd when

the royal family arrived thatmorning, sheltered from thepouring rain in their coveredcarriage. Annoyed to havebeen dragged away from aday’s hunting at Saint Cloudforwhat he considered to bean insulting and undignifiedcharade,Louisgloweredfromhis throne as they watchedTalleyrand,therakishBishopof Autun, celebrate Mass inthe torrential rain before thetime came for Louis to take

an oath to the constitution.Pleased by his show ofacquiescence, the crowderuptedintocheersagainandbuoyed up by thisenthusiasm,MarieAntoinetteliftedhersonupintoherarmsand showed him off to thepeople, who shouted ‘Longlive the Dauphin!’ in hishonour.From almost the first

moment that theroyal familyarrived at the Tuileries there

hadbeentalkoftheirescape.Even Mirabeau hadencouraged them to considereither retreating toCompiègne or Fontainebleauor travelling even furtherafield to Normandy, whichstill remainedoverwhelmingly royalist. Hisplanwasthattheroyalfamilyshould leave openly butremain in France but othervoices counselled a far moreboldmanoeuvrewhereby the

King and his family wouldjoin forces with the theémigrés who were massingbeyondthebordersofFrance,champing at the bit to kickstartacounterrevolution.At first Louis was

unwilling to leave,preferringinstead toputhis faith in theNational Assembly and theFrench people, but this trustwas beginning to wanerapidly and hit a steep nosediveattheendof1790when

the National Assemblydecreed that fromnowonallchurch affairs were to comeunder their jurisdiction ratherthanthatofRomeandthatallpriests had until 1 January1791 to make an oath ofloyaltytotheAssembly,withthose who refused beingsummarily defrocked andbanned from office. Louis,who had been raised to beextremely devout, wasappalled by this but had no

option but to give his assentto this measure even if heprivately detested it. Hisaunts, however, were moreforceful in theircondemnation and inFebruary1791leftPariswiththe intention of travelling toRome where they would befree to follow their faith inpeace. The old ladies, whohaddonesomuchtodamageMarieAntoinette’s reputationin France, were briefly

apprehendedatArnay-le-DucinBurgundybut then, thanksto the intervention ofMirabeau, were allowed toleave thecountryunmolestedand make their way to ItalyviaavisittotheirnephewtheComte d’Artois, who hadsettled at Turin with hisfamily. How MarieAntoinette must have enviedthemall.However, the departure of

the aunts gave fresh impetus

to Marie Antoinette’s ownsecret escape plans.At somepoint after the events ofOctober 1789, the royalcouple had vowed to eachother that from now on theywere not going to beseparated and so allsuggestions that either Louisor Marie Antoinette shouldleave without the other wereimmediatelydismissed.Moreplausible, however, was thesuggestion that Marie

Antoinetteshouldescapewithher son, who would bedressed as a girl for theenterprise while the Queenherself went in disguise as aservant. However, yet againshe rejected this plan,reiterating her decision toremain at the King’s side nomatterwhat happened and insecret she continued to plotwithAxelvonFersen,whomshetrustedimplicitly,andtheGeneral deBouillé,whowas

based at Metz near theAustrian border. It wasBouillé’s plan that the royalfamily separate into twogroups, leave Paris in twoswift separate carriages andmaketheirwaytoMontmédy,where a loyal royalistregiment was based andwhereLouiscouldrallymoreto his cause, safe in theknowledge that the borderwith Austria was not too faraway if his plans to regain

control of his own thronewentsadlyawry.Excited and nervous about

their plan, Marie Antoinetteordered Axel von Fersen tomake the necessaryarrangements. She refused toconsiderBouillé’s suggestionthat thefamilysplit intotwo,arguing that shehadnowishto be separated from eitherher husband or her children,and instead of buying twosmall carriages she

commissioned a large andmuch more slow travellingcarriage, known as aberline,in which the family wouldmake their escape. Claimingthatthecommissionwasforaformermistress, theBaronnede Korff who would also beproviding the fugitives’identitypapers,Fersensparedno expense and overlookednodetailwhenitcametotheplanning of this huge andcumbersome vehicle which

would have to be bothcommodiousandcomfortablefor their long journey. Theoutside was a discreet greenand black while the interiorwasupholsteredinsumptuouswhite velvet and equippedwith such conveniences as asmallcooker,leatherchamberpots and a concealed tablethat could be raised atmealtimes.Marie Antoinette’s all

important toilette was not to

be neglected either and theQueendecidedtotreatherselfto a lavish nécessaire, atravelling dressing case ofbeautifulwalnutwood,insidewhichreposedasilver teapotand candlesticks as well aseverything that MarieAntoinette could possiblyrequire in order to beautifyherself during the trip, all ofwhich was fashioned out ofthe most exquisite crystal,silver and tortoiseshell. She

also ordered new clothes forherself and her children andentrusted her hairdresser, thedelightfully catty Léonard,who was to follow her toMontmédy toensure that shelooked her very best at alltimes, with her jewels.Madame Campan wasbewildered by this attentionto sartorial matters and triedto remonstrate with theQueen, pointing out that ‘aQueen of France should be

able to procurewhatever sheneeded wherever she went’but Marie Antoinette,completely carried away andelated by her clandestineplanswhichservedas suchadelightfuldistractionfromthemundanity of life at theTuileries,wouldnotlisten.In April 1791 the furtive

escape plans received furtherimpetus from the suddendeath of the Comte deMirabeau who passed away

wasted by years of dissoluteexcess. His final words,whispered to Talleyrandwere: ‘I am taking with methe last vestiges of themonarchy’.MarieAntoinette,whohadgrowntorelyonhissupport even if she neverwarmed to him personally,weptwhenshewas informedofhisdeath,believingthatinhimtheyhadlostoneoftheirmostpowerfulsupporters.Hewas accorded the signal

honourofthefirststateburialin the Panthéon, which fromthen on was intended to bethe final resting place of thegreatmen of France. Shortlyafter this, the royal familywere prevented from leavingfor their planned Easterholiday at Saint Cloud by alargeandferociousmobwhosuspected them of trying toescape as the auntshaddonenot too long before andcaused a riot that Lafayette

had to disperse with histroops.Thefactthattheyhadbeen allowed to moverelatively freely around Parisand had been able to spendtheprevioussummeratSaintCloud had done much toreconcile Louis and MarieAntoinette to their situationand even allowed them topretend to themselves thatthey were not really at thebeckandcallof theNationalAssembly. However this

unfortunateincidentservedtoemphasise their effectivepowerlessness and increasedtheir resentment of theirsituation as they returned ingreat disappointment to theirapartmentsintheTuileries.‘The event which has just

occurred confirms us morethaneverinourplans,’MarieAntoinette wrote to Mercy,who had left for Brussels inOctober 1790. ‘Our positionis dreadful. We absolutely

must flee from here nextmonth. The King wishes thiseven more vehemently thanmyself.’Planscontinuedtobemade for the escape despitethe reservations of Bouilléabout both the mode oftransport, which heconsidered too slow andcumbersome for a journeywhose success relied on itsspeedandefficiency, and thepassengers. It had beendecided that theKing,Queen

and royal children should beaccompanied by Madame deTourzel and MadameÉlisabeth, who remained intotal ignorance of the plan,but Bouillé would havepreferred Tourzel andMadame Élisabeth (whowould then travel with thewaiting women Madame deNeuville and MadameBrunier, who would befollowing theberline in theirown carriage) to be replaced

by two capable officers withthe resolution and quickintelligencetobeabletocopewith any emergencies thatmight arise along the way.However, Marie Antoinetteinsisted that her childrencould not manage withouttheirgovernessandthattherewasnowaythataPrincessofthe Royal Blood could beexpected to travel with herservants and that wasapparently the end of the

matter.‘The departure is now

finally decided for June 20,midnight,’ Axel von Fersenwrote to his fellowconspirator Bouillé. ‘Atreacherous nurse of theDauphin who could not bedismissedandwhowillnotbeleavingbeforeMondaynight,makes it necessary topostpone the journey untilthen;butyoucanbeassuredthat it will take place.’ All

wasreadyforthegreatescapewhich, incidentally,hadbeenmostly financed by Fersenhimselfwhohadgotmuchofthe money from his mistressEléanore and her lover, bothofwhomwereloyalroyalists.To the courtiers and

servants milling around theTuileries, Monday 20 Junemust have seemed like anordinary day just like anyother.MarieAntoinettespentthe morning listening to her

children having their lessonsthenwentdowntothechapelwith them at midday forMass, where they met theKing, who had spent themorningreadinginhisstudy.They then took luncheontogether, after which thefamily gathered in the salonand Louis quietly toldMadame Élisabeth that theywere planning to leave Paristhat night. ‘What should Ibring with me?’ the princess

asked Marie Antoinette.‘Bring nothing,’ was thereply. ‘I can lend youanything that you need frommyowntrunks.’LouisandMarieAntoinette

then played billiards againsteachotherbeforegoingofftothe King’s rooms on theground floor where a shortwhile later Fersen joinedthemtogivethefinalbriefingabout their plan. He was toact as coachman for the first

leg of the journey beforeleaving them to ride toBrussels. He would havepreferred to stay with themfor the entire journey butLouis, although he wasgrateful for Fersen’s help,was adamant that he had toleave, which could be takento suggest that he suspectedthat the dashing Swede washavinganaffairwithhiswifeandhadnodesiretoarriveatMontmédy in theundignified

positionofhavinghimactingas their coachman. Analternative theory is that theKingwas put off by the factthat Fersen was not Frenchandhavingmadethedecisionto remain in France, had nowishtolookasthoughhewasaccepting any foreignassistanceagainsthispeople.LaterontheQueen,feeling

weepy and emotional afterher interview with Fersen,took her children for their

customary walk in theTuileries gardens where theDauphin, who was in totalignoranceof thesecretplans,waved and smiled at thecrowds that had gathered asusual to see him. After theroyal children had gone tobed,theProvencescameoverfrom the Palais duLuxembourg for their usualsupper with Louis, MarieAntoinette and MadameÉlisabeth. They would be

leaving thatnightaswellbutbeing blessed with morecommon sense than theQueen and Fersen hadfollowed Bouillé’sinstructions to the letter andpurchased two light carriagesin which they would travelseparately, taking differentroutes and leaving most oftheir belongings behind.Louisandhisbrotherhadhadmany clashes over the yearsbut they were seen to be

visiblymovedwhen the timecametosaygoodbye.At ten, Marie Antoinette

went upstairs and woke upthe children, who were thendressed by their governessMadamedeTourzel.MadameRoyale wore a brown dresspatterned with white andyellowflowerswhilethelittleDauphin, who upon beingtold therewere tobesoldierswhere they were going hadinsisted upon wearing his

sword and soldier boots,wasto his great disappointmentdressedasagirl.Thechildrenand Madame de Tourzel,bearinganotestatingthatshewas taking the Children ofFrance away on the King’sorders, were taken down toAxel von Fersen who waswaiting in the Carrouselcourtyard before the Queenreturnedtothedrawingroomas though nothing hadhappened.

The family went to bed attheir normal time. Élisabethwas accompanied to herrooms in the Pavilion deFlore by a National Guardwho left her at her door andlater testified to hearing herpush the bolts across.Meanwhile Marie Antoinetteimpatiently endured thetraditional coucher ceremonybefore dismissing her maidsand getting quickly dressedagain in a plain grey silk

dress and a black hat with aveil which could be pulleddowntoconcealherface.Shethen left her apartments andwent down to the courtyardwhere her bodyguard,Monsieur de Malden waswaiting to escort her to thecarriagethatwastotakethemout of Paris to where theberlinewaswaitingforthem.Disaster almost struck whenLafayette’s carriage wentpast,buthedidnotrecognise

the Queen, who quicklypulled downher veil, and allwas well. Malden thenescorted Marie Antoinettethrough thewarren of streetssurrounding the Tuileries,getting a bit lost along theway, until they reached thecarriageratherlaterthantheyhadbeenexpected.They drove to the Saint

Martin barrier at two in themorning, thankfullyunmolested, and changed

from the carriage to themagnificent berline, whichhad been furnished withevery possible comfortincluding a delicious picniclunchofroastedpigeon,veal,cakes and wine. Fersen thendrove them at a spankingpacetoBondy,wherehewastoleavethemandgoonalonetoBrussels.AgainhetriedtopersuadeLouistolethimstaywiththeroyalpartyuntiltheyreached Montmédy but he

was gently turned down andwaspowerlesstodoanythingother than watch as themassive coach, already threehours behind schedule, wenton its way. At this pointFersen should really havetakentheinitiative,disobeyedthe royal orders and eitherridden behind the berline or,evenbetter,goneonaheadtolet the young Duc deChoiseul, who was waitingwith his troops to escort the

royal family on the final legof their journey, know thatthey would be late. He didneither though but insteadturned his horse’s headtowards Brussels and rodeoff,leavingthemtotheirfate.The berline was already

well on its way and wascrossingtheMarneriveratLaFerté-sous-Jouarre at aroundthe time that their departurewas discovered by theservantsat theTuileries,who

immediately rose the alarmand alerted the NationalAssembly, whose temporarypresident at the time wasAlexandre de Beauharnais,thefirsthusbandofthefutureEmpress Joséphine. At thispointnooneknewwhere theKing, who had left behind aletter listing the variousinjustices that had led to hisdeparture, had gone and itwas feared that the royalfamily had either been

abducted by counter-revolutionariesorhadgonetojoinforceswiththeAustrians.It’s likely that many of thedeputies had no great desireto see the royal familybrought back again - thisdeparture had, after all,playedrightintothehandsofthe extremists who wantedthe monarchy abolishedaltogether, but even so theorder was made to sendtroopsinhotpursuit.

Meanwhile,thehappylittleband were now travellingtowards Metz and, believingthemselvessafe,hadbeguntorelax and even enjoy theiradventure. It had beendecided in advance thatMadame de Tourzel shouldplay the part of the Baronnede Korff while MarieAntoinette, keen as mustardasalwaystoindulgeinalittlerolereversal,masqueradedasher waiting woman Madame

Rochet, the King played thepart of her valet Durand andMadameÉlisabethplayedthenurse Rosalie. The royalchildren were to be theBaronne’s daughters, Agläiéand Amélie. Having seenvery little of France beyondthe Isle de France, MarieAntoinette gazed rapturouslyoutofthecarriagewindowatthe beautiful countryside andinsisted upon walkingalongsidethecoachwhileher

children, glad to be freedfrom the berline, chasedbutterfliesandpickedflowersin the fields. Meanwhile,Louis, also beaming withdelight,stoppedtochataboutthe harvestwith the peasantsthattheypassedandstruckupconversations with thepostillions and other patronsatthevariouspostingstationsalongtheway,apparentlynotcaring when he wasrecognised, while in the

coachhejokedaboutwishingthat he could see Lafayette’sfacewhenherealisedthattheroyal chickens had fled theirglitteringcoop.Each little chat, each stop

to pick flowers and eachslowing down of the berlineso thatMarie Antoinette andherchildrencouldtakeawalkbeside it, cost them preciousminutes. However, the Kingand Queen naively believedthat they had put enough

distance between themselvesand Paris for pursuit andcapture to be virtuallyimpossible and so saw noneed to make any especiallyhaste to reach the meetingplace. They were alsountroubled by the fact thattheyweresoobviouslybeingrecognisedineverytownandvillage that they passedthrough-afterall,noonehadmade any effort to detainthem and in fact they were

being hailed with cheers andoffersof accommodationandrefreshments wherever theywent, which they took asproof that outside Paris theywere as well loved andpopularasever.Thiswasnotreally the case though andevenas theydrove tranquillyontowardsMetz,thingswerebeginningtogowrong.The first hint that disaster

had struck came at theSomme Vesle bridge, where

the Duc de Choiseul, whowas the relative and heir ofthe Choiseul who had beenchiefly responsible forbrokering Louis and MarieAntoinette’s marriage, wassupposed to be waiting forthem with his troops.However, there was no onethereandsothecoachcarriedontowardsSainte-Menehouldwhere they were once againrecognised and when theyleft, the postmaster Drouet

andadetachmentofNationalGuard were in hot pursuit.Varennes was the next stopon the journey and the royalparty, worn out by theexcitement of the day, werefast asleep in their luxuriouscarriagewhen theyarrivedatabout eleven o clock andshortly afterwards foundthemselves surrounded bysoldiers while the tocsin bellon the localchurchwas rungto alert the residents, who

stumbled out of bed, armedthemselves and gathered in ahostile crowd around thecarriage. The procurator ofthe commune, a MonsieurSauce,whoalsomoonlightedas a grocer, was called uponto check that the now awakeand anxious passengers’papers were all in order,which he duly believed themtobe.However the postmaster

Drouet’s stubborn and

increasingly irate insistencethat the carriage carried theKing and Queen of Franceand their familycouldnotbeignored. In vain did LouisandMarie Antoinette protestthat theywere in factmerelythe maid and valet of theBaronne and insist that theyshouldbeallowedtocontinuetheir journey unmolested -not realising that theiroutspoken behaviour onlyserved to create more

suspicion as no genuineservants,outsidetheworksofMonsieur Beaumarchais atleast,wouldeverspeaksooutofturnwhiletheiraristocraticmistress remained sonervously silent. However, ifSaucehadbeenlefttohimselfhe would probably havewaved them on but Drouetwas equally insistent and thecrowdwasgettinguglysoheasked the royal family to getout of the berline and come

into his grocery store whilehe sent for a local residentwhohad,providentially,oncelived inVersailles.The royalcover story was completelyblown when this gentleman,clearlyoverawed tobe in thepresence of majesty onceagain, fell to his knees inreverence before the King,who with typical kindnessembraced him and admittedhistrueidentity,saying:‘Yes,I am your King’. Louis and

MarieAntoinettethentriedinvain topersuadeSauce to letthem continue on their waybut he stood firm, morescared of the NationalAssembly’s reaction shouldtheyfindoutabouthisactionsthanworried about offendinghis King. His wife, althoughsympathetic, also refused tohelp.‘Well,Madame,youareinaveryunfortunatepositionbut my husband is notresponsible,’ she said to

Marie Antoinette, who wasweeping with chagrin. ‘Idon’t want him to get intoanytrouble.’ At this point, the scene

outside, where a crowd ofcurious townsfolk were stillgathered, descended intochaos as the Duc deChoiseul’s hussars appearedalong with some other loyaltroops that had been in theareaandracedtoVarennesassoon as they realised what

had happened. It turned outthat Choiseul had waited forthe berline for quite a whilebefore concluding that theescapehadbeen foiledat theoutset, if it had even beenattempted, the message thatthe royal escape was a fewhoursbehindschedulehavingfailed to reachhim.Choiseuland another officer forcedtheir way through the crowdand into the grocery shop,where they asked Louis,

delighted to see them, fororders. ‘I have forty hussarswith me,’ Choiseul told himbefore outlining animpromptuescapeplanwhichinvolved them cutting theirway through the crowdoutside and whisking theentire family away to safetyon horseback. In themeantime, Choiseul had alsosent a message to Bouillé,telling him where the familywereandaskinghimtomake

hastewithhistroops.Indecisiveasalways,Louis

could not make up his mindwhattodoandsotheyturnedtoMarieAntoinette, beggingher to make a decision andput her trust in the bravehussars waiting to take themtofreedom.‘Idonotwant totake the responsibility forthis,’ she replied. ‘It is up tothe King to make the ordersand my duty is to followthem.’ When Choiseul

admitted that he could notabsolutely promise theirsafety, Louis finally decidedto turn the scheme down,sayingthathehadnowishtoput any lives at risk andwascontent to wait until Bouilléarrivedwithhistroopsasthentheywouldbeabletoproceedbycarriage.However, it was two

representatives of theNational Assembly whoarrived next in Varennes,

dusty and dishevelled aftertheir long journey fromParisandbearinganofficialdecreethat ordered the royal familyto return to the capitalimmediately. ‘There is nolonger a King in France,’Louis said in sad resignationafter he read it and droppedthepaperontothebedwherethe Dauphin and MadameRoyalewere still fast asleep,worn out after theiradventure. ‘I will not let my

children be contaminated bythis thing,’ Marie Antoinetteshrieked,crumplingtheorderinto a ball and petulantlythrowing it on to the floor.‘What audacity, for subjectsto have the temerity topretendtogiveorderstotheirKing.’The royal couple still had

faith that Bouillé wouldarrive to save them butdespite their best attempts todelay departure by feigning

illnessandthelike,theywereforced to give in and at halfpast seven in the morningsulkily clambered back intothe berline to make thejourney back to Paris,surrounded by a hostile mobofarmedcountryfolk.Bouilléand his much longed fortroops would arrive inVarennes almost two hourslater to find them well andtruly gone and their lastchancetoescapeatanend.

TheWidowCapet1791-1793

‘Everything leads me toyou.’

Whereas it had taken theroyal family less than twentyfourhourstoreachVarennes,thejourneybacktoParistookfour long, miserable daysduring which they wereharangued by the angry

crowds that swarmed likefurious wasps around theberline whenever it stopped.AtEpernay theywerespatatand had their clothes torn byan angrymob, an experiencethatreducedMarieAntoinetteand Élisabeth to tears. Theweather had becomeunbearably hot and they hadnotbeenpermitted tochangetheir clothes since they wereapprehended atVarennes norwere they allowed to close

thecarriage’swindowswhichmeant that the dust from theroadsgotinsideandtheyhadno respite from the violentthreatsandcursesofthemobsthat ran alongside wavinggunsandpitchforksintheair.The high spirits andoptimistic cheerfulness oftheir journey from Paris hadcompletelyvanishedandbeenreplaced by a melancholicdespair as, at last, theyconsidered the consequence

oftheiractionsandbemoanedthe mistakes that had led totheir recapture sotantalisingly close to theirfinaldestination.Just outside Epernay, they

were joined byrepresentatives of theNationalAssembly,who hadtravelled out to meet themandaccompany themback tothe capital. Although MarieAntoinette had every reasonto distrust the two men

Barnave and Pétion (a thirdrepresentative, the Marquisde Labour-Maubourgtravelled with the waitingwomenintheircarriage)whoclambered without ceremonyinto the berline, squeezingthemselves between themembersof the royal family,shewasalsorelievedtohavetheirprotectionfortherestofthe journey as the crowdswere becoming increasinglyacrimonious and threatening

the closer they drew to Parisand had turned out in theirhundreds toharassand insultthe royal family as theypassed.However, although Pétion

and Barnave had not exactlybeen the royal family’sgreatest fans, they wereshocked by how differentthey were to the popularmythology which made theKing out to be an oafishimbecilic buffoon led by the

nose by his haughty wife.Instead they found thempolite,touchinglyaffectionatetowards each other and theirchildrenandnotatallstupid,although they wereundoubtedly ignorant. Pétionwrote afterwards: ‘I noticedsimplicity and a family airwhich pleased me… therewas ease and domesticbonhomie. The Queen calledMadameÉlisabeth‘mapetitesoeur’. Madame Élisabeth

did the same … The Queendanced the prince up anddown on her knees.’Hewasexceedingly taken withMadame Élisabeth, Louis’pious and undoubtedlyvirginal sister who had longbelieved herself to have avocationtobecomeanunandbelieved her to have taken abitofafancytohiminreturn,encouraged by the fact thather arm occasionally pressedagainst his when they were

thrown together by themovements of the carriage.‘MadameÉlisabeth foxedmewith melting eyes, with thatlanguishing air thatunhappiness gives andwhichinspires a lively interest…The moon began to shinesoftly… She sometimesinterrupted her words, insuch a manner as to agitateme. I replied…with a kind ofausterity… She must haveseen that the most seductive

temptations were useless. Inoticeda certain coolingoff,a certain severity, whichwomenoftenshowwhentheirpride is wounded.’ Or morelikely, she had realised thather overtures of politefriendliness had beencompletely misinterpretedandwas trying togivehimatactfulbrushoff,althoughshewould later write to a friendthat: ‘The deputies werereally quite pleasant and

Monsieur Barnave inparticular behaved extremelywell.’Monsieur Barnave, much

to his surprise, was quicklyfalling under the spell ofMarieAntoinette.Aniceboyfrom a decent middle classand Protestant family who’dtrainedasalawyerafterbeinghomeschooledbyhismother,he’d grown up with anabsolute hatred of thearistocracy whom he saw as

the chief architects of thecountry’s ruin. He had notbeen looking forward to therendezvous with the royalfamilyandhad, inparticular,beenfeelingsometrepidationaboutfindinghimselfinclosequarterswiththeQueen,whowas the very worst of thewholeworthless lot as far ashewasconcerned.Atfirsthedid his best to ignore MarieAntoinette,wincingwhenshesprinkledherperfumearound

thecarriage inorder tomakethe fetid air more pleasant,avoidingeyecontactwithherandspeakingonlytoMadameÉlisabeth, who was keen toengage him in a lengthypolitical debate.However, asthe hours dragged on, hefound himself unexpectedlyenthralled and fascinated bytheQueenasshechattedmostunaffectedly with herhusbandandsister-in-lawandfussed like any other fond

mother over her grizzlingchildren, who were nowsitting on the knees of theadults inorder tomakeroomforthedeputies.Although she was visibly

worn out, travel soiled anddistressedbytheeventsofthelast few days, MarieAntoinette still retained thegentle charm that had wonMirabeau to her cause andmademenlikeFersenwillingto risk their lives to saveher

from the indignities of hersituation. Like many people,Barnave had become soaccustomed to the swirl ofterrible rumours, gossip andcalumny that surroundedMarie Antoinette that he’dforgotten that she was a realwoman behind it all andhaving encountered her now,he rapidly began to fallbeneathherspell.TheystoppedatMeauxon

the third night and after

supper Marie AntoinettespentseveralhourstalkingtoBarnave,quietlywinninghimover to her cause. That theyoung deputy wasexceedingly handsome,gently mannered andextremely eloquent merelyboostedhisappealintheeyesof a Queen who had oncescandalised Versailles bychoosing her footmen purelyon the basis of their goodlooks and height rather than

theirabilitytodothejob.No,she would be very pleasedindeedtohaveBarnaveashernewchampioninthedebatinghall of the NationalAssembly.Thenextmorning theygot

up early to begin the finalstretchtoParis.Itwasoneofthe hottest days of the yearand as Marie Antoinettegazed listlessly out at theangry crowds that lined theroad to the capital, she may

wellhavethoughtbacktothejourneybystages,followingavery similar route, by whichshe had first approachedVersailles over twenty oneyears before. It’smore likelythoughthatitwasthehorriblepresent and uncertain futurethat weighed on thebeleagueredQueen’smindasshe smiled wanly across theberlineatBarnaveandtightlyheld her weeping daughter’shand.Atonepointshepulled

downthewindowandoffereda piece of beef to one of theguardsmen riding beside thecarriage but then recoiled intears when a woman in thecrowdshouted,‘Don’ttakeit!She’s probably poisoned it!’Instead she pointedly gavethemeattotheDauphintoeatandmadenofurtherattemptstospeaktotheguards.Despitetheterribleheatof

the day, they had beenforbidden from closing the

blindsandsowereexposedtothehostilestaresofenormouscrowdsthatswelledinsizeasthey got nearer to Paris.AlthoughBarnavewas quicktoopenthewindowandshoutat the worst offenders todesist their insults, he couldnot stop them all and so theberline lumbered slowly pasta menacing mob ofscreaming, shouting people,their faces contorting withfuryastheyyelledcursesinto

MarieAntoinette’sveryface,threatening to cut off herhead, make pies from herintestines and lace from herfine white skin. The Queenkept her composure as bestshe could, determined not tolose control in the face ofsuch hostility, but herchildren screamed with fear,terrifiedasmuchbytheangryfaces of the mob as by theirhorriblewords.Things only got worse

when they entered Paris ataroundsixintheeveningandbegan theslowdrive throughthe crammed and noisy citystreets, where it seemed likealmost everyone had turnedout to see their King andQueen’s ignominious return.‘Anyone who applauds theKingwillbe flogged;anyonewho insults him will behanged,’ threatened thedozens of placards that hadbeen placed along the route

andsotheyenteredthecitytoahostilesilence,brokenonlyby a few shouts of ‘Vive lanation!’ Lafayette had alsoordered that all heads shouldremaincoveredtosignifythatthe King was no longerconsidered worthy of respectand so the crowds kept theirhats and caps on as theyglowered menacingly at theroyal carriage while theNational Guard lining theroute kept their crossheads

highasiftheyweretheguardofhonouratafuneral.It was late in the evening

when the berline finallypulled up at the Tuilerieswhere Lafayette was waitingtogreetthem,hisairofsmugtriumph annoying the Queensomuchthatshecouldhardlybear to look at him as shewhisked past on her way toher rooms where her ladieswere waiting to prepare herbathandwouldmakethesad

discovery that their mistress’hair had gone completelywhite during her briefabsence. Louis, however,politely stopped to talk toLafayette, who asked him ifhe had any orders. ‘It seemstome,MonsieurdeLafayette,that it is youwho are givingthe orders now,’ the Kingsaid with a sad smile beforehetoodepartedtohisrooms.Assoonasshewasableto

snatch a fewmoments alone,

MarieAntoinettesatdowntowrite to Axel von Fersen. ’Iamalive.Oh,theanxietythatI have been feeling for youand the sorrow I feel for allthatyoumusthaveundergonein not hearing from us. Godgrant that this reaches you.Do not write to me, thiswould compromise all of usand above everything do notcome back under anycircumstances. Everyoneknows that you helped us to

escape and should you showyourself, all would be lost.We are guarded night andday,Idonotcare.Donotfeelsad for me, nothing willhappen to me. The NationalAssembly will be forgiving…I am able to tell you that Ilove you and have time onlyto do that. I am well. Suffernopainforme…Letmeknowwhere I should send myletters so that I can write toyou, for without them I

cannot survive. Farewell mymost beloved and loving ofmen. I embrace you with allmyheart.’The news that both the

Comte and Comtesse deProvence, who had followedBouillé’s instructions andseparated into two smallcarriages before takingdifferent routes (no doubtwith great thankfulness astheyhadbeenlivinginastateof polite estrangement for

years), had both managed tosuccessfullyleavethecountrywithout any hindrance wasjustsaltinMarieAntoinette’swounds, although naturallyshe outwardly expressedrelief that they had managedtomaketheirescapeevenifithighlighted the mistakes thathad made their own attemptsuch a failure. Officially theNational Assembly let it beknown that the wholeincident had been due to an

abductionattemptbythenowthoroughly discreditedBouillé andAxel von Fersenand that the royal familyhadbeen taken against their willbut everyone knew the truthandasalways theblamewasplaced squarely on MarieAntoinette’s shoulders. Itdidn’t matter that both sheand the King had frequentlymadeitplainthattheyhadnointention of actually leavingFrance - no one really

believed them and mattersonly grew worse when agroup of protesters who hadgone to theChampsdeMarsto sign a petition demandingthe deposition of the King,who was now suspected ofbeing in cahoots with thecounter-revolutionariesabroad, were fired upon bythe National Guard, whichjust served to inflame thesituationevenfurther.When Marie Antoinette

arrived back in hersumptuous rooms at theTuileriesitwastofindguardsposted on every door andsecurity arrangementstightened throughout thepalace where visitors,including Marie Antoinette’sladies, were now searchedupon entering and theQueenwas attended by fourguardsmen wherever shewent, including out to theTuileries gardens which had

now been closed to thepublic, and had her mailopenedandreadbeforeitwaspassed on, which meant thatshe now had to useintermediaries to get hercoded letters out withoutdetection. Any pretence thattheTuilerieswasnotsimplyagilded prison had beendroppedand the royal familywere left in no doubt at allthat they were now captives,although theywere reminded

that the precautions were asmuch for the sake of theirown safety as they were toprevent their escape. Inretaliation, Marie Antoinetterebelled by giving up thepatriotic tricolour ribbonswith which she had taken tobedecking her gowns andinstead ordering dresses ingreens and purples, bothcolours strongly associatedwiththeroyalistcause.MarieAntoinettecontinued

to make contact withBarnave, who had joinedforces with AlexandreLameth and Adrien Duport,both of whom shared hisbelief that a constitutionalmonarchy of limited powerswas now the best hope forFrance’s recovery. However,as Louis had sunk evenfurther into depression andapathy, it was to the Queenthat they turned for supportand once again Marie

Antoinette found herselfhaving to literally struggle tocomprehendmattersofwhichshe had very littleunderstanding as she readthrough the political reportsthat Barnave obligingly sentto her in the Tuileries.Although she was far frombeing stupid, MarieAntoinette was undoubtedlyignorant and had very littlepolitical acumen andunderstanding beyond her

own narrow interests andthose of her friends - thebigger picture was, alas, notone that she was at allequipped to view. She wasalso fatally unable tocompromiseandalthoughshestrung Barnave along withherhalfpromises,hadnorealintention of ever fullyaccepting the Constitution asheurgedherandLouistodo,believing this to be the onlyway to save any vestiges of

themonarchy.At the same time, shewas

maintaining her dangerouslinks with the counter-revolutionary leaders andkeeping up a clandestine andvoluminous correspondencewith her brother EmperorLeopold, sisters in theNetherlands, Parma andNaples and other foreignleaders,whomshebeggedforhelpandsupport,receivinginreturn the usual flurry of

vague promises intended toraise her hopes while at thesame time delivering noactual concrete assistance.Although they allsympathised with the plightof Marie Antoinette and herfamily, there was a generalfeeling that they had broughta lot of their problems onthemselves.Therewasalsoafeeling that revolutions, likethe dreaded smallpox, had atendency to be contagious

and so no one really wantedtomakeanydefinitemovestoget involvedon thebehalfofthe embattled French Kingand Queen. However, eventhough she was undoubtedlywell aware of the truefeelings that lay behind thesoothing words from theotherEuropeancourts,MarieAntoinette,whohadsohatedwriting as a girl, stillcontinued to work late intothe night wearily writing her

coded letters in lemon juiceand painstakingly puzzlingover the cyphered replieswhich had been smuggled intoher.On 14 September, feeling

himself caught between arock and a hard place, Louisofficially accepted theConstitution as he had beenurged to do by Barnave andhis cohorts, a decision thatwould seriously limit hispowers, make him King of

the French rather than Kingof France and meant that heno longer had the treasuryincome to drawn upon butwouldinsteadreceiveafixedCivil List income. Animpassive Marie Antoinettewatchedfromaprivateboxasher husband mounted apodium at the Salle deManège, the riding school inthe Tuileries gardens wherethe National Assembly heldtheir meetings. Eager to

please as always, Louis hadremovedhishatandstoodupto deliver his speech beforerealisingthatthedeputieshadremained sitting down andkepttheirhatsfirmlyontheirheads. Thrown and ratheroffended by this, the Kinghad thrown himself down onhischairandreadouttherestof his speech in a dull andbarely audible monotone.However,despite this lackofenthusiasm, he was soundly

cheered forhiseffortsbeforehe returned to the palace tocollapseweepingonhiswife,bemoaningthatshehadcometo France in order to be aQueen and instead hadwitnessed the end of themonarchy. Later on thoughtheywentout topresideoverthe official celebrations,which included aperformanceat theballetanda firework display in thePlaceLouisXV.

In return for thishumiliatingcapitulationmanyof the guards were removedfrom the Tuileries, securitywas stepped down a fewnotchesandthegardenswereopened to the public onceagain, while the remainingcourtiers began to return tothe Tuileries. The royalfamily were also once againfree to leave the palace andgo for drives around thecapital and even ride in the

Bois de Boulogne as before.Therewas even a suggestionthat trips to MarieAntoinette’s beloved SaintCloud might well resumeagaininthenearfuture.While Marie Antoinette

redoubled her efforts to winthe fickle Parisians over byappearing in public with herchildren at every opportunityand making sure that shelooked like a model ofaffectionately smiling

benevolence at all times, herprivate life was less of acomfort. Her husband hadbecomeevenmorewithdrawnand uncommunicative sincetheeventsofSeptember1791and her sister-in-law,Madame Élisabeth wasconsoling herself by keepingupacorrespondencewithherfavourite brother the Comted’Artois,whohadsurroundedhimself with schemers andcounter-revolutionaries and

was plotting with foreignpowers to overthrow therevolution. It’s not certainhow far Élisabeth went –some believe that she wasalso a key figure in thecounter-revolutionary plotsbut others think that hernature was too conciliatoryand peaceful for this to havebeen possible. However,Marie Antoinette wassufficiently alarmed to writethat Élisabeth was ‘so

indiscreet, surrounded byintriguers, and, above all,dominated by her brothersoutside (France), that it isimpossible for us to speak toone another, or we wouldquarrel all day’ andmiserably added that it was‘hellathome’.However, there was one

smallcomfortinthepersonofMadame de Lamballe, whohadreturnedfromherexileinEnglandandmovedbackinto

the Tuileries, bringing withher a pet spaniel calledThisbéewhowasintendedasa present for the Queen.MarieAntoinette had beggedher friend not to considerreturning to Paris but wasnonetheless delighted to bereunited with her. Silly andaffected though thePrincessede Lamballe undoubtedlywas, her loyalty to MarieAntoinette could not befaultedandhersensitivesighs

and flutterings and uncriticaladmiration were a definitebalm to the Queen’s lowspirits. In early 1792, therewas tobe furtherconsolationwhen Axel von Fersen,risking his life now that hehad been denounced by theAssemblyasoneof thechiefarchitectsbehindtheflighttoVarennes, returned indisguise and with a fakepassport to Paris and wasquickly reunited with his

Queen in her privateapartments where sheacquainted him witheverything thathadhappenedduringtheirseparationandhetold her that he had come asthe emissary of the King ofSwedenwhowished toassistanother escapeattempt.Theyremained closeted alonetogetherfortwentyfourhoursbefore Louis came in to jointheir discussion. ‘I know thepeople tarmewithweakness

and irresolution but no onehas ever found himself insuch a difficult situation,’ hetold Fersen sadly. ‘I had onechanceofescapeandImissedit. That was over two yearsago after the fourteenth ofJuly. Such a chance nevercame again and now theworldhasabandonedme.’Hewas firm now in rejectingFersen’splan, remindinghimthathehadgivenhiswordtothe National Assembly to

make no further escapeattemptsandintendedtostickto this. Fersen had no optionbut to withdraw. MarieAntoinette never saw himagain.Less than a month after

Fersen’sclandestinevisit, thenews arrived that MarieAntoinette’s brotherEmperorLeopold had died and beensucceededbyhis twentyfouryearoldsonFranciswhohadnever met his aunt and was

nofriendoftherevolutionaryregime in France, which heimmediately made plain byrefuting a French ultimatumand letting it be known thathe intended to initiatehostilities between the twonations with the backing ofhis new ally, the King ofPrussia. Marie Antoinette,like much of the NationalAssembly, favoured a warwithAustria but unlike themshe was desperate for the

Austro-Prussian forces towin, writing to Mercy that:‘There must be war, so thatwe may be at last revengedfor all the outragescommitted in this country.’Although she naturally madeevery appearance ofpatrioticallydesiringaFrenchvictory, she actually pinnedallherhopesonhernephew’sforces destroying those ofFrance then putting herhusband back on his throne

again andeven senton somelittle snippets of militaryinformation that she hadbecomeprivyto.However, the declaration

of war in April 1792 dealt anot unsurprising blow toMarie Antoinette’s alreadyrock bottom popularity andonce again she heard herselfbeing booed and threatenedwhen shewentout inpublic,while in the NationalAssembly the Girondin

Vergniaud declared that:‘From here I can see thewindows of a palace withinwhichcounter-revolutionisatwork, where there is beingplanned details to thrust usback into the horrors ofservitude… Let each one ofthosedwellingthereinrealisethat our Constitution allowsinviolability to the Kingalone.Letthemknowthatthelaw will stretch out withouttheslightestdiscriminationto

alltheguilty,andthereisnotone single head which, onceconvicted, can escape itssword.’ His meaning wasclear - the Austrian Queenwas not trusted and theConstitutional laws thatprotected the King did notextend to his consort whocould be removed andpunished at the slightest hintoftreachery,regardlessofthefact that it was obvious toeveryone that the war was

effectively pitting the nationand monarchy against eachother.Shecouldnotevenrelyon the faithful Barnave forsupport anymore for he hadbeen removed from theNational Assembly severalmonths earlier. ‘I am afraidthat I place little hope in thesuccess of the plan you nowfollow,’ he despondentlywrotetoherinhisfinalletter.‘You are too far away fromanyoutsidehelp,andyouwill

be lost long before it canreach you. I only pray that Imay be mistaken in mygloomy presentiments. Imyself have no doubt that Iwillpaywithmyheadfortheinterest that I have shown inyourmisfortunes.AllIaskinrecompense is the honour tokissyourhand.’Matters reached a head on

20JunewhenaprotestattheTuileries ended with thepalace being stormed by an

immense armed crowd whoswarmed through the royalapartments shouting threatsagainst the Queen. MarieAntoinette took refuge in theDauphin’s bedchamberwhileher husband, who had beentrapped in a room with hissister, did his best to pacifythe intruders who at firstthought that MadameÉlisabeth was MarieAntoinette but then becamemuch less aggressive when

they realised their mistake.When the rioters began toransack the Queen’s roomsbelowwhere shewashiding,MarieAntoinettehurriedwithher children to the King’sapartmentsandthenontotheCouncil Chamber where alargetablewasplacedinfrontof them as a barricade,protecting them from theangry crowd that streamedinto the room.Abattalion ofNational Guard kept

desultory watch while forover two hours the mobscreamed their insults in theface of the Queen, whoremainedutterlyimpassiveasherterrifiedsonanddaughtersobbed at her side. Finally,the crowdwas dispersed latein the evening and the royalfamily, shattered by theirexperience, cried togetherwith relief. ‘I still live, butonly by a miracle,’ MarieAntoinettewrotetoAxelvon

Fersen. ‘The 20th wasappalling. It is no longeragainst me that they hurltheir fury but against myhusband’s very life and theydonotdisguiseit.’Although life in the

Tuileries appeared tocontinueasnormalafter this,inprivatetheKingandQueenhad almost reached breakingpoint, having finally had toconfront their ownunpopularity as well as the

fact that it was almostcertainly only a matter oftime before the palace wasinvaded again. MarieAntoinette’s secretcorrespondence with foreigncourtscontinuedapaceasshehoped against hope thatAustrianforceswould invadeandrescueherfromalifethatshe was finding increasinglyintolerable. Meanwhile,outside the Tuileries thepamphlets denouncing the

Austrian Queen’s lecherousbehaviour and treacheryagainst France wereincreasing in number whilethe National Assembly wasbeginning to wonder if theymight do better without theKing. Many of the deputieswould have preferred to doaway with the monarchyaltogether but some weremore in favour of forcingLouistoabdicateinfavourofhis son, who would be

removed and moulded byspeciallyappointedtutorsintothe perfect malleableConstitutional King. Theirfears were only increased bythedisquietingnewsfromthefront, where the Austro-Prussian armies were easilygetting the better of thedisorganised French troopsand the counter-revolutionaries led by welltrained aristocratic emigréofficers were reported to be

preparingforinvasion.Whilethe National Assemblypanicked about whatappeared to be imminentinvasion, Marie Antoinettesecretly prayed for it andeven optimistically confidedinoneofherladiesinwaitingone night that: ‘When I seethismoonagaininamonth’stime, I will be freed of myirons.’On14Julytheroyalfamily

appeared as usual at the

celebrations for theanniversary of the Bastille’sfall. Louis was wearing abullet proof vest beneath hissuit while beside him MarieAntoinette, who had refusedbodyarmour,tellingMadameCampan that it would be ablessing if the insurgentsmurdered her, blinked backtears as the crowd cat calledandbooedduringhis speech.Matters worsened just weekslater when the Duke of

Brunswick, commander ofthe Austro-Prussian alliedarmy, issued a terrifyingmanifesto addressed to thecitizens of Paris. ‘TheiraforesaidMajesties(theKingof Prussia and Emperor ofAustria) declare… on theirwordandhonourasEmperorandKing,thatiftheTuileriesPalace be insulted orinvaded, that if the leastinjury, be inflicted on theirMajesties the King, Queen

and theRoyalFamily, and ifmeasures are not at oncetaken for their safety,preservation and security,they,theirImperialandRoyalMajesties, will wreakexemplary and unforgettablevengeance by yielding thetown of Paris to militaryexecution and uttersubversion, and the guiltyrebelstodeserveddeath.’Marie Antoinette had

already been warned about

themanifesto by Fersenwhocounselled her whenLafayette suggested that theroyal family remove to thecomparative safety ofCompiègne. ‘Your braverywillbemuchpraisedand theKing’s steadfast behaviouralso,’hewrote.‘Itisessentialto maintain this, and aboveall else to remain in Paris.This is absolutely essential.Thus it will be simple toreachyou,and this theDuke

of Brunswick is planning toaccomplish.Beforehisactualentry he will publish apowerful manifesto from theallied powers making allFrance, Paris especially,responsibleforthelivesoftheroyalfamily.’BothLouisandMarie Antoinette hadapproved the wording ofBrunswick’sdiatribebeforeitwas made public, evidentlyhoping that its forcefullanguage and threat of

imminent menace wouldintimidate the unrulyParisians into behavingbetter. However, yet againthey managed to woefullymisjudge the mood on thestreets of their own capitaland failed to realise that theParisians, whom they clearlyregarded as little more thanunrulychildrenwhocouldbethreatened into obedience,were in no mood to beorderedaroundbyforeigners.

They ought to have realisedthat the manifesto, intendedto cow them into frightenedsubmission,wouldonlymakethe Parisians, already so fedup and simmering on thebrink of violent outburst, allthemoreangryandresentful,particularly of MarieAntoinettewhowasnaturallyassumed to be behind thewhole thing. The arrival ofBrunswick’s manifesto justconfirmedwhateveryonehas

been suspecting formonths -that for all their pretence atpatriotic fervour, the Kingand Queen weren’t on thesideofFranceatallbutwereclearly in cahoots with theenemy.While in the past, Louis

hadmanaged to escapemostoftheopprobriumdirectedathiswife thingshadgraduallybegun to change and now itwas he who was viciouslydenounced during the

sessions of the NationalAssembly, with increasinglyviolent demands being madefor his repudiation andoverthrow, particularly byRobespierreandhisfollowerswho believed that Francewould be better off as arepublic.Meanwhile tensionswere rising on the streets ofParis where the people werebeginning to arm themselvesagainandtherewasanalmostpalpable atmosphere of fear

and distrust, mostly directedtowards the royal family intheTuileriesandinflamedbythe denunciations of theNational Assembly and theever increasing stream ofpamphlets accusing bothLouis and Marie Antoinetteofbeingtraitorstothenation,living in the lap of luxurywhile they sold their owncountry out. It was only amatter of time before Pariseruptedintoviolenceagain.

Inside the Tuileries bothLouis and Marie Antoinettewerewellawareofthedangerthat they were in and werebracing themselves for thenextinvasion.TheQueenwassuffering from insomniaagainand looked likeawornoutshadowofherformerselfasshepacedherroomsintheearly hours, worrying aboutthefutureandprayingthattheAustro-Prussiantroopswouldarrive inParisbeforematters

worsened any further. Shehad left her rooms on theterraceandwasnowsleepingonthefirstfloor,nextdoortoher husband who spent mostof his time fretting that hewas about to be put on trial.Both knew that invasionwasimminent and began to takeprotective measures - callingin nine hundred SwissGuardsmen to join theirexisting palace defenders ofgendarmes and two thousand

National Guardsmen ofdubious loyalty. The loyaltyof the Swiss Guards wasunimpeachable however andit was upon them that thehopesoftheKingandQueenrestedwhenon 9August thenews arrived that thefaubourgsofPariswererisingup against them and attackwasimminent.As the royal family

retreatedtothesafetyoftheirapartments they could hear

thetocsins,thewarningbells,of Paris, being rung all overthe city to call the people toarms. Meanwhile, the grandapartments of the Tuileriesswarmed with hundreds ofnoblemen who had arrived,armed to the teeth, to defendtheir King and Queen.However, they must havewondered why they hadbothered when they sawLouis shambling from roomto room with his hair un-

powdered, his suit in urgentneed of a pressing and hisexpression blankly terrified.It was hard to feel anyconfidencewhenitseemedasthough justwhenLouismostneeded to be decisive andbold he had once againbecome evenmore irresoluteand weak than ever. MarieAntoinette however was asbrave as a lion and had agrateful word and a tightlipped smile for everyone as

she personally distributedfood and drink to the menwho had willingly come tolaydowntheirlivesforher.Thetocsinbellsstoppedin

the early hours of themorning and the courtiersinsidetheTuileriesseizedthechance to get some rest,camping on sofas and floorsand trying to snatch somesleepintheintolerableheatofthat balmy August night.Marie Antoinette and

Madame Élisabeth couldn’tbringthemselvestogotobedand instead napped on sofasin a little closet overlookingthe courtyard, watched overbytheir ladiesinwaitingandthe faithful Princesse deLamballe,whohadrefusedtoleave the palace. Unable tosleep, Madame Élisabeth gotupandwenttothewindowtowatcharedandpinkstreakeddawn rise over the Tuileriesgardens.‘Mysister,comeand

seethebeautifulsunrise,’shesaid over her shoulder toMarie Antoinette, who cametostandbesideherandgazedup in wonderment at acrimsonsky.After a hurried breakfast,

Louis, Marie Antoinette andMadame Élisabeth made atouroftheTuileries’defencesto make sure that everythingwas ready and to speakencouraging words to thetroops.The tocsinhadbegun

to ring again in the earlyhoursandanyhopetheymayhave had that the invasionhad been abandoned fadedwhen news arrived that thepeopleweremarchingintheirthousands on the palace.Marie Antoinette watchedfrom the safety of a windowembrasure as the mob, whohad brought several cannonsalong with them, began toswarm in front of the palacegates. Louis went down to

giveapeptalktothewaitingtroops but while he wasgreeted with cheers by thefaithful Swiss Guards, theNational Guardsmen, whohadbeenfraternisingwiththecrowd that was growingbehind the palace gates,booed him and shouted‘Down with the King!’ and‘Downwiththefatpig!’untilhewentawayagain.Hiswife,who was watching from awindow above, broke down

intearsandcouldhardlybearto look at him when heshambled into the room andthrew himself down on asofa, declaring that he hadgivenhisordersandtheyhadbeen told to hold their fireuntil the insurgentsshot first.‘Hehasdonemoreharmthangood,’ Marie Antoinetteangrily muttered to MadameCampan.While the crowd outside

grew and became more

ferocious by the minute, theatmosphere inside the palacebecame increasingly strainedandanxiousastheassembledcourtiersgazedanxiouslyoutofthewindowsandwonderedwhen the attack would start.The jeers of the NationalGuardsmen seemed to havedrainedallofthelastvestigesoffightoutofbothLouisandMarie Antoinette and theyboth slumped miserably onsofas,apparentlyincapableof

makingadecisionaboutwhatto do next. Some of thecourtiers advised the Queento take her children to theAssembly and ask for theirprotection.‘Iwouldratherbenailed to the walls of thepalace than seek theprotectionof thosewhohavebehavedsobadlytowardsus,’she replied with magnificenthauteur.The Comte de Roederer,

the public prosecutor, then

stepped in andmade a directappeal to Louis, telling himthattherewasnotaminutetoloseandthathisfamily’sonlyhope of safety lay with theAssembly. Louis hesitatedandlookedwildlyathiswife,clearlyhopingthatshewouldmake the decision for him.‘We have a considerableforce ready and willing todefend us,’ she said angrily.‘We cannot leave our loyalnobles and gallant Swiss to

die without us.’ Roederersighed. ‘Madame, you arehopelessly outnumbered,’ hesaid patiently. ‘They are stillarrivingintheirthousands.Instaying here, you areendangering not just the lifeof your husband but alsothoseofyourchildren.’Louissighedandstoodup.

‘Let us go,’ he said beforewalking away, leaving hiswife staring after him. ‘Wewillbebacksoon,’shesaidto

the assembled courtiersbefore takingherchildrenbythe hand and following herhusband from the room. Thesad little procession wasjoined by Madame Élisabethand the Princesse deLamballe,whohaddemandedto be allowed to accompanythem even though she wassure that theywere all abouttomeettheirdeaths.‘Wewillnever return to the palaceagain,’ she whispered to

Madame de Rochefoucauld,one of the several faithfulcourtiers left behind at thepalace to save themselves asbesttheycould.‘What will happen to all

those who are left behind?’LouisaskedRoedererastheymade their way across thegardens to thehallwhere theNational Assembly had itsmeetings. ‘They will not beable to resist for long,’ wasthe frank reply. Marie

Antoinette remained tearfulbut silent as she walkedacrossthegarden,leadingherson who was delightedlykicking his way through thefallen leaves. ‘The leaves arefalling very early,’ his fathersighed with a melancholylook.BehindhertherewalkedMadame Élisabeth who wasdoingherbest tocomfort theterrifiedMadameRoyale.When they finally arrived

at theNationalAssembly the

doorwasclosedagainstthemand they were kept waitingforhalfanhour inacorridorwhileadebateragedinsideasto whether they should beallowed to enter. Finally, thedoors were opened and theywalked inside – the Queenwith every appearance ofdignity and serenity,determined to give no signthatshewaseitherinsultedorafraid of the mob that hadgathered to scream insults at

her. Her self control crackedonlyoncewhenaguardsmantook the Dauphin out of herarms toprotecthim from themobandshebegantoscream,terrified that the boy wasbeingtakenawayfromher.The royal family were

crammed in the tiny anduncomfortable ‘loge dulogographie’whichwasusedby the editor of a newspaperto record details of thedebates.Theyremained there

for sixteen long and hideoushours while outside thescreams of the attacked anddyingfilteredintothehall.Ahuge mob had invaded thepalace, slaughtering andmutilating the Swiss Guardswho had protected the royalfamilyandreceivedtheorderto lay down their arms toolate for it to be of any use.Another order from theNational Assembly, lettingthe populace know that there

was no reason to attack thepalace now that the royalfamilyhadleft,hadalsogoneastray-notthattheenormouscrowd, inflamedbyrighteousrage and bloodlust, wouldhavepaidmuchattentionasitnow rampaged through thegildedroomsoftheTuileries,killing anyone who stood intheir way and lootinganything and everything thatcame to hand, including thefamouslyfabulouscontentsof

MarieAntoinette’swardrobe,which was now beingtriumphantly worn by themarket women or had beentaken away to be auctionedoff later on. The usuallyserenely lovely Tuileriesgardensnowreekedofblood,burning, gunpowder anddeath as the battle raged onthe terraces and surroundingstreets.Over a thousand people

diedintheTuileriesthatday,

most of them needlessly,while all the while the royalfamily sat crammed in theirtiny box at the Manègelisteningtothedebatesragingon and the sound of gunfireand screams outside. Theyhad nothing to eat but a fewbiscuits and some wineprovided by a kind heartedporter, which the Kingenjoyed before having a chatwith the artist David aboutthe portrait that he was

painting of him and thenfalling asleep in his chair.The children fell asleep lateronbutMarieAntoinette,whospentmostofthedayintears,remained awake andrelatively alert, determinednot to let death creep up onherwhilesheslept.Finally,atnearly two in the morning,they were allowed to leaveand escorted to the nearbyFeuillantsconventontheRuede Saint-Honoré where they

were to spend the next threenights.Madame Campan and

some other attendants whohad managed to escape thecarnageat theTuileriescameto offer their services to theunfortunate Queen, whomtheyfoundlyingonanarrowbedinhergreenpaintedcell.‘Wearelost,’shecriedouttoMadame Campan when sheenteredtheroom.‘Weareallgoingtodie.’Thefamilyhad

lost virtually everything inthe sack of the Tuileries,escaping only with theclothes on their backs andforcedtorelyonthekindnessof their supporters to lendthem fresh linen and moneywhile the Countess ofSutherland, wife of theEnglish Ambassador, sentover some clothes for theDauphin, who wasinconsolable over thepresumed loss of his pet dog

Citron, who had been leftbehind in the palace and notseensince.The royal family were

depressed, exhausted andthoroughlydemoralised.Theywere taken everymorning tothe Mènage to listen to thedeputiesargueforhoursovertheir fates until nightfallwhentheywereescortedbacktotheircellsintheFeuillants.Finallyonthe13Augusttheywereinformedthattheywere

to be taken to the Temple, alarge fortified complex closetowheretheBastillehadoncestood and which had oncebeen a pied à terre of theComted’ArtoisandPrincedeCondé,wholikedtoentertainactresses and courtesans in aspecial little love nest in oneof the towers. When theyweretoldthattheyweretobetaken to the Temple palace.‘Youwillsee,theywillputusin the tower, and they will

make it a veritable prison,’Marie Antoinette whisperedin dread to Madame deTourzel. ‘I have always hadsuch a horror of that tower,that a thousand times IbeggedtheComted’Artoistohave it pulled down; it mustsurely have been aforeboding of all that wewould suffer there…youwillseeifIamnotmistaken.’They left the Tuileries for

the last time at quarter past

seven in the evening on the13th ofAugust, all crammedtogether in one of the statecarriages. The maliciousJacobin deputies gave ordersthat the vehicle should driveslowly so that the peoplecould get a good look at theroyal family andwarming tothistask, thecoachmanmadesure that he took a detourthrough the Place deVendôme so that Louis andMarie Antoinette could see

the once proud statue ofLouis XIV that had beenpulled down from its plinthduring the riots and now layinpiecesontheground.At first they thought,quite

understandably, that theywould be lodged in themainpalace,whichwas still ratheropulentlyappointed,butaftersupper they were takeninstead up the narrow spiralstaircase to the apartmentswhich had been formerly

inhabited by the Keeper ofthe Archives of the Order ofMalta, Monsieur Berthélemywhohadbeenhastilyevictedjust an hour earlier. Luckilyfor the royal family,Monsieur Berthélemy hadexpensive tastes and so theapartment, which wasarranged over three floors,wasnotquitethehideoushellhole that they might havebeen expecting when theyfirst got down from their

carriage and stareddespondently up through thepouringrainat thetowerthatwastobetheirnewhome.On the ground floor there

was a porter’s lodge; on thefirst floor: an antechamber,dining room and library; onthe second floor there wererooms for the Princesse deLamballe, Madame deTourzeland theDauphinandalso the Queen andMadameRoyaleaswellasaprivyand

guard room. On the thirdfloortherewasanotherguardroom, a kitchen whereÉlisabeth and Pauline deTourzel slept, a room forsome servants, the King’sbedroom,astudyandaroomfor the King’s valets. OnceMesdames de Lamballe andTourzelhadbeentakenaway,Élisabethmoveddownto theDauphin’s room which shethen shared with MadameRoyaleandthelittleDauphin

movedinwithhismother.Allof the rooms had beendecorated very tastefully inbright, cheerful colours andhad plenty of small luxuriessuch as a clavichord and awell stocked library so theyall had to agree that it couldhave beenmuchworse, evenifLouisdidnotatallapproveof some of the racier booksand insisted upon takingdown some of the eroticengravingsandpaintings that

hungonthewallsbecausehedidn’t want his innocentyoungdaughtertoseethem.Theroyalprisonersdidnot

knowwhattoexpectnextandspent the next few daysawaitingmoredrama.Itcameat midnight on 19 Augustwhen the guards arrived intheir roomsand took the twoTourzel ladies and thePrincesse de Lamballe awayto La Force prison. MarieAntoinette broke down in

tears as she said goodbye tothe Princesse, who had beenone of her best friends eversince her first arrival inFrance twenty two yearsearlier.AlthoughMadamedeLamballe had frequently goton her nerves with her sillyaffectations and nervouslaugh, Marie Antoinette hadneverceasedtobefondofherand had come to truly loveher in recent years thanks toher true and wholehearted

loyalty, which must havethrown the perfidy of manyothersintosharprelief.‘Takecare of my dear Lamballe,’Marie Antoinette whisperedto Madame de Tourzel asthey were being taken away.‘Try to prevent her fromhaving to reply to anyawkward and embarrassingquestions.’Once the ladies had gone,

lifeattheTemplesettledintoa dull and monotonous

pattern broken only by theoccasional snippets ofprecious news from outside,which were brought to thembya loyalkitchenboyTurgyand Louis’ personal valetCléry. When they werebanned from talking aloudabout current affairs, Turgy,Cléry andMadameÉlisabethresorted to the medium ofcoded hand gestures, allunderthewatchfuleyesoftheTisons, an unpleasant couple

who had been brought in tolook after (and spy on) theroyalfamily.The three royal ladies got

up at six every morning andin the absence of servantshelped each other to dress inthesimplemorninggownsofplain white cotton andbombazinethathadbeensentoverbyMademoiselleBertin,beforeCléry came in to helpthem simply arrange andlightly powder their hair

whichtheythencoveredwithwhite linen bonnets. Rathersurprisingly, the Assemblyhad authorised the royalladiestoorderalargeamountoffashionablenewclothestoreplacetheonesthathadbeenlost in the sack of theTuileries and MarieAntoinette had taken greatpleasure in ordering threenew dresses of brown floraltoile du jouy and puce and‘Paris mud’ coloured taffeta;

shoes; linen and muslinshifts; petticoats; capelets inwhite linenandblack taffeta;nine fichus and two whitebonnetsforherselfaswellasclothesforMadameÉlisabethand Madame Royale, whilethe King ordered for himselftwo pale brown suits, tenpairsofblacksilkbreeches,ablack hat and some whitewaistcoatsaswellasaridingcoat in the once fashionable‘cheveux de la Reine’ shade

thathadmimickedhiswife’sstrawberry blonde hair thatwas now so sadly faded andstreakedwithgrey.Marie Antoinette would

helptheDauphintodressandat nine they went to theKing’s room for a breakfastof hot chocolate, coffee androlls and jam before they allwent downstairs to MarieAntoinette’s room where theroyal children had theirlessons.MarieAntoinetteand

Madame Élisabeth had takenover the lessons of MadameRoyale and did their best toinstructherinreligion,music,drawing and maths whileLouis took full charge of theDauphin’seducationwhichintheir restricted circumstancesinvolved a lot of looking atmapsaswellasteachinghimhow to read and write withthehelpof thebooks in theirlimitedlibrary.Atmidday,theroyalladies

went off to change into theirday clothes before theywentout to take a very heavilyguarded walk in the gardenswhere the little Dauphincould play with his ball orwithMarieAntoinette’s littledoguntilitwastimetogoinagain for luncheon, whichwas very nearly as lavish asthe meals they had beenaccustomedtoinbetter timeswith several courses andplenty of meats, cakes and

other treats. As usual MarieAntoinettebarelytouchedherfood while Louis wasobserved to have as good anappetite as ever and alsoenjoyed several glasses ofwineandchampagnewithhismeal while Marie Antoinetteonlyeverdrankmineralwaterfrom Ville d’Avray, whichcontinued to be supplied toherinprison.Afterluncheon,the family settled down to agame of backgammon or

cards before theKing settleddowntohisfouro’clocknapand the royal ladies eitherknitted, did embroidery orread to each other quietlywhileClérygavetheDauphinhis handwriting lesson andtook him off to play inMadame Elisabeth’s roomwhere he would not disturbtheKing’ssleep.When Louis woke up, the

familywould gather togetheragain and either played the

clavichord or read aloud toeachotheruntilsupper,whichthe children took inMadameElisabeth’s room while theKingreadthemriddlesfromabook he had come across inthe library. There wassometimes a rare treat ataround this time in the formof some loyal newspapervendors who deliberatelypositioned themselves closeto the tower in the eveningandcalledoutthelatestnews,

whichthefamilywouldstrainto hear. After this the royalchildren would say theirprayers then go off to bedescortedbythefaithfulCléry,who had been the Dauphin’svalet before he wastransferred to the service ofthe King, and the adultswould have their suppertogether, which was ofteninterruptedbythecallsoftheDauphin who found itdifficult to settle down to

sleepandwoulddemand thathis aunt andmother come into sit with him until henoddedoff.Aftersupperwasover the King would saygoodnight to the rest of hisfamily then head off to hisstudy where he would shutthedooronhisproblemsandreaduntillateatnight.MarieAntoinette and her sister-in-law would then remaintogether for as long as theycould inMadameÉlisabeth’s

room,perhapsreadingoneofMrs Burney’s novels or adevotional tract toeachotheror working on theirembroidery. MadameÉlisabeth, whose thoughtshad clearly taken a ratherdepressed turn, was workingonamorbiddeviceofapansyshaped like a death’s headwith ‘Elle est mon uniquepensée’ (This is my onlythought) embroideredunderneath. They would

remain together until theguardscameataroundelevento escort the Queen back toher own bedchamber, whereshe would be locked in forthenight.Despite the enormous

strain that the royal familywere under, life in the prettypale blue apartments of theTemple was ordered andintimate and theremust havebeenasmallamountofironicpleasurefortheroyalcaptives

in the fact that they hadfinallybeengrantedthequietfamily life that they hadalways so desperately cravedwhile on show at Versailles.The Dauphin in particularflourished thanks to thissudden closeness to hisparents, even if the livelylittleboyfeltfrustratedbytherestrictions of his new life.Louis seemed perfectlycontent with the new statusquo as well and was more

than happy to spend hoursquietly reading his waythrough the library that theunfortunate Monsieur deBerthélemy had left behind.Hereadtwohundredandfiftyseven books during the nextfive months and, perhapsrather optimistically, orderedseveralmore.Marie Antoinette

meanwhileworried about thefate of her friends, inparticular the Princesse de

Lamballewhohadbeentakenoff to theLaForce prison intheMaraisdistrictofthecity.During their time at theTemple,Madame de TourzelandherdaughterPaulinehadbecome accustomed to keepaneyeonthealwaysnervousPrincesse,whohadlongbeenpreytofaintingspellsandfitswhichmayhavebeencausedby epilepsy. However, shelater noted that while theywere in the dank and awful

La Force prison Madame deLamballe had ‘not been insuch good health for a longtime’ which seems quiteremarkable considering theterrible stress and fear thattheymusthavebeenexistingunder. La Force wasprimarily used to imprisonprostitutes and so the threecourtladiesfoundthemselvesassailed day and night bycrude songs, jokes andremarks. ‘The least chaste

ears would have beenoffended by everything (we)continuouslyheard,nightandday,’ Madame de Tourzelwouldlaterrecall.On 2 September, things

began to change and theirgaoler told themnot to leavetheir cell, warning them thatthere were rumours that thePrussiansandAustrianswereadvancing on Paris with theresult that the streets werebecoming restless and even

dangerous as mass panicspread throughout theFaubourgs. The aristocraticladies must have thoughtthemselves relatively safewithin the albeit unpleasantwalls of their prison but alasforces were alreadyconspiringagainstthem.Thatnight Madame de Tourzelwas woken up by amysterious stranger creepinginto their cell. To her alarmhewent to thebedsideofher

young daughter and shookher awake, asking her tocome with him at once.Powerless to disobey orindeedmakea fuss,MadamedeTourzel instructed thegirltogowiththestranger–wholuckily for them both turnedout tobeaScarletPimpernellike rescuer known toposterityasMonsieurHardy.The next morning,

Madame de Tourzel and thePrincessedeLamballeprayed

for Pauline and then climbedup on to the Princesse’s bedwhich afforded them a smallview onto the street below.They saw that there wasalreadya largemobgatheredaround the prison doorwhilethe prisoners were clusteredtogether in silent, frightenedgroups in the corridors andcourtyard.A few hours later,at eleven o clock in themorning, a gaoler came tofetch the Princesse de

Lamballe. Madame deTourzel’s presence had notbeen requested but shedecided to accompany herfriend all the same. Theywalked behind the gaoler tothe prison records officewhere a rudimentary courthad been set up. The twoladies sat together andwatched the proceedingswhich all followed more orless the same method – theprisoner was briefly

interrogated for about tenminutesandtheneitherfoundinnocent with a cry of ‘Vivela Nation’ or pronouncedguilty. The innocent werecarried from the prison,congratulated and embracedby all before being whiskedaway to freedom while theguilty were passed over to apair of sans culotteswho ledthemoutintothecourtyardtobe summarily despatched bythe waiting mob who had

armed themselves withwhatever rudimentaryweaponry they had managedtolayhandsupon.When Madame de

Tourzel’sturncame,itturnedout that the intrepid andmysterious Monsieur Hardyhad managed to get thejudgesandtheirhenchmensocompletely drunk that theyproclaimed her innocentwhen she agreed to declare‘Vive la Nation’ and he was

able to get her away andreuniteherwithherdaughter.She noted with a certainamount of irony that whileshewasbeinghandedintothecarriage that was waiting towhisk her away, the samebloodsplatteredmenwhohadbeen murdering her fellowprisonersallday tookspecialcare to tell her coachmanwhichrouteheshouldtakesothat she would avoid seeinganyofthatday’scarnage.

However, her friend thePrincessedeLamballehadnobrave rescuer on hand andwasnot to be as fortunate asthe Tourzel ladies. To thesurpriseofabsolutelynoone,she was found guilty by thetribunal even though shedenied any knowledge oftreasonous plots emanatingfromtheroyalcourt.Shethensealedher fatebyrefusing totake an oath proclaiming herhatredoftheking,queenand

monarchy although sheacceptedtheoathofloyaltytoLibertyandEquality.Shewasthen led out to the courtyardwhere the mob awaited her.What happened next is opento some debate. We are allfamiliar with the horrificaccounts of gang rape,evisceration and so on, butdidanyofthisactuallyreallyhappen? Axel de Fersen wasto write to the Duke ofSödermanland that ‘the

Princesse de Lamballe wasmost fearfully tortured forfour hours. My pen jibs atgiving details. They tore offher breasts with their teethand thendidall possible, fortwowholehours,toforceherback to consciousness, tomake her death the moreagonising.’We are told by numerous

sources that thePrincesswaseither hit from behind andfelled to the ground or run

through with a sword andthen eviscerated. In an orgyof violence she was thenapparently stripped, torturedand terribly mutilated by thegleefulcrowdwhowerekeento enact their loathing of thequeen on the body of one ofher closest friends.After thisher head and according tosome accounts also her heartand genitalia were placed onpikes and then paradedthrough the streets with her

naked mutilated body beforebeing waved in front of thewindows of the Temple sothat Marie Antoinette couldseethem.However, later that same

dayagroupofmen,includingtwomembers of the ParisianNational Guard, reported tothe administrative office ofthe Quinze-Vingts Sectionwith what the clerk noted tobe ‘the headless body of theformer princesse de

Lamballe,who had just beenkilled at the Hôtel de LaForce.’ The clerk, whomusthavefeltmuchputupontobeexpected to deal with such agruesome matter, then wenton to dispassionately notethat the lady’s head waselsewhere and also helpfullyitemised the contents of herpockets which included ‘agold ring with a bezel ofchangeable blue stone, inwhich was some blond hair

tied ina love-knotwith thesewords above it: ‘Whitenedthrough misery’ which hadbeensenttoherbytheQueenafter the return fromVarennes, ‘a sort of double-faced image, on one siderepresentingableedingheartsurrounded with thorns andpierced by a dagger, withthese words below: ‘CorJesu, salvanos, perimur,’ onthe other a bleeding heartwith a fleur-de-lis above and

below the words: ‘CorMariaeunitumcordiChristi’’and‘amedalliononlightbluecloth,onwhichwaspaintedableeding heart pierced by adagger, embroidered in bluesilk’. There is nomention ofmutilation other thandecapitation nor anyreference to nakedness (thepockets are a clue that thecorpse arrived fully dressed)or anything else that fits inwith the usual lurid

descriptions of the violenceenactedagainstthePrincesse.Coulditthereforebethattheyhad been exaggerated?Shortly afterwards, head andbody were reunited and,apparently unimpeded,servants of the Penthièvrefamily arrived to take themaway forproperburial in thefamilychapel.Marie Antoinette first

became aware of the prisonmassacres when the royal

family’s daily walk was cutshort on 2 September andthey were hurried insidewhilethenowdreadedtocsinbegan to ring once again tocallthepopulacetoarms.Theroyal family were forced toremain in their rooms for thenext few days, enduring thesweltering height and noisefrom the crowds outsidewhile their guards weredoubled and were evenjumpier than usual, well

aware that it was only amatter of time before themob, who had stormed thecity’s prisons and massacredmost of the prisoners, turnedtheir attentions to the mostprestigious captives of all.Devoid of all informationabout what was going onoutside, the royal familyspent the days in silentanxietyandprayer,tormentedby the shouts of the crowdand the sinistergrinsof their

most hostile guards. Finallyon the 3 September theythoughtthattheendhadcomewhen they heard shouts andscreams from the courtyardbelow their tower. ‘What ishappening?’Louis asked oneof the guards, who repliedthat they had brought theheadofMadamedeLamballeso that theQueen could giveit a kiss. Marie AntoinettescreamedandfaintedasClérysprang forward to close the

curtains, sparing her thegrisly spectacle of herfriend’sheadstuckonapike.Although the royal family

were not directly harmedduring the prison massacres,they were to mark a turningpoint intheir treatmentat theTemple. Although theircaptorshadtreatedthemthemsurprisingly well up untilnow, matters now took adistinct nose dive as theirlives became more

uncomfortable and restrictedand their guards becameincreasinglydisrespectfulanddownright hostile, speakingrudely to the King, openlyogling the royal ladies andscrawlingcrudegraffitiaboutthe Queen where the royalchildrenwouldbesuretoseeit. Marie Antoinette did herbest to stoically ignore all ofthis as she was still pinningherhopesonanalliedvictoryagainst theFrench,heartened

by the little snippetsofnewsthatClérymanagedtowinkleout of the other servants andTurgy gleaned during histripstothelocalmarkets.TheDuke of Brunswick’s troopshadfinallycrossedtheborderand the Queen went in dailyexpectation of hearing thenews that the French armyhad been crushed and rescuewasonitsway.When a group of officials

and guards entered their

rooms in the Temple on 21September, she may wellhave expected them to comewith the news of anotherFrench defeat and theimminent fall of Paris to theAustro-Prussian armies butinsteadwasdismayedtolearnthat theyhadcome to informtheprisoners thatbyorderofthe Assembly, the monarchyhad been abolished, Francewas now a republic, theNational Assembly had been

replaced by a NationalConventionandfromnowontheKingwastobeknownassimple Louis Capet, areference to a much olderFrench royal dynasty. To theannoyanceoftheofficialstheKinggreetedthisnewswithashrug before he continuedreadinghisbookwhileMarieAntoinette hid her chagrinand continued herembroidery. However, shewent off to bed to cry in

private as soon as the menhad gone. Her deep despaironlyworsenedwhenthenewsof the French victory atValmy and Brunswick’sretreat back over the frontierarrivedlateron.Just over a week later the

officials were back again toconfiscate all of the royalfamily’s paper and writingimplements (theywould laterhaveallsharpobjectssuchasknives and scissors taken

awaytoo)andthentotaketheKingawaytothemaintowerof the Temple, an altogethermore forbidding place thanthe comfortable quarters thattheyhadnowbeeninhabitingforwelloveramonth.MarieAntoinettepleaded invain tobeallowedtoaccompanyherhusbandtohisnewprisonbutwastoldthatshemustremainwhere she was. After a fewdaysthefamilywereallowedto take their meals, which

were still as extravagant asever, together again and thenafteramonth theyallmovedacross to the main tower toshare the King’simprisonment. Although thefamily’s new quarters werenot nearly so comfortable asthe ones that they had justleft, they were still far frombeing the miserable, gloomycells described by latermonarchist writers and wereactuallyfreshlydecoratedand

furnished and relativelycheerful with blue and greenstriped wallpaper and prettyflowerspriggedfabricsintheroom that Marie Antoinetteshared with her daughter.However, they were boilinghotinthewinterandfreezingcoldanddampintheautumnandwinter,whichmeant thatthe royal prisoners fell preyone after the other to colds,fevers and all manner ofaches and pains. Madame

Élisabethwasstrickenwithaterrible toothache,whileboththe Dauphin and the Kingcaught severe colds and hadto be nursed by the Queen,who was far from wellherself.WegetaglimpseofMarie

Antoinette in theperiodaftertheSeptemberMassacresinapainting by the Polish artistKucharski, who replacedMadameVigée-LebrunastheQueen’s favourite portrait

painterafterthelatter’sflightfromFrancein1789.It’snotknown when Kucharskivisited the Temple but twopaintingsexistfromthistime- the most striking of whichwas painted at some pointafter September 1792 anddepicts the Queen inmourning for the murderedPrincesse deLamballe. It’s astark and moving piece ofwork in which MarieAntoinette, who turns huge

red rimmed eyes on theviewer, looks closer to sixtythan thirty six and is acomplete contrast to thepretty littlepoutingQueenofDrouais’ paintings or themajestic matron depicted byVigée-Lebrun. However,dejectedthoughsheclearlyis,there is still defiance in thaterect carriage and a hint ofchallenge in that unsettlinglydirect gaze. The Queen’srather luxurious garments

make an interesting andratherstartlingcontrasttothebleak misery of herexpression though: shewearsa very lovely flounced, lacetrimmed and beribboned caponherpowderedhairandthefichu that shewearsoverherplain black taffeta gown isexquisitelyembroidered.While the royal familygot

used to their increasinglyrestrictive imprisonment, thedeputies at the National

Convention were continuingtorowaboutwhat todowiththe now deposed King withthe Jacobins and severalothersbeing in full favourofputting Louis on trial. LouisAntoine de Saint-Just,Robespierre’s handsome butentirely charmless left handman argued in earlyNovember that theKingwasanenemyofFrancewhomusteither ‘reign or die’ andaddedthat‘nomancanreign

innocently’. A point of viewthat seemed entirely justifiedwhen just over a week laterLouis’ secret strong boxwasdiscoveredinitshidingplaceintheTuilerieswherehehadhurriedly stashed it justbefore leaving the palace forthe last time. When opened,theboxwasfound tocontainvoluminous correspondencebetweentheformerKingandvarious foreign powers, hisbrothers, several counter-

revolutionaries and, mostdisturbingly of all, Mirabeauwhowasstillbeinghailedbymany as a hero of therevolution but was nowrevealed to be a two facedschemer who sold hisrepublican principles out inreturn for some royal goldand a chance to kiss theQueen’s hand. However,Mirabeau was already deadand safe from the vengeanceof the Convention and

Parisian mob and so it wasLouiswhoborethefullbruntof their fury as his duplicitywas publicly unveiled in allits glory and the contents ofhis letters revealed whateveryone had suspected allalong-thathewasatraitortoFrancewho had betrayed hisown people by putting on ashow of being a true patriotwhile all the time heapparently had been eggingthecountry’senemiesonand

encouragingthemtoinvade.At the start of December

Cléry, who was now thefamily’s sole source ofinformation from outside, letthem know that theConvention was planning toput Louis on trial. MarieAntoinette, who was alreadybarely sleeping and eatingand had become a thin,anxiousshadowofherformerself, was distraught at thethoughtofherhusbandbeing

taken away but Louis wasmuch more sanguine eventhough he knew that a trialcould only end with hisexecution. On 11 December,the King had lunch with hisfamily and then started toplay a game with his sonbefore being interrupted bythe entrance of severalguardsmen and theMayor ofParis who informed him thathewas tobe takenawayandput on trial. Cléry went at

once to theQueen to tell herthat her husband had beentaken to the Convention butanyhopes that shemayhavehadthathewouldbereturnedtothemat theendof thedaywere cruelly dashed whenLouis failed to comeback totheir rooms and she wasbrusquely informed by theguards that hewas forbiddento have any contact with hisfamily until the end of thetrial.Louishad, in fact, been

told that he could haveMadameRoyaleandthelittleDauphin livewithhim inhisrooms below those of theQueensolongasthechildrendidn’t see their mother andaunt but Louis, although hewouldhavelovedtohavehadtheir company, refused toseparate them from theirmother and so lived alone inhis rooms at the Temple,totallycutofffromtherestofhis family whom he could

hear walking about overheadbut was unable tocommunicate with, for thenextsixweeks.Hewasn’tevenallowed to

see them on MadameRoyale’s fourteenth birthdayon 19 December or onChristmasDay,whichcausedthemallgreatdistress.MarieAntoinette spent the day intearswhileLouis,completelyresignedtohisfate,satdownand wrote his last will and

testamentwiththefuturefateofhis family,particularlyhiswife, clearly very much onhis mind. ‘I recommend mychildren to my wife. I haveneverdoubtedher tendernessas a mother. I particularlyrecommendhertoraisethemas good Christians, promotetheir minds to virtue, makethem regard worldly pomps,if they are condemned toexperience them, as aperilous and transitory

heritage, and to deflect theirthoughtstotheonlysolidandlastingglory, thatofeternity.Ientreatmysistertocontinueherloveformychildren,andtobetheirmothershouldtheytragicallybedeprivedoftheirown.’ He then added: ‘Ientreatmywifetoforgivemeall the evils now inflicteduponherbecauseofme,andwhatevertroublesImayhavecaused her throughout ourmarriage; as she may be

absolutely certain that Isecrete nothing against her,should she imagine anythingwith which to reproachmyself.’ To his lawyer,Malesherbes he admittedsadly that his wife ‘was achild when she first came toFrance and had no one tohelp her, not even my ownrelatives.’Louis was sentenced to

death by a smallmajority on16Januaryandtohisdistress

he learned that his owncousin the Duc d’Orléans,who now preferred to beknown as Philippe Égalité,was amongst those who hadvoted for death. There wasstill a slim chance that hemight be reprieved andperhaps banished from thecountry instead but this wasrejectedandon theafternoonof Sunday 20 January Louiswas given the news that hewastobeguillotinedthevery

next morning. His distressedfamily had had very littlenews of him for the last sixweeksotherthanafewcodedmessages from Cléry and afewoftheirmoresympatheticguards, the ones who didn’tshove their fingers into theirbread to search it for hiddenlettersorblowpipesmokeintheir faces. Marie Antoinettefound the long weeks ofseparation deeply distressingandspentmostofhertimein

floods of tears as she frettedaboutherhusband.Itwasthelongest that they had beenseparatedsinceshefirstcametoFranceandshemissedhimterribly.Marie Antoinette and

MadameÉlisabeth learnedofLouis’ death sentence fromthe news vendors outside theTemple who shouted thenews up to the tower wheretheywerebeingheld.Atfirstthe Convention had decreed

that the former King shouldnot be allowed to see hisfamily before he was takenaway to die but then hadrelented and agreed that heshouldbereunitedwith themfor one last time.At eight inthe evening the family wereescorteddownstairs toLouis’rooms by a group ofguardsmenandsomeofficialswho were supposed to keepaneyeonthefamilybutwereso distressed by the dreadful

sobs of the royal family asthey clung together that theyturned their backs to givethem some much neededprivacy.Marie Antoinette clung to

herhusband for thenext twohours, crying piteously.Althoughtheyhadneverbeenlovers in the romantic sense,she had grown to love andcare for Louis, the shy,awkward boy that she hadfirst met in a sunny clearing

at Compiègne less thantwenty three years before,most sincerely and thethought of carrying onwithout him was completelydevastating. She begged himto let themstaywithhim forthe night so that they couldhave a little more timetogether but Louis gentlyrefused, telling her that hewantedtobealonesothathecould properly preparehimselffordeathalthoughhe

eventually relented andpromised that hewould sendforthemtocomeandseehimbefore he left the nextmorning so that they couldsay a proper last goodbye.‘Do you promise?’ MarieAntoinetteasked,stillcrying.‘Ipromise,’herhusbandsaid.He did not send for them.

Unabletobearthedistressofhis children and unwilling tomake his family, whom heloved more than life itself,

suffer the horror of saying alastgoodbye,hewentwithoutseeing themeveragain. ‘Tellthe Queen, my dear childrenand my sister that I hadpromised to see them thismorning,butthatIwantedtosparethemthepainofsuchacruel separation,’ he toldCléry before he left theTemple for the last time,handinghimhisweddingringand seal. ‘It grievesme verymuchtogowithoutreceiving

their last embraces and so Igive to you the task ofmaking my farewells. Pleasetell my wife that I leave herwith sorrow.’ He left justbeforenineinthemorningina closed carriage. His wifewaitedintheroomsaboveforthe summons that nevercame, refusing all food andsustenancebeforedressing inwhite, the traditional colourof mourning for the QueensofFrance,andlyingdownon

her bed where she criedhelplessly for the next houruntilthecheersandshoutsofthe crowds outside told herthat the deed had been done.‘The monsters!’ MadameÉlisabeth cried, distraughtwith grief as her niecescreamed with distress,knowing that her father wasdead. ‘I hope that they aresatisfiednow.’Marie Antoinette was

completely devastated by her

husband’s death andaccordingtoherdaughterfellinto a ‘near catatonic state’,refusing to eat or leave herroom, getting barely anysleep and sitting in totalsilence for hours on end.Already thin, she nowbecameabsolutelyscrawnytothe extent that she wasvirtually unrecognisable andlooked much older than herthirty seven years while herhair, which she was always

prone to lose in times ofstress, began to fall out inhandfuls. In vain did herfamily implore her to eat,sleep and get some exercisebut it seemed as if life hadlost all meaning for thebeleaguered former Queen.Graduallythoughshebecameto recover, buoyed up by thefact that her children,particularly little LouisCharleswhowas now hailedby the faithful remaining

monarchists as King LouisXVII, still needed her. Sherequested black taffetamourning apparel for herselfand her family and someadditional chic blackaccessories fromRoseBertinforherself:afan,twopairsofkidskin gloves, one pair ofsilk gloves, three fichus andtwo rather fetchingmourningbonnets with trailing blackribbons. The intrepid artistKucharskireturned,disguised

as a guardsman, to theTempleataboutthistimeandsketched what was to be thefinal portrait of the Queen,broken but never beaten,looking mournful in hermourningclothes.The conditions in which

the prisoners were keptgradually worsened over thenext few months as theirliving quarters became morerestricted with MarieAntoinette and her children

jammed in one room,MadameÉlisabethinanother,theirwarders,theTisons,inathird and two guards onconstant duty in a fourth.Their meals were no longerquite so splendidas theyhadbeen while Louis was stillalive, not that MarieAntoinette noticed for shewasn’t eating much anyway.They had also lost theservicesof thefaithfulCléry,whohadbeendismissedafter

Louis’ execution andbanished from the Temple.Their unhealthy lifestylebegan to quickly take its tollon the already thoroughlydemoralised prisoners and adoctor eventually had to becalled in to look at MadameRoyale, who developedpainfululcersonherleg,andher mother who was now soweak that she was prone tofainting fits and had alsobegun to suffer terrible

haemorrhages, caused eitherby stress, early menopause,fibroids or something muchmore sinister. Althoughseveral of the guardsdelightedinbeingasrudeandinsolent as possible towardsthe royal family, they werenot all bad and one inparticular calledGoret seemstohave taken themunderhiswing.HetriedtopersuadetheQueentoeatandevennaggedherintogoingoutsidetotake

some exercise. ‘I don’t wantto walk past the door whichmy husband crossed for thelast time,’ Marie Antoinetteprotested, only for Goret tosuggest that instead of goingdown to the gardens sheshouldgouptothetopofthetowerwheretherewasplentyofroomtowalkabout.Completely cut off from

the world, Marie Antoinettehad no way of knowing thatthe execution of her husband

hadsentshockwavesthroughall of Europe and that thevery next day England haddeclared war on France. Shedid not know that Axel deFersen was equallydevastated by Louis’ deathand, terrified that a similarlybrutalfateawaitedtherestofthe royal family, had beentravellingfromcourt tocourttrying to get support foranother escape attempt.Mercifully she also didn’t

know just how uninterestedher own family, whom sheassumedwouldbepullingallpossible strings to save her,wereingettingheroutoftheTemple although her sistersMaria Carolina and MariaAmalia were frantic withworry about her and wouldhave undoubtedly helped iftheycould.However, the long, dark,

miserabledaysintheTempletower were lightened by a

vague hope of rescue whenanother sympathetic guardToulanjoinedforceswiththeChevalier de Jarjayes, amonarchist and passionateadmirer of theQueen,whosewife had managed to getinside the Temple disguisedasalaundrywoman.Enlistinga second faithful guardLepître, they formulated aplan to whisk the disguisedroyalfamilyawayfromParisand take them by carriage to

the Normandy coast wherethey could set sail forEngland.They had the fundstopayallthenecessarybribesand had theoretically evenmanaged to secure falsepassports but the plans hadgone sadly andcatastrophically awry whenthe increasing unrest in Pariscaused the citybarriers tobeclosed and forced theauthorities to increase theirvigilance over the royal

family. Lepître, always theweakest link in the plan, losthis nerve at this point andbackedoutbuttheundauntedJarjayesandToulannowtriedtopersuadeMarieAntoinette,judged to be the mostendangered member of theroyal family, to leave alonewithout her sister-in-law andchildren. However, althoughMadameRoyaleandMadameÉlisabeth begged her to takethis chance, she refused to

leave and sadly wrote toJarjayes that: ‘We havedreamtapleasantdream,thatisall…Iknow thatyouhavemyinterestsatheartandthatthe chance we are nowmissing may never comeagain. But I should neverhaveamoment’shappinessifI abandoned my children.And therefore I have noregret.’Toulan and Lepître were

dismissed shortly afterwards

thanks to the Tisons, whospiedontheroyalfamilyandreported the two guards forbehaving in a suspiciouslyfavourablewayaround them.ThedefeatedJarjayes,deeplydistressed to have beenunable to rescue the Queen,left Paris but thanks to theoffices of Toulon he tookwith him Louis XVI’swedding ring and sealwhichwere destined for the Comtede Provence and Comte

d’Artois, who were still inexile abroad. He also had amessageforFersenaswellasa printed impression of thewordsonasignetringthathehadgiventoMarieAntoinettein exchange for one of herown rings. ‘They are moretrue than ever,’ the QueensadlytoldJarjayes.‘Tuttoatemi guida.’ Everything leadsmetoyou.Frustrated and depressed,

the royal ladies now took

solace in their books,spending hours reading thereligious tracts that they hadwith them and forgoing thelightheartedsocietynovelsofMrs Burney that they hadenjoyed before the King’sexecution.MarieAntoinette’sonlythoughtsnowadayswerefor her son, who was noweight years old. He hadbecome sickly andunderstandably fractiousthanks to the close

confinement of the royalfamily and although hismotherandauntdidtheirbestto continue his lessons, hewas clearly in need of aproper tutor and a lot moreexerciseandstimulation.TheConvention evidently agreedbut instead of appointingsomeone worthy of the tasklike the philosopher andmathematician Condorcetwhohadofferedhisservices,they instead decided to place

himundertheguardianshipofSimon, a former shoemakerwho was now employed asgeneral factotum at theTemplewhereheranerrandsfor the royal family andoversawtheirtreatment.Theirreasoning was that the boyneededtohaveallofhisroyalpretensions drummed out ofhim and what better way todothisthanhavehimbroughtup by a proper man of thepeople.

On the evening of 3 July,several officials came to theQueen’s roomwhere theboywasalreadyasleepinhisbedand his mother, aunt andsister were quietly readingtogether.Thefamilyhadbeenenduring random night timesearches of their persons androomssince theKing’sdeathand at first assumed that thiswas yet another suchimposition until one of themen stepped forward and

began to readout theofficialdecree from the Conventionwhich announced that MarieAntoinette and her son weretobeseparatedandfromnowon the boy would reside inthe former King’s roomsdownstairs where he was tobelookedafterbySimonandhiswife.Horrified,theQueentookherson,whohadwokenup crying, into her arms andrefused to hand him over,finally only relenting when

the officers threatened to useforce if she didn’t let themtaketheboyaway.Weeping,MarieAntoinette

then dressed her son for thelast time and gave him onefinal kiss before the officerstook the sobbing, terrifiedboy away from his family.For the next few days theycould hear him crying in hisrooms downstairs as hebegged to be taken back tohis mother. However,

although royalist legendpaints the Simons as cruelmonsters who mistreated theboy King terribly, they werenotnearlysobadastheyhavebeen painted and, in theirown rough way admittedly,even treated him with acertain amount of brusquekindness even if theyfollowed the instructions ofthe Convention to the letteranddidtheirbesttotransformthe little princeling into a

‘child of the nation’ byteaching him revolutionarysongs, giving him theoccasional sipofalcoholandencouraginghimtouseroughlanguage and swear. Hisguards were also kind andrelativelyindulgenttotheboyand tried their best to cheerhim up until finally the tearsthat his family could heargave way to boyish laughterand cheerful singing ofrepublicansongs.

Already shattered by thedeath of her husband, MarieAntoinette was almostcompletely destroyed by theloss of her son, her choud’amour, whom she hadcherished and idolised. Fordays she did not know whatto do with herself but couldonly lie on her bed,weepinglistlesslyandstrainingtohearhisvoiceintheroomsbelow.When Madame Élisabethrealised that theycouldcatch

brief glimpses of the boyplaying in the gardens froman arrow slit on the stairs tothe top of the tower, sheroused herself and went upthe stairs to keep watch,hoping to see her son forherself. For the rest of herstay in the Temple thisbecame her chief occupationand only pleasure in a lifethatwas otherwise devoid ofallhappiness.Asherdaughterwould later recollect: ‘living

anddyinghadbecomeallthesametoher.’As Marie Antoinette sank

into a deep depression thatneither her daughter norsister-in-law could rouse herfrom, she had no idea of theforces that were rangingagainst her in the outsideworld. Another failed escapeattemptplannedbytheBaronde Batz had put theauthorities on the alert andhad the effect of tightening

surveillance on the threewomen cooped up in theirtowerratherthan,ashadbeenhoped, liberating them.Attempts were also made bymembers of the Conventionto negotiate an exchange ofthe formerQueen for Frenchprisoners but these too cameto nothing thanks to theapathy of her nephew theAustrian Emperor. It was aseries of defeats by therapidly advancing Austrian-

Prussianforces,however,thatwould eventually force thehandoftheConventionwhenit came to the fate of theirformer Queen. Calls weremade to have the ‘AustrianWoman’ tried for her crimesagainst the nation and so thedecision was made to haveher separated from herremaining family and takenintocloserconfinementwhilea case was prepared againsther.

At2amon themorning of2August, the prisonerswerewoken by a loud hammeringon thedoor to their roomsattheTemplebeforeagroupofofficials and guardsmenentered and informed theterrified women, who weremade to get out of bed andwere dressed only in theirnightclothes, that they hadcome to take ‘WidowCapet’awaytotheConciergerie.Themen then watched as

Madame Élisabeth, withshaking fingers and manytears, dressed her sister-in-law for the last time beforebegginginvaintobeallowedto gowith her and share herprison - a request that wasroughly denied. MarieAntoinette then had herpocketsroughlysearchedandwas permitted to give herdaughter one last tearfulembracebeforeshepickedupthe small bundle of

belongings that she had beenpermitted to hastily throwtogetherand left forever.Shestruck her head on adoorframe as shewalked outof the Temple for the lasttime, passing by the closeddoor behind which her sonlayasleepandthroughwhichher husband had left for hisexecution. ‘Nevermind,’ shemurmured in response to theconcernedenquiriesofoneofthe officers. ‘Nothing can

hurtmenow.’It was still the dead of

night whenMarie Antoinettewas taken by carriage acrossthe slumbering city to theConciergerie on the Quaid’Horloge.Shehaddoubtlessseentheforbiddingoldpalacecountlesstimesovertheyearsbut had almost certainlyneveroncesetfootinsidetheolder parts of the buildingwhich had been used as aprison for a long time and

currentlyhousedaroundthreehundred prisoners. Once asprettyasafairytalecastleinaMedieval book of hours, itsage blackened towers hadlong since taken on a moresinisteraspectastheyloomedgloomily over the murkySeine. Marie Antoinettewouldhaveseennoneof thisthoughashercarriagepulledup in the courtyard and herguards led her inside theprison where the turnkey

Larivièrewaswaiting to takeher to her cell. First thoughshe had to be entered in theregister. ‘Lookatme,’MarieAntoinette, formallydesignated as ‘Prisoner 280’,saidwhen thenervousyoungregistraraskedforhername.She was then taken to her

newquarters-acell thathadonlyjustbeenhastilyvacatedbythenowhousedelsewhereGeneral de Custine. It hadformerly been used as the

Council Chamber of the oldpalaceandwasfifteensquaremetres inside and verymeagrely furnished with justa table, two chairs, a bucketand a camp bed which thejailor’s kindhearted wifeMadame Richard had madeup with her own best linenandsomelaceedgedpillows.MadameRichardandhershyyoung maid RosalieLamorlière were to have thechiefcareofMarieAntoinette

and, filled withunderstandable curiosity,hastenedtogreetheraftershehad been left in her cell.There they found the Queenhanging her little watch, apresent from hermother thatshe had brought with herfrom Vienna all those yearsago, from a nail protrudingfromthewall.Alongwithherweddingring,adiamondringand a locket containing herchildren’s hair, itwas one of

the few jewels that stillremained to her from thefabulous collection that shehad once commanded asQueenofFrance.Overawed to be in the

Queen’s presence, RosalieshylyaskedMarieAntoinetteifsheneededhelptoundress.It was just after three in themorning and the exhaustedQueen, whose sickly andbedraggled appearanceshocked the two other

women, was obviously needof some sleep. ‘Thank youbut no,’ she said gently toRosalie. ‘I will look aftermyselffromnowon.’Aftertherelativelytranquil

life that she had experiencedat the Temple, it must havebeen a shock to MarieAntoinette to find herself inthe heart of an actual prison.Although she was kept instrictisolationandforbiddingfrom mixing with the other

prisoners, Marie Antoinettewould still havebeenable tohear them chattering andlaughing in the corridors andsinging popular songs out inthewomen’syard.Perhaps iteven lifted her depressedspirits just a little to knowthat she was not entirelyalone and to be able to feelforthefirsttimeinmonthsasif life, even if she couldn’tsee it, was still going onaroundher.

She continued her habit ofgetting up at six everymorning, afterwhichRosaliewouldbringherabreakfastofcoffee and rolls and help herto dress. Shortly after herarrival a parcel had arrivedfrom Madame Élisabethcontaining some fine laceedged underclothes, blackstockings, fichus, caps, awhitedressandapairofsatinshoes which meant that theformerQueenwasstillableto

array herself with relativeeleganceevenifherwardrobewas a long way off thesumptuous one that she hadenjoyed in her gloriousheydayatVersaillesandwasnowkeptinasmallcardboardbox donated by the kindhearted Rosalie and darned,patchedandmendedoverandover again by MadameLarivière the turnkey’smotherratherthananarmyofmaids and seamstresses. To

her credit though, MarieAntoinette rarely uttered aword of complaint andmadevirtually no references to awayof life that shenowhadto accept was vanishedforever. Instead she quietlyand with firm resignationaccepted everything thathappened to her, acceptingchanges of guards, stricterrules, searches andinterrogation without anyapparent demur and with

every appearance of quietresignation.Isolated from the other

prisoners and seeing only afewpeople,MarieAntoinettefoundthelonghoursdifficultto fill although Rosalie andMadame Richard did theirbesttocheerherupwithlittlechats (they would eke outtheirtasksaslongaspossiblein the evening to delay themoment when the Queenwould be left alone for the

night), occasionalpresentsofflowers and even sometreasured snippets of newsaboutherchildren.Forbiddento possess paper or writingimplements, the woman whohad once found reading suchaterriblechorenowdevouredthe few books that she hadbeen allowed to bring withher. In the Temple she hadenjoyed the translated lighthearted novels of FrancesBurney but in the

Conciergerie she showed amarked preference for travelmemoirs such asThe Storiesof Famous Shipwrecks andTheTravelsofCaptainCook,which allowed her captiveimagination to fly freeofherdamp and mouldy cell wallsduring the long, emptyhoursofconfinement.BothMadameRichardand

Rosaliewere excellent cooksanddidtheirbesttotempttheQueen’swaningappetitewith

special little treats tosupplementthesimpledietofroast chicken,vegetables andnoodle bouillon soup whichshe existed on. They wereaided in this by severalmarket women who insistedupondonatingchoicemorselssuchastheplumpestchickensand sweetest grapes to theQueen’s table.Her supply ofVille d’Avray mineral wateralso continued, much to herrelief as the weather became

unbearably hot andmade theconditions inside theConciergerie intolerablyhumid and malodorous, somuch so that Rosalie had toburn juniper in MarieAntoinette’s cell to hide theterrible smell that seemed tosaturate themoulderingstonewallsoftheoldprisonbytheSeine. While her guardswould on occasion volunteerto scrape off the mould thatgrew on the bottom of the

Queen’sshoes.Two guards kept watch

over her at all times of theday and night and a smallscreen was provided toconceal her when sheperformed her natural bodilyfunctions, which were mademore difficult now by theincreasingly dreadfulhaemorrhages that she wasenduring,anddressedherself.As usual she was quietlycourteous to her keepers and

for the most part theyreturned her politeness anddid their best not to invadeher privacy. However, thejailorMonsieurRichard wasnotadversetomakingabitofextra money out of his mostfamousprisonerandsoonhadahealthy little sidelinegoinginchargingpeopletocomeinandtakeapeekattheformerQueen in her miserable littlecell. Marie Antoinette wasused to being stared at and

would sit in impassivesilence, focussing all of herattentiononherbooksor thebackgammonandcardgamesthat theguardswouldplaytowhile away the long hoursand making no attempt tospeak to these randomvisitors who came in theirmultitudes to gawp at her,even when they tried towhisper to her about escapeschemes.She paid a little more

attention though when onegentleman visitor theChevalier Rougeville, whomshe had met at the Tuileriesduring the terrifying invasionon 20 June 1792, threw aclandestine note wrappedaround a carnation on thefloor of her cell as he wasleaving, offering her enoughmoney to bribe her way outof the Conciergerie shouldshewish tomake an attempttoescape inacarriagewhich

he would endeavour to havewaiting for her outside theprison.MarieAntoinettetriedto reply by picking out amessage with a pin but theplan was quickly discoveredafter one of her guards blewthewhistleand itallcame tonothing. Rougeville fled thecity and once again it wasMarie Antoinette who borethe brunt of the failure ofothers when she endured anarduous and humiliating two

day interrogation, had hermother’s watch and fewremainingpiecesofjewelleryconfiscated and lost the rightto have light in her cell afterdusk.When the investigationwas over it was decided thatMarie Antoinette should bemoved to a more secure celland the Richard couplereplaced by Monsieur andMadame Bault, who werejudgedtobefarlessindulgentand could be relied upon to

put a stop to the stream ofvisitors to the Queen’s cell.However,althoughtheyweremore strict than the departedRichard couple, the Baultswere also extremely kind intheir own way and did theirbest to make MarieAntoinette’s life ascomfortable as possible bymakingsure that she stillgotdecent food and had freshlinen, often risking officialcensureintheprocess.

Marie Antoinette wasmovedtohernewcellonthe11 September. It was theformer dispensary of theprisonandstillsmeltstronglyof medicines, which wasn’thelpedbythefactthattheonewindow, which overlookedthe women’s yard, waspermanentlyclosedtopreventcommunion between theQueen and the femaleinmates, some of whom shehad known in happier times.

She could still hear themthough as they gatheredoutside to do their meagrelaundryinthegiantstonetubin the corner of the yardeverymorningand took theirdinner together in theafternoon, chattering,laughing and singing as ifthey hadn’t a care in theworld as it was consideredvery bad form to show theleast sign of fear ofapprehension evenwhen you

knew that you were facingcertaindeathon the scaffold.Not for nothing was theConciergerie known as theGuillotine’s Waiting Roomand prisoners were broughtthere from the other prisonswhen itwas timefor themtoface trial and almost certaindeath.Theotherprisonersspenta

greatdealoftimespeculatingabout the formerQueenwhowas known to be shut up

alongside them, wonderingwhat sort of conditions shelived under and whether shewould ever be allowed towalk free. Marie Antoinettealsowonderedabout thisandconfided to Rosalie that shestillhadfaiththathernephewwould somehow manage tonegotiate her release, littleknowing that he had longsincemoreorlesswashedhishandsofherpredicamentandshe was not considered of

enough diplomaticimportance to exchange forprisoners although somedesultory attempts had beenmadetonegotiateherrelease,all of which had come tonothing. While the Queenwaited and prayed for herrelatives to come to herrescue, her fate waseventually sealed during asecret late night meeting atthe Committee of PublicSafety, during which it was

decidedthatMarieAntoinetteshould be put on trial andthenexecutedasherhusbandhadbeen.Meanwhile at the Temple,

her eight year old son hadbeen caught playingwith hisgenitals, a common enoughpastime for boys of his ageand one that his mother andaunt had frequently tried toput a stop to, by his‘guardian’ Simon and,ashamed, the boy, whose

habit of lying to get out oftrouble had long caused hismother and governessconsternation, had claimedthathehadbeentaught todoso by his mother and aunt.Delighted by this revelation,Simonhad scurriedoff to letHébert, Marie Antoinette’sgreatest enemy and editor ofthe scurrilous newspaper LePère Duchesne, know whathad happened, clearlybelievingthathereatlastthey

had some concrete evidenceoftheformerQueen’sfamousdebauchery. The unfortunateLouisCharlespersistedinhistale when interrogated atlengthbyagroupofofficialsalthough he was, rathertellingly, unable to providemuch in the way of actualdetails other than a vaguereference to it happening inthemorningswheneitherhismother or aunt would takehim into their beds. He was

even sufficiently buoyedalong by the extremelygratifying interest that theofficials were taking in histale to persist in hisallegations when confrontedbyhissisterandaunt,bothofwhom naturally denied thatany such thing had everoccurred. In fact the gentlyreared and innocent MarieThérèse did not evenunderstandwhatanyof themwere talking about. Her aunt

MadameÉlisabethdidthoughand rounded on theunrepentant boy, calling hima‘littlemonster’.Marie Antoinette was

woken up in the early hoursof12October and taken to asecret cross examination inthe court room of the PalaisduJustice,whichformedpartof the Conciergerie complexand where the Kings ofFrance, including her ownhusband, had once held their

formal lits de justicemeetings. Here she wasconfronted by Hermann, thePresident of theRevolutionary Tribunal,Fouquier-Tinville, the PublicProsecutor and a clerk calledFabricius. The exhaustedQueenwasthenassailedbyabarrage of accusations thatdredged up virtually everycalumny, real and imagined,that she had been chargedwith since the beginning of

the revolution. She wasaccused of encouraging herhusband in his treacheryagainst theFrenchpeople, ofsendingmoneytoherbrotherinAustriaandofencouragingthe counter-revolutionarymovement, all of whichMarie Antoinette strenuouslydenied. Realising that theywere getting nowhere,Hermann and Fouquier-Tinville brought the sessionto an end and asked the

Queenifshewouldlikethemto appoint two defencelawyers for her trial which,theyinformedher,wasduetobeginintwodaystime.MarieAntoinette assented to thisand was taken away to hercell where she was visiteduponthefollowingdaybyhernewly appointed defence:Tronçon-Ducoudray andChauveau-Lagarde, who hadunsuccessfully defendedCharlotte Corday a few

monthsearlier.Both men were rather

thrown by the almostindecenthastewithwhichthetrial was being put togetherand immediately beseechedthe Queen to write to theRevolutionary Tribunal andbegthemtodelaythetrialbyafewdayssothattheywouldhave time to put together aproper defence. They bothknew, of course, that MarieAntoinette was already

doomedandthatthetrialwasjust a charade intended toblacken the Queen’s nameevenfurtherwhileatthesametime appeasing her relativesby giving the wholemiserable proceeding at leastthe vague semblance ofjustice but even so theycouldn’t believe that theyhadn’t been givenmore timeto look at all the relevantdocuments, especially aspreparations for the King’s

trialhadgoneonformonths.Marie Antoinette grudginglyagreed to write to theTribunal but her letter wascompletely ignored and shewasescortedfromhercellthefollowing morning, Monday14October,asplanned.Once again Marie

Antoinettewas taken throughthe prison to the court roomwhichthistimewaspackedtotherafterswithpeople,whichmust have been rather off-

puttingaftersomanymonthsof solitary confinement. Thejudges in their heavy blackrobes and medallions saying‘LaLoi’werearrayedintheirseats along with a hastilyassembled and decidedlyshady looking jury,while therestof thehallwascrammedwith a great noisy mob ofspectators who had come toget a glimpse of the formerQueen. If they had beenexpectingthejaunty,haughty

mistress of Versailles toappear in their midst theymust have been exceedinglyshocked when a wan facedwoman in black widow’sweeds, aged almost beyondallrecognitionbyherterribleexperiences walked slowlyand with the heavy tread ofsomeone in terrible pain intothe room and took her placeonceagainoppositeHermannand Fouquier-Tinville.Wracked by another

haemorrhage, theQueenwassuffering terrible abdominalcrampsandwassoweakwithpain that she could not standfor long periods of time andindeed sank gratefully intothewaitingarmchairaftershehadtakenheroath,givingherage as ‘almost thirty eight’whichmusthave stunned theonlookerswhosawanelderlywoman in frontof them.Shedrummed her fingers on thearmsofherchairastheclerk

of court read out theindictment, which hadplumbed the depths of thelibellous pamphlets aboutMarieAntoinette to come upwithadistortedtissueoflies,misrepresentations andcalumny.The following cross

examination was not muchbetterasover fortywitnessesstepped up to add colour tothe Tribunal’s indictment,repeating every dreadful lie

that theyhadheardabout theQueen andmaking up a fewmore besides. The haplessMarieAntoinettewasaccusedofleadingherhusbandastray,ofplottingtomurdertheDucd’Orléans, of smuggling vastsums of money out of thecountry to her brother and awhole other array of allegedcrimes. With a deft mixtureofcontemptandhumility,theQueen defended herselfagainst every charge but fell

silent when Hébert stood upto deliver his denunciationwhich included mention ofLouis Charles’ accusationstowards his mother, addingthat, ‘this criminal sexualintercourse was not dictatedby pleasure, but by thecalculated expectation ofenervating the physicalconditionof the child,whomthey still liked to think of asdestined to occupy a throneand over whose mind,

therefore, they wanted to besureofhavingpower…Nowthat the child has been takenfrom the mother, he hasbecomehealthyandstrong.’When one of the jury

members heartlessly proddedthe Queen for a response toHébert’s monstrous charge,shestoodupandwithtearsinhereyesrepliedthat,‘IfIdidnotreply,itisbecausenaturerefuses to answer such achargeagainstamother.’She

then turned towards thecrowd that had gathered inthe courtroom, many ofwhomwerefemale. ‘Iappealto everymother here.’ Therewas a stunned silencefollowed by a roar ofindignation from thespectators who haranguedHébert, the judges and thejury for trying toblacken theQueen’sreputationwithwhatwas obviously a horrible lie.They had comewith the full

intentionofseeingtheformerQueen condemned to deathbutthis,itseemed,wasasteptoo far even for them andHermann was forced to stopthe trial for several minutesso that order could berestored. Meanwhile MarieAntoinette turned to one ofher defence lawyers andanxiously asked if perhapsher reply had not been toodignified. ‘Madame,’ hereplied kindly, ‘just be

yourself and youwill alwaysbeperfect.’Therewas a brief break at

half past four during whichMarie Antoinette had a fewmouthfulsofsoupbeforeshewasonceagainforcedtotakeher place on the stand andlistenasmorewitnesseswerecalledintodiscredither.Thefifteen hour long sessionfinally came to an end at tenin the evening when theexhausted Marie Antoinette,

barely able to walk due toblood loss and terribleagonising cramps, wasescorted wearily back to hercell for the night. She wasback in court again at eightthe nextmorning, the guardscoming to collect her beforeRosalie had even had achancetoserveherbreakfast.Againweakenedbypainandloss of blood, the Queenfaced her accusers and theenormous crowd that had

once again gathered, withoutany form of sustenance untilthe afternoon break whenRosalie made her somebouillonsoupwhichalaswasmostly lost when one of theguardsmen let his girlfriendgive it to the Queen insteadand the girl was so nervousthat she managed to spillmostofitdownherselfontheway.The second session

followedmuchthesamelines

as the first with the samemiserable parade of lying,embellishing witnesses andthefuriouscrossexaminationof the judges. MarieAntoinette listened indispassionate silence to theirquestions and deniedeverything when promptedfora response.Shewaseveninterrogated about theDiamondNecklaceAffairandyet again denied having evermet Madame de la Motte-

Valois or having anyinvolvement in the incident.Much was made of heralleged extravagances at thePetit Trianon and also thehuge financial rewards thatshe had showered upon thePolignac familybut timeandtime again they returned tothe same old theme - thatMarie Antoinette had beenthe true power behind thethroneofFranceandamalignand scheming influence on

her husband Louis, nowportrayed as a weak mindedand susceptible fool for thepurposes of fullyincriminatinghiswife forhisalleged crimes against theFrenchpeople.Finallyattheveryend,the

Queen was asked if she hadanything that she wished tosay in her defence. ‘I willfinishbyobservingthatIwasonly the wife of Louis XVIand I had to submit to his

will,’ she said with quietdignity. There was a briefadjournmentbeforeFouquier-Tinville made his closingstatement,declaringhertobe‘the avowed enemy of theFrench nation’ who hadsyphoned off the country’sassets to be disposed ofamongstherfriends,Austrianfamily and upon her ownextravagant excesses, hadbeenthechiefarchitectofthebloody unrest that had soiled

the firstyearsof thegloriousrevolution and hadfurthermoreimposedherownstrongerwilluponthatofherfeeble and apathetic husbandKingLouis,enticinghimwithher womanly wiles intobetraying the interests of hispeople.Herlawyersthentookthestandanddidtheirbesttopresentacaseforthedefencebut they were utterlyunprepared and completelydispirited by the knowledge

that nothing they could saywould make the slightest bitof difference towhatwas anobviously completely riggedtrial.Nonethelesstheyputupa reasonably spirited defenceof their client and she wasmoved to thank them bothbeforeshewasescortedout.AfterMarieAntoinettehad

left thecourt room,Hermanntook the floor once again tosumupalltheevidence,suchas it was, for the jurors who

wereaskedtoconsideriftheybelieved that MarieAntoinette had plotted andconspired with foreignpowers, counter-revolutionaries and émigrésand given them monetaryassistance with the aim ofhelping them invade France,cause a civil war andoverthrow the republic. Noactual proof of any suchactivitieshadbeengivenandthe Queen herself had most

strenuously denied theseallegations but the Tribunalwere not going to let theseminor details stand in theirway. Hermann ended byremindingthejurorsthattheywere making history byputting the Queen on trial.‘Equalitytriumphs.Awomanonce surrounded with all thebrilliant splendour that royalpride and slavish servilitycould concoct, now occupiesin the National Tribunal the

placegiven twodaysback toanother woman, an equalityassuringherimpartialjustice.Citizen jurors, this matter isnot one of those in which asingledeed,asinglecrime,issubmitted to your conscienceandintelligence.Youhavetojudge the accused’s entirepolitical career since shecame to sit beside the lastKingoftheFrench.’At three in the morning,

the jurywentoff for anhour

topretendtodeliberatebeforeMarieAntoinettewasbroughtbackintothecourtroom.Shehad given her lawyers theimpression that she expectedto be deported and they hadgently let her go on thinkingthis even though itwas clearto everyone else where thetrial was heading. Shatteredbutstilldignifiedshelistenedin impassive silence asHermann announced that shehad been found guilty on all

counts and Fouquier-Tinvilleinformed her that she hadbeen sentenced to death andwould be executed later thatmorning. When asked if shehad anything to say, MarieAntoinette simply shook herhead and was observed tolookstunnedbutnotafraidasshemadeherwayslowlyoutofthecourtroom,flankedbyguards and lifting her chinproudly as she ignored thecheers and catcalls of the

spectators who now rushedout into thechillmorningairto secure the best spotsaround the scaffold in thePlacedelaRévolution.Itwashalfpast four in the

morning and outside thedamp walls of theConciergerie the first purpleand pink glimmers of theapproaching dawn werestarting to appear above theslumbering city. Completelyshattered and weakened by

lack of food, pain and bloodloss, Marie Antoinettestumbledonthestepsleadingdowntothecellsandayoungguardsman called de Busnetook hold of her elbow tosteady her then, with acourtesythatshehadnotseenfor avery long time,politelyremoved his hat and offeredherhisarmfortherestoftheway.Hewouldbedenouncedand arrested the next day forthiskindness.

There were candles, paperand a pen waiting for her inher cell when she got back,the first time she had beenallowedwritingmaterialsandlight for several months.Unable to sleep, desperatelylonely and crying with fearfor her children, MarieAntoinette sat down andpulled thepaper towardsher,words tumbling through hermind as she considered whoto write to before finally

settlinguponhersister-in-lawMadame Élisabeth who wasstill imprisoned in theTemple. Sadly the letter wasnever to reach her as it wasstolen by Robespierre, whohid it beneath his mattressalongwithother relicsof theroyalfamily.‘Itistoyou,mysister,that

I write for the last time. Ihave just been condemned,nottoashamefuldeath,foritis shameful only for

criminals, but to rejoin yourbrother. Like him innocent, Ihope to display the samefirmnessashedid inhis lastmoments.Iamcalm,asoneiswhen one’s conscience holdsno reproach. I regret deeplyhaving to abandon my poorchildren. You know that Ilived only for them and foryou,mygoodandkindsister.InwhatasituationdoIleaveyou,who fromyouraffectionsacrificed everything to be

with us. I learned from thepleadingsat the trial thatmydaughterwas separated fromyou.Alas!Poor child, I darenot write to her, she wouldnot receive it. I do not knoweven if this will reach you.Receivemy blessing on themboth. I hope that one day,whentheyareolder,theywillbeabletojoinyouagainandprofit to the full from yourtendercareandthattheybothrememberwhatIhavealways

triedtoinstilinthem:thattheprinciples and the executionof their duty should be thechief foundation of their life,that their affection andmutual trust will make ithappy.Letmydaughterremember

that in view of her age sheshould always help herbrother with the advice thather greater experience andher affection may suggest,and let them both remember

that in whatever situationtheymayfindthemselvestheywill never be truly happyunless united.Let them learnfrom our example howmuchconsolation our affection hasbroughtusinthemidstofourunhappiness and howhappiness is doubled whenonecanshareitwithafriend- and where can one find amore loving and truer friendthaninone’sownfamily?Letmy son never forget his

father’s last words, which Idistinctlyrepeattohim,neverto try to avenge our death. Ihave to mention somethingwhichpainsmyheart.Iknowhow much distress this childmusthavegivenyou.Forgivehim, my dear sister,remember his age and howeasyit is tomakeachildsayanything you want, evensomething he does notunderstand. The day willcome,Ihope,whenhewillbe

all themoreconsciousof theworth of your goodness andtenderness towards themboth. I now have only toconfide in you my finalthoughts. I would have likedtowritethematthebeginningofthetrial,butapartfromthefactthatIwasnotallowedtowrite, everything went toquicklythatIreallywouldnothavehadthetime.I die in the Catholic,

Apostolic and Roman

religion,inthereligionofmyfather, in which I wasbroughtupandwhich Ihavealways professed, having noexpectation of spiritualconsolation, and not evenknowing if there still existsany priests of that religionhere, and in any case theplace where I am wouldexpose them to too muchdangerif theyshouldenter.Isincerely beg pardon of Godfor all the faults I have

committed during my life. IhopethatinHisgoodnessHewill receive my last wishes,and those I have long sincemade,thatHewillreceivemysoul in His mercy andgoodness.Iaskpardonofallthose I know, and of youmysisterinparticular,forallthedistress I may, withoutwishingit.Havecausedthem.I forgive all my enemies theharm they have done me. Isayfarewellheretomyaunts

and to all my brothers andsisters. I had friends. Theidea of being separated forever from them and theirtroubles forms one of mygreatest regrets in dying.Letthemknow,atleast,thatuptomy last moment I wasthinkingofthem.Farewell, my good and

loving sister. May this letterreach you! Think of mealways, I embrace you withall my heart, together with

thosepoor,dearchildren.MyGod!What an agony it is toleavethemforever!Farewell!Farewell! I shall henceforthpay attention to nothing butmy spiritual duties. As I amnot free, they will perhapsbring me a (conformist)priest,butIprotestherethatIshall not say a word to himandthatIshalltreathimasacompletestranger.’Unlike her husband it did

notoccurtoMarieAntoinette

towriteawillbut thenagainshe had precious little left toleave now that virtuallyeverything had been strippedfrom her.When her cellwassearched after her departureonlyafewmeagrebelongingswere found: a sponge, a boxof powder, a small box ofpomade,somehandkerchiefs,garters,twosetsofpocketstobeworn beneath her dresses,a black crepe mourninggown, some linen

undergarments, a bonnet andtwo pairs of black stockings,all stored in the box donatedby the kindly Rosalie whoalso presented her with asmallmirrorbackedwith redlacquer that she had pickedup from a market stall for afewcoins.The Queen spent the next

few hours lying on her bed,unable to sleep and weepingsilently as the dawn brokeoutside her windows and the

two guardsmen watchedsilently,mufflingtheiryawnsbehind their fists, from theother side of their screen.Atseven, Rosalie came in andasked her if she felt able totake some food, gentlyremindingtheQueenthatshehad barely eaten since thetrial began and would haveneed of her strength to getthrough the ordeal that layahead, but Marie Antoinetterefused. ‘My child, I need

nothingnow,’shesaidsadly.‘Everything is over for me.’However, she relented whenshe saw how genuinelydistressed the littlemaidwasandagreed tohave some leftover soup and noodles, onlymanaging a few mouthfulsbefore she pushed it to oneside and they embarked onthe important business ofdressing her for her finalpublicappearance.MarieAntoinettehadlosta

lot of blood overnight andwas desperate to change intofresh underthings but whenRosalie attempted todiscreetly remove herpetticoats and help herchange into clean ones, oneof the guards stepped aroundthe screen and made it clearthat he intended to watch.‘For the love of God,Monsieur, let me changemychemise in private,’ MarieAntoinette begged but he

insisted that orders wereorders and refused to move,leavingthetwowomentodotheirbesttohidetheQueen’sbloodstained linen by rollingit into a ball and shoving itinto a gap in thewall beforepullingablackpetticoatoverher clean chemise. However,ifshehopedtobeallowedtowearablackdressthatwouldhide the worst of herbleeding, she was to bedisappointed for the

Committee of Public Safetyhad sent over an order thatthe Queen was not to beallowedtowearmourningforher husband to the scaffoldbut instead could wear anyother colour. MarieAntoinette, who had onceowned dresses in all thecolours of the rainbowand afew more besides, had onlyone dress that wasn’t blackand that was the plain whitepiquémorninggown thather

sister-in-law MadameÉlisabeth had sent over fromthe Temple. Perhaps MarieAntoinette allowed herself asmall sad smile as Rosaliehelped her into the dress,remembering as no one elsehadthat thelongagoQueensof France, including herancestress Mary Queen ofScots, had traditionally wornwhite when mourning theirhusbands. She completed herlast toilette with a white

fichu, plain white lawnbonnet decorated with blackribbons,blackstockingsandapairofpurpleshoes.At some point Abbé

Girard, a priest who hadsworn the oath of allegianceto the Constitution, wasbroughttohercellbut,asshehad promised her sister-in-law,MarieAntoinetterefusedto acknowledge him,offended that, unlike herhusbandwhohadgonetohis

death accompanied by hisIrish confessor AbbéEdgeworth, shehadnot beenpermitted to have a priestwho had not sworn the oathbut instead had had someoneof whom she could notapprove foisted upon her atthis most spiritually criticaltime. It probably also hurtthat while Louis had beenpermitted to say goodbye tohis family there was clearlyno intention of allowing her

the same privilege and thatshe would be going to herdeath without so much as aglimpse of the faces that sheloved best in all the worldand would never get theopportunitytoforgivehersonforhischildishrashness.The turnkey Larivière and

the judges, Fouquier-Tinvilleand Hermann went to MarieAntoinette’scellat ten in themorning,findingherkneelingbeside her bed and deep in

prayer. The court clerk readout the indictment again,ignoring the Queen’s gentleprotest that she had alreadyheard it and then steppedaside as the executionerSanson enteredwith a lengthof rope. The Queen recoiledin horror. ‘You did not tieLouis XVI’s hands,’ sheprotested, obviouslydistressed,butwiththejudgesof the Tribunal watching hehad no choice but to follow

orders and roughly tie herhandsbehindherbackasshefought toholdbackher tearsbefore his assistant fetchedthe scissors with which heroughlycutoffwhatwas leftof her prematurely grey andstragglyhair.There was barely time to

say one last farewell toRosaliebeforetheQueenwasleduptheninestonesteps totheCourduMaiofthePalaisdu Justice where a horse

drawn cart was waiting forher rather than the closedcarriage which had beenprovided for her husband’sfinal journey to the scaffold.Appalled by the terrifyingprospect of being driventhrough the streets, exposedto the violent abuse andinsults of the crowd, MarieAntoinette lost controlofherbladder and had to retreatbehind a wall to relieveherselfbeforeshefeltable to

clamberontothecart,whereshewas instructed tositwithherbacktothehorsessothateveryonecouldseeher.AbbéGirard, determined to remainbeside her until the very endeven if she repudiated hisattempts to comfort her,climbedupandsatbesideherwhile Sanson and hisassistanthitcheda rideat theback of the cart. It had beenfreezingcoldovernightintheConciergerie but the weather

had become warmer in themorning and was nowreasonably pleasant as theyset out on their journey,which would normally takeless than an hour but tooktwice as long this morningthanks to the huge crowdsthat had gathered to see theformer Queen go by for thelasttime.Thesmallprocessionmade

itswayoutthroughthegildedgatesof thePalaisdu Justice

atelevenandturnedontotheRuede laBarillerie and thenrumbled over the Pont auChange. The routewas linedwith over thirty thousandguardsmen who had beenhastily deployed overnight torestrain the rabble andprevent any last minuteattemptstorescuetheQueen.Theyheldbacktheenormouscrowds that had begun togather on the streets as soonastheverdictwasannounced

in the early hours of themorningandwhichwerenowshouting and shrieking at thesilent Queen, who staredstraightaheadasifshesimplycouldnothearthem.Anactorcalled Grammont rode aheadofthecart,wavinghisswordin the air and shouting ‘Hereshe is at last! It’sAntoinette,my friends, going to herdeath! She’s finished!’ Somestared at her in silentsympathy though and as she

passedonedoorway a youngmotherheldupherlittleboy,who waved and blew theQueenakiss,almostreducinghertotears.The tumbrel turned on to

the long Rue Saint Honoréwhich Marie Antoinette hadknown very well in happiertimes.Shewentpastbeautifulold mansions where she hadonce danced all night,Mademoiselle Bertin’s shop,the Palais Royal and the

lovely Church of Saint Rochwhere the tumbrel halted forseveral minutes so that thehuge group of the marketwomen who had gatheredtherecouldscreamabuseandspit at the Queen who stillcontinued to stare straightahead, apparently unmovedbytheirfury.TheartistDavidwas waiting on a wroughtironbalconyattheCafédelaRégence close by the PalaisRoyal; renowned for the

intellectual insight of hisportraits,hequicklyproduceda line sketch of thebeleaguered Queen in hertumbrel, broken but neverunbowed as she confrontedthe fury of the mob. Onlyonce would the Queen showsomesparkofemotion,whenthe tumbrel turned down theelegantRueRoyaleandcamewithin sight of the Tuileriespalace and her eyes filledwith tears as shegazedupat

the windows where onceupon a time she had lookeddown at a sea of cheeringfacesandtheDucdeBrissac,who had perished alongwiththe Princesse de Lamballe inthe prison massacres inSeptember 1792, hadmurmured that ‘Madame, Ihope that Monsieur leDauphin won’t be jealouswhenIsaythatyouhavetwohundredthousandlovers.’A few moments later the

tumbrel came to a judderinghalt in the Place de laRévolution, where MarieAntoinette’shusbandhadmethis end almost ten monthsearlier. The square was stillas lovely as ever but therewas a pile of rubble whereLouisXV’s equestrian statuehad been toppled from itspodium and smashed intopieceson thegroundand theentire vista was nowdominated by the wooden

scaffoldwhere theguillotine,that most inelegant ofcontraptions, awaited her.Marie Antoinette blinkedwith surprise as she lookedaround the enormous crowd,several hundred thousandpeople strong, that hadgathered in the square towatch her die, held back byseveral rows of guardsmen.‘This is the moment,Madame, to arm yourselfwith courage,’ the tenacious

Abbé Girard exhorted theQueen as she was pulleddown from the cart.‘Courage?’ Marie Antoinettesnapped, provoked intospeaking to him at last. ‘Themoment when my ills aregoing to end is not themoment when courage isgoingtofailme.’The Queen hurried up the

scaffold steps with the light-footed grace that had onceenchanted all of Versailles,

her eyes fixed on theinstrument of death thatloomed above her. In herhasteshemanagedtosteponSanson’s foot, making himyelpwithpainandsurprise.‘Iam sorry, Monsieur,’ MarieAntoinette murmured with awinsome smile. ‘I didnotdoitonpurpose.’Sheturnedandlooked over the heads of theenormous roaring crowd attheTuileriesbuttherewasnotime to dwell on the past

before she was roughlyseized, tied to the plank thenpushed down beneath theguillotine’sblade.

TheChapelleExpiatoire

‘Calledtoimmortality.’

Tucked away on the RuePasquier in the 8tharrondissementofParis,thereis a small park that holds aprecioussecret–anexquisitelittle chapel behind a highwallthatservesasamemorialto Louis XVI and Marie

Antoinette. Above theentrance there is thefollowinginscription:‘King Louis XVIII raised

this monument to consecratethe place where the mortalremains of King Louis XVIand QueenMarie-Antoinette,transferred on 21 January1815 to the royal tomb ofSaint-Denis, reposed for 21years. It was finished duringthe second year of the reignof Charles X, year of grace

1826.’After the executions of

Louis XVI and MarieAntoinette in 1793, theirbodies were dumped withoutceremony alongside those ofseveral thousand othervictims of the revolution inthe small graveyard of thenearby Madeleine church.Their bodies remained thereforgotten alongside those ofthe Swiss Guards massacredin August 1792, Antoine

Barnave (who went to hisdeathinNovember1793witha piece from one of MarieAntoinette’s dresses in hispocket), Charlotte Corday,Madame du Barry, MadameRoland and the Ducd’Orléans until 1803 whenthe site was bought by aloyally royalist magistrate,Pierre-Louis OlivierDesclozeaux who had beenwatching when the royalcouple were buried and so

was able to recall where thebodies lay anddohis best todiscreetlymarkthespotswithcypresstrees.Intriguingly, in 1770 the

littleMadeleinecemeterywasalsotheburialgroundfor theone hundred and thirty threevictimsof the tragicaccidentthat occurred at the fireworkdisplay to mark the Parisiancelebration of Louis andMarie Antoinette’s wedding.Whocouldeverhaveguessed

that the royal couple wouldone day end up buriedalongside them and in suchgrislycircumstances?After the Bourbon

Restoration in 1815, one ofLouis XVIII’s first actionswas to have his brother andsister in law’s bodiesexhumed and buried withproperceremony in the royalnecropolis, the Basilica ofSaint Denis. A year later,Desclozeaux sold the

graveyardtoKingLouiswhothen proceeded to build amemorial chapel on the site,sharing the three millionlivres expensewith his nieceand the sole remaining childof Louis XVI and MarieAntoinette, Marie-Thérèse,now the Duchessed’Angoulême after marryingtheeldestsonofheruncletheComted’Artois.As you walk up the path

towards the main building,

you see memorials tocommemoratetheunfortunateSwiss Guards who weremassacred at the Tuileries inAugust 1792 as well asmemorials to other wellknown victims of the Terrorburied there before thecemetery was officiallyclosed in March 1794 afterthe executions ofHébert andhis chief supporters. It’s notknown howmany victims ofthe revolutionwere buried at

this site, but it could beanything up to threethousand. Thousands ofothers, including MadameÉlisabeth,CamilleandLucileDesmoulins, Robespierre andthehandsomeDucdeLauzunwere buried at the Erranciscemetery while others,including Madame deNoaillesandseveralmembersofherfamily,lieingravepitsatthePicpuscemetery.The Chapelle Expiatoire

was designed by one ofNapoleon’s favouritearchitectsPierreFontaineandoverseen by his assistantLouis-Hippolyte Lebas andtook ten years to complete.By the time it was actuallyfinished,LouisXVIIIwasnomore and it was his brotherCharles X along with theDuchesse d’Angoulême whopresided over the chapel’sinauguration in 1826. TheArchbishop of Paris was on

handtoblessthecornerstoneand, perhaps ratherinappropriately, took this asan opportunity to preachabout forgiveness for theexiled members of theRevolutionary NationalConvention. Or perhaps itwasn’t actually all thatinappropriate – the chapelcouldbetakentonotonlybeanapotheosisoftheexecutedLouis and Marie Antoinettebutalsoanacknowledgement

that thehorrorsof theTerrorwere now in the past,sanctifiedandcleansedbytheerectionofamemorialchapeland proper remembrance ofthenumerousdead.The interior of the chapel

mirrors the serenity and paleglow of the exterior and is aperfectly balanced andharmonious neoclassicaldesign that manages to beboth uplifting and sombre atthe same time. I think that

MarieAntoinettewouldhaveabsolutely approved as whenone steps inside one isreminded of the gentleserenity of her chapel at thePetit Trianon and the dairybuilt for her at Rambouillet.Although the chapel is alsodedicated to the memory ofLouis XVI, it is clear thathere as with other sitesassociated with the doomedcouple it is his wife who ischieflyevokedandbroughtto

mind.On the left hand side as

youenter the chapel, there isa statue ofMarie AntoinetteSupported by Religion byJean Pierre Cortot, in whichReligion has the beautifullyserene features of MarieAntoinette’s sister in law,Madame Elisabeth. This is abeautifulstatue–elegantandmoving at the same time asthe Queen appears to almostabandonherselftoreligionin

afrenzyofdevotionwithherhair tumbling down her backand eyes gazing ferventlyupwards. We are remindedhere that although MarieAntoinette lived anapparently frivolous lifebefore the Revolution, shefound enormous comfort inher faith during her finalyears,when virtually all elsehad been stripped from her,as symbolised by the crownthat rolls forgotten and

abandoned on the ground byherknee.On the right hand side is

Louis XVI Called toImmortality, Sustained by anAngel by Francois Bosio.PoorLouis.Heisanchoredtothegroundbyhisgrandrobesand gazes upwards withseeming relief as the lightfooted angel shows him theway forward. Here is a manwhoneverwantedtobeKing,who did his best and died

feeling like he had failed inhis duty both to his peopleandalsohisfamily.It is impossible to stand in

the Chapelle Expiatoire andnotbemovedby thehorriblefates of the royal couple andof the other thousands ofvictims whose bodies resideon that hallowed site andothersthroughoutthecity,alllying together regardless ofpolitical viewpoint. You candescend to a vault below the

main chapel and see a blackmarble altar that marks thespotwheretheroyalcouple’sremains were allegedlyoriginally discovered – theywere identified thanks to thefact that unlike the otherbodies that surrounded them,they had been buried incoffins.On 21 January 1815, the

remains of Louis XVI andMarieAntoinetteweremovedfromtheir restingplaceclose

to the Madeleine in Paris totheBasilicaStDenis,theretolie for eternity alongside thebodies of their ancestorsalthough possibly not in theway that theyhadplannedasbythetimetheywereinterredhere the remains of theroyalty of France had beenremoved from their gravesanddumpedintomassgravesoutside the Basilica in theautumnof1793beforebeinghurriedly replaced higgledy

piggledy and with very littleorderalltogetherinthecrypt.Their beautiful memorial

statues by Edmé Gaulle andPierre Petitot kneel in thebasilicawithregalsolemnity.The statue of Louis XVIbestows the maligned andridiculedKingwithadignitythathewasdeniedinreallife,while Marie Antoinette,pleasingly, is dressed in theelegant fashion of 1815which sadly she never got to

wear.Their bodies, however,restalongsidethoseofLouis’brothers and their wivesbeneath plain black marbleslabs in the crypt below themain church, close to thememorials for MadameÉlisabeth, who wasguillotined inMay 1794 andtheir children, Louis-Joseph,Sophie Béatrice and poorlittle Louis XVIII, who diedin theTemple prison in June1795 and whose heart was

laid to rest in SaintDenis in2004.

SelectBibliography

My intention when Iembarked on the feat ofwriting this book was toproduce an entertaining,reasonably short and easy todigest history of France’smost infamousQueen,whichwould hopefully providereaders with an interestingintroduction to her life. I

consultedseveralbookswhilewriting and have listed someofthemostusefulhereinthehopes that it might inspiremorereading.

Marie Antoinette - IanDunlopMarie Antoinette - Joan

HaslipMarieAntoinette:TheLast

Queen of France - EvelyneLeverMarie Antoinette: The

Journey-AntoniaFraserLouis and Antoinette -

VincentCroninMarie Antoinette - André

CastelotImperial Mother, Royal

Daughter-OlivierBernierVersailles:ABiographyof

aPalace-TonySpawforthRoyal Palaces of France -

IanDunlopVersailles-IanDunlopQueen of Fashion: What

MarieAntoinetteWoretothe

Revolution-CarolineWeberBeforetheDeluge-Evelyn

FarrMemoirsofMadamede la

TourduPinVoicesof theRevolution -

PeterVansittartCitizens-SimonSchamaGeorgiana, Duchess of

Devonshire - AmandaForemanMarie Antoinette - RMN

exhibitioncatalogueMadame Élisabeth: Une

Princesse auDestinTragique-exhibitioncatalogueChère Marie Antoinette -

JeanChalonThreshold of Terror -

RodneyAllenPortraits de femmes -

OlivierBlancFashion Victims -

KimberlyChrisman-CampbeLa Mode à la Cour de

Marie Antoinette - JulietteTreyMadame du Barry - Joan

HaslipMadame Elisabeth -

MargaretTrouncerBlood Sisters - Marilyn

YalomThe Terror - David

Andress1789-DavidAndressThe Great Nation - Colin

JonesThe French Revolution -

ChristopherHibbertThe Fall of the French

Monarchy-MunroPrice

TheLostKingofFrance -DeborahCadburyDancingon thePrecipice-

CarolineMooreheadThe Scented Palace -

ElisabethdeFeydeauThe Untold Love Story -

EvelynFarrTheTerror-GraemeFife

MarieAntoinette’sParis

I actually intended thisbook as a ‘beach readbiography’ (I know, I’msorry, but this descriptionmadesenseatthetime)butifyou’re anything likeme thenthere’s a fair chance thatyou’re much more likely tobe reading this book in arented apartment or hotelroom in Paris. I love to read

booksinthecitieswheretheyarepredominantlysetandthishad led to many animpromptuwalking touroverthe years as I read about astreet where the book’ssubjectoncelivedandhavetogoandstandintheirfootstepsforawhile.Quite a few of the places

associated with MarieAntoinette, like Meudon,SaintCloud,theTuileriesandLa Muette, have either

vanished thanks to theravages of revolution, warand town planning or beenchanged beyond allrecognition by the relentlessmarch of time. However,enough remains for themodern Paris visitor to beable to get someunforgettable glimpses intothe world that she inhabitedboth before and after theextraordinaryeventsof1789.Assumingthatyoumadeit

to the end of this book, I’veaddedasmall listofsomeofmy favourite MarieAntoinette spots along withsome details about openinghours as they are in 2015.Maybe one day, if I becomeveryrich,I’lldevoteawholebook to places associatedwithMarie Antoinette - howfabwouldthatbe?

(I’d recommend checkingopening times and so on

before you visit. They’reaccurate right now in May2015butmighthavechangedbythetimeyouvisit!)

CompiègneThe Château de

Compiègne is one of thefinest surviving examples ofGabriel’s elegant neo-classical styling, which canalso be seen at the PetitTrianon. The woods nearbywere the location of Marie

Antoinette’s first meetingwith her husband, theDauphinanditwouldbecomeoneoftheirfavouritesummerresidences both before theirsuccession to the throne andafterwards with Louis XVIhaving the royal apartmentsextensively renovated afterthe birth of the Dauphin in1781. Marie Antoinette’sroomswere on the terrace inthe new wing, but only hersplendid games room, where

she played cards with hercircle, have been restored totheir original sumptuousappearancealthoughtherearelotsoforiginaldecorationsintheotherairyandveryprettyrooms of the apartments,whicharemostlyfurnishedasthey would have lookedduring the residence of thePrince of Rome, son ofNapoleon. The rest of thepalace’s royal apartmentshave been restored to their

approximate appearanceduring the residence ofNapoleon and the EmpressMarieLouise,whowasMarieAntoinette’s great niece, butyou can still get a strongsense of how the palaceinterior must have looked inthe timeofMarieAntoinette.Compiègne is open to thepublic on every day exceptTuesday between 10am and6pm.

VersaillesThegildedmonstrosityand

mausoleum to excess that isVersailles has been writtenabout at length in this bookand remains one of themostfamous and written aboutbuildings in the world soalmost certainly requiresabsolutely no introductionfrom the likes of me. Huge,amazing and ratheroverpoweringitisanabsolutemustseeandisanunmissable

treatforanyoneevenslightlyinterested in the life of thelast Queen of France. MarieAntoinette’sroomshavebeenrestored to their formersplendour and you can alsovisitsomeofthesecretroomsthat lie behind her stateapartments. I once almostfainted in her bedchamberduringavisitin1990andwastaken out through the secretdoorbesideherbedandalongthe passageway through

whichshefranticallyescapedinOctober1789.Myweddingand the birth of my childrenaside, I would say this wasone of the highlights of myentirelifesofar.Aparticularhighlight is the gorgeouschapel where MarieAntoinetteandLouisAugustewere married in May 1770.It’s absolutely sublime.Versailles is open to thepublic on every day exceptMonday between 9am and

6.30pm. There are specialtours to visit MarieAntoinette’s privateapartments and the roomswhere the aunts lived andspantheirwebofgossip.

PetitTrianonAlthough thePetitTrianon

lies in the grounds ofVersaillesithasacompletelydifferentvibegoingonwhichmakesitfeellikeit’sfaraway

from the gilded monolith attheotherendof thepark.Nodoubt this was its appeal forMarie Antoinette as well.Lotsofmoneyhasbeenspenton restoring the pleasurepavilion to the way that itwouldhavelookedduringtheQueen’s residence and newrooms and parts of thegardens seem to be openingup all the time, which isgreat. It’s a lovely spot and,usually,muchquieterthanthe

mainpalacesoyoucanenjoya nice leisurelywalk around.The Petit Trianon andMarieAntoinette’s estate have thesame opening times as themainpalace.

FontainebleauOften ignored in favour of

Versailles, Fontainebleau isequally enormous, with over1,500 rooms, and was thefavourite Autumn residence

of the French royal family,which means that it wasusuallythelocationforMarieAntoinette’s birthdaycelebrationseveryNovember.Although Louis XVI wasmostly concerned with theexcellent hunting in thesurrounding forests, MarieAntoinette loved to entertainon a lavish scale atFontainebleau and therewouldbeaconstantroundofparties and balls, while

Comédie Française actorswould travel over from Paristhree times aweek to put onperformances. LikeCompiègne, Fontainebleauhas been restored to mostlyevoke the memory of theBonaparte era but there arestillstrongglimpsesofMarieAntoinette in the palace.Hertwo boudoirs have beenbeautifully restored to theirformergloryandthebedroomreflectshertasteevenifithas

been restored to its 1805appearance. The bedhowever, bearing MarieAntoinette’sMAcypher,wascommissionedforherbutnotcompleted until the late1790s. Fontainebleau is openevery day except Tuesday.Opening times varydependingontimeofyear.

ChâteaudeBagatelleBuilt in 1777 as the result

of a bet between MarieAntoinette and her favouritebrother-in-law, the Comted’Artois, the Château deBagatelle, nestling in abeautiful pleasure garden intheBoisdeBoulogne is, likethe Petit Trianon, a perfectlittlegemofabuildingandagreatexampleof theworkofarchitectBélanger.Itreallyisalovelyspotandwellworthavisiteveniftheopeningtimesare somewhat restrictive.

BagatellecanbevisitedeverySunday and on publicholidaysat3pmwhenthereisaguidedtour.

RambouilletOriginally a residence of

the Princesse de Lamballe’sfather-in-law, the Prince dePenthièvre, Louis XVIpurchased the château in1783 so that he would havesomewhere to stay when he

went hunting in thesurrounding forest. AlthoughLouis loved it there, MarieAntoinette was much lesskeen and referred to it as a‘gothic toadhole’.Hoping towin her over and knowinghow much she loved tofrolicking in her farm at thePetitTrianon,Louissurprisedher with a delightful littledairy in the grounds, whichhe presented to her in June1786. Marie Antoinette was

delighted and rightly so as itis a charming spot, but alasshewouldpayherlastvisitinthe summer of 1787.Rambouillet château and theDairy of Marie Antoinettecan be visited every dayexcept Tuesday. Openinghoursvary.

ConciergerieThe Conciergerie is a

familiar, brooding site

alongside the Seine in Paris.Its fat turrets give it theappearance of a fairytalepalace, which is ironicconsidering its past as themostfearedprisonduringtheTerror where prisoners weretransferred when they wereabout to be executed, thanksto the fact that the infamousRevolutionary Tribunal metin the adjoining Palais duJustice. The prison haschangedsincethedaysofthe

Terror but it is still possibleto view the cells and thechapel where the prisonersprayed and where there isnow a small memorial toMarie Antoinette on the siteof her second cell, of whichonly the original floorremains.A neighbouring cellhas for a long time beendecked out as areconstructionofherfirstcelland is suitably eerie with amodel of the Queen and

peelingfleurdelysbedeckedwallpaper. The Conciergerieis open every day between9.30amand6pm.

ChapelleExpiatoireThe beautiful Chapelle is

one of the places that everyMarie Antoinette enthusiastshouldmakeanefforttovisitas it really is extremelybeautiful and really sereneand peaceful. The statues

depicting themartyred LouisandMarieAntoinetteareverytouching and somehow theluminous and elegantambience of the building’sinterior brings the PetitTrianontomind.Possiblythiswas intentional and plannedas a gentle tribute to theunfortunate Queen who is,hopefully,nowatpeace.TheChapelle Expiatoire can befoundat29RuePasquierandis open during the summer

months on Thursdays,Fridays and Saturdaysbetween 1pm and 5.30pm.Check that it’s open beforeyousetoutthoughastheyareapparentlypronetoclosingitwithoutwarning.

SaintDenisI love visiting the basilica

at Saint Denis – it’s sounapologetically gloomyinside despite the

sumptuouslybeautifulstainedglass windows that allowrainbows of light to tumbleontothecoldstonefloor.It’sfull of royal tombs, somestately but most relativelysimple,allarrangedwithverylittlethoughttoaestheticsandbasicallycrammedintoeveryconceivable nook and crannyofthetransept.It’soneofthereal hidden gems of palace,which seems like an oddthing to say about an

enormousbasilicawhichactsas necropolis to the royaltombs of France. However,not many visitors seem towant to get the train out toSaintDenis for some reason,which is good as it’s nevercrowded so you can get agoodlookatallthewonderfulroyal tombs. Sadly most ofthe royal graves weredesecrated and emptiedduring the revolution beforebeing hastily reinterred

higgledypiggledyafewyearslater. Marie Antoinette andLouis XVI have wonderfulmemorial statues here andtheir tombs lie in the cryptalongside those of LouisXVIII andCharlesXaswellas memorials to MadameÉlisabeth, the first sad littleDauphin and Louis XVII,whoseheartwasinterredherenot all that long ago. TheBasilica of Saint Denis isopen every day between

10amand4.45pm.

Some other Parisianlocations that may be ofinterest…

TheHôtel de Biron - nowthe Musée Rodin at 79 Ruede Varenne, this beautifulParisian mansion used to bethe residence of thehandsome and extremelydashing Duc de Lauzun, one

ofMarieAntoinette’s cotérieof male admirers. Sadly thecharming Lauzun wasguillotinedinDecember1793andhiswife followedhim tothe guillotine in June of thefollowingyear.

The Hôtel de Soubise -now theMusée desArchivesNationales at 60 Rue desFrancs Bourgeois in theMarais. This extraordinarilylovely mansion was the

birthplaceofthePrincessedeGuéménée, MarieAntoinette’s friend and thegoverness of the royalchildren until her fall fromgrace as the result of herfamily’sbankruptcy.

La Force prison - theprison is long gone but waslocated at what is now thejunctionoftheRueduRoideSicileandtheRuePavée.Itisat roughly this spot that the

Princesse de Lamballe wasmurderedinSeptember1792.

Rose Bertin’s shop -described by some as thebirthplace ofmodern coutureas we know it, the shop andstudio of MademoiselleBertin, who was nicknamedMarie Antoinette’s Ministerof Fashion and wasresponsible for her mostbeautiful and extravagantoutfits, was located at 149

RuedeSaint-Honoré.In1789she moved to differentpremises at 23 Rue deRichelieu.

Residence of thePrincessede Lamballe - the Princessede Lamballe resided at thestately Hôtel de Toulouse,one of the mansionsbelonging to her father-in-law,thePrincedePenthièvre,at 48 Rue Croix des PetitsChamps, which is now the

headquarters of the Banquede France. Later in 1783 shemoved to a mansion at 17Rue d’Ankara,which is nowthe residence of theAmbassadorofTurkey.

Templeprison - theprisonwhere Louis XVI and hisfamilywerekeptcaptiveafterAugust 1792 and where hissonLouisXVIIdied in1795wasdemolishedatthestartofthe nineteenth century. It’s

rough location can still bediscerned at the Square duTemple, a pretty landscapedgarden at 64 Rue deBretagne.

Palais Royal - the centralParis residence of LouisXVI’s cousin, the Ducd’Orléans,whorentedoutthearcades to cafés, shops,restaurants, theatres,gambling dens and brothelsandtheroomsaboveasflats.

It was the most fashionableplace to be seen in 1780sParis. Marie Antoinettevisited here more than oncewhen she and the Duc werestill on relatively friendlyterms and he even threw afancydressballforherinthepalace. However theirrelationship soon soured andratheralotoftheterribleliesabout her emanated from thePalais.

The Comédie Française -housed in the Théâtre del’Odéon on the Place del’Odéon, this was one ofMarie Antoinette’s favouritehauntswhereshewouldcometo watch her favourite actorsandactressesperform. ItwasherethatshecametoseeTheMarriage of Figaro byBeaumarchais. CamilleDesmoulins and his wifeLucileDesmoulins,whogrewuponanearbystreet,livedin

an apartment directlyoppositethetheatre.

Residence of Madame dePolignac-MarieAntoinette’sbeloved Yolande bought theHôtel de Marle at 11 RuePayenne but probably didn’tspendallthatmuchtimethereas the Queen liked to keepher close. It is now theSwedishCulturalCentre.

Place Louis XV - now

known as the Place de laConcorde, this was thelocation of the guillotine formuchoftheTerrorandLouisXVI, Marie Antoinette,Madame Élisabeth andcountless others were allexecuted here. The precisespotwherethescaffoldstoodisnotmarkedbutitwascloseto the statue ofRouen in thecornerofthesquare.

Montreuil - the beloved

country house of MadameÉlisabeth, the King’s sisteruntil shewas forced to leaveit behind forever in October1789. It’s not far fromVersailles but even so herbrotherwouldn’tlethersleepthere alone until her twentyfifthbirthday,whichasitfellinMay 1789 didn’t give hermuch time to enjoy this. Itcanbefoundat73AvenuedeParis in Versailles and theparkopeneverydaybetween

11am and 8pm while thehousecanonlybeaccessedaspartofaguidedtour.

Author’sNote

A couple of years ago Ithreatened my poor,unfortunateblogreaderswitha biography of MarieAntoinette,whichat the timeI intended to call ‘TeenQueen to MadameGuillotine’. However, otherprojects intervened and myplanwas temporarily shelvedas Iworked onmyhistorical

fictioninstead.Icouldn’tstayaway forever though asalthough my blog covers allsorts of different periods andpeople,MarieAntoinette is asubject that I often return toand one that I have alwaysreally enjoyed writing aboutas evidenced by the fact thatmy university dissertationwas on the topic of differentrepresentations of her bothbefore and after therevolution.

This book was originallyintended as an extremelyshort biography (longer thanapamphletbutshorter thananovella)givingabasicprécisof the doomed Queen’s lifeand maybe answering someof themost commonly askedquestionsaboutheralongtheway. Ienvisioned it asa sortof‘beachreadbiography’-inother words, an entertainingand not at all weighty readthat could be dipped in and

out of at leisure and didn’trequireamassivebackgroundknowledgeoftheperiodtobeenjoyed. I wanted to conveysomething of MarieAntoinette’s life and timeswithout getting too boggeddown in the politics of theera, although naturally theycan’t help but intrude,especially from 1789onwards.However, as the project

developed it all got a bit out

ofhandandinsteadofmynotquite a novella, I ended upwithmultitudesofwordsandwhat I hope is actually anicely well roundedbiographythat isstill just theright length to be a fun andeasy read without sacrificingtoo much detail at the sametime.Irealisedquiteearlyonthat the original jaunty titlejust wouldn’t do, although itis a nice reference to myblog’s name and instead

opted for ‘An IntimateHistory’ as the book’s scopeis intended to be intimate inbothsizeandsubjectmatter.This book wouldn’t have

happened without therelentless questioning andinterest of my blog readers,bless their hearts and so Iquite rightly dedicate it tothem because it’s all theirfault. I’d also like to thankmypoorfamilyforputtingupwithmewhileIwasworking

on this and my friends forcheerleadering me alongwhen I had the occasionalcomplain on Facebook. Ohand Dr Lucy Worsley, myfellow admirer of the BBCBlue Peter documentaryabout Marie Antoinette, forencouragingmetohaveideasabove my station aboutcalling myself a historian.You’reallace.

TheyoungMarieAntoinette.

Versailles, viewed fromoneofthewindows.

The Hall of Mirrors atVersailles.

The royal chapel atVersailles where MarieAntoinette and the DauphinLouis Auguste were marriedinMay1770.

Marie Antoinette’sbedchamber at Versailles.Shegavebirthtoherchildrenon a special birthing bedplaced in front of thisfireplace.

The ornate canopy ofMarie Antoinette’s state bedatVersailles.

The wall decoration inMarie Antoinette’sbedchamberatVersailles.

The concealed door besideMarie Antoinette’s bed,through which she escapedthemobinOctober1789.

1787 portrait by MadameVigée-Lebrun of MarieAntoinette with her children,which now hangs in itsoriginal place in theQueen’sapartmentsatVersailles.

ThePetitTrianon.

The salon at Petit Trianonwhere Marie Antoinetteentertainedherfriends.

Marie Antoinette’sbedchamberatPetitTrianon.

Marie Antoinette’s 1783portrait by Madame Vigée-Lebrun hanging in PetitTrianon.

TheConciergerie.

Reconstruction of MarieAntoinette’s cell in theConciergerie. She wasactually lodged in the cellnext door but this conveysjust how grim her situationwas.

Memorial to Louis XVIand Marie Antoinette,basilicaSaintDenis,Paris.

Memorial to Louis XVI,Basilica Saint Denis, Paris.The couple wereceremoniously reinterredthere on the anniversary oftheKing’sexecution.

Slab marking MarieAntoinette’s burial place inthecryptoftheBasilicaSaintDenisinParis.

Memorial to the ‘first’Dauphin, Louis Joseph whodiedinJune1789.

Memorial to Louis XVII,who died in June 1795. Theboy’s embalmed heart wasinterredclosetohisparentsin2004.

Exterior of the ChapelleExpiatore,Paris.

Interior of the ChapelleExpiatore,Paris.

Louis XVI Called toImmortality, Sustained by anAngel, Francois Bosio,ChapelleExpiatoire,Paris.

MarieAntoinettesupportedby Religion, Jean PierreCortot in the ChapelleExpiatore,Paris.