Francois Adhémar de Monteil, Comte de Grignan

François Adhémar de Monteil was born in 1632 and was so fortunate to be the eldest son in a family of no less than eleven children - his parents were Louis Gaucher de Grignan and Marguerite d'Ornano. This meant that upon his father's death in 1668 he became the Comte de Grignan. Before he assumed the fine title François did what many other young aristocratic men did and began a career in the military. During his time in the military he served in the Household Cavalry of Queen Anne of Austria where he held the title of Captain-Lieutenant.

Billiard Parlour

The Queen had her own private billiard parlour on the second floor. Georges Jacob designed the beautiful silk lined chairs in 1785. There is also a piece of furniture with a special link to Marie Antoinette: a jewellery casket. The beautiful little casket is made up of rosewood and is decorated with gold, bronze and 13 pretty porcelain plates from Sèvres - all with floral motifs. Each porcelain plate is edged with two lines: one in green and one in gold. It is the work of Martin Carlin and must have been one of the very first pieces of French furniture that Marie Antoinette received as Dauphine since it dates back to 1770.

The room is decorated with large silk and chenille tapestries which were commissioned for Marie Antoinette in the winter of 1779 for her interior cabinet. They were later modified in Lyon for this particular room. There are six different floral medallions woven on the white tapestries which forms a damask pattern. A plaque has been placed in this room which depicts Marie Antoinette's profile and describes her title as Dauphine of France and Archduchess of Austria.

Marie Antoinette's jewellery casket

How Much Do You Know?

Take a quiz about any of these court characters at Versailles and find out how much you truly know about your favourite characters! These quizzes are all by me, so I hope you enjoy them.

Madame du Barry

Louis XIV

Louis XV

Marie Leszczynska

When Madame Élisabeth was commanded to swear loyalty to the new rule and hatred towards the royal family this was her response:

"To the first I willing submit. To the second, how can I accede? There is nothing of which I can accuse the Royal family. To hate them is against my nature. They are my Sovereigns. They are my friends and relations. I have served them for many years, and never have I found reason for the slightest complaint!"

MADAME ÉLISABETH 

"He [Louis XIV] does not love me. Be he thinks he owes it to his subjects and to his own greatness to have the most beautiful woman in his kingdom as his mistress."

MADAME DE MONTESPAN 

The King's Razor

Louis XVI used this razor while he was imprisoned at the Temple Prison. You can just spot the name "M. Clery" on the blade's side and Clery happened to be the King's valet who continued to loyally serve his King. Also the number "4" is engraved on the blade though it is not visible on this photo. In 1993 the relic went on display at the Musée Carnavalet in Paris. The sheathe is made of black leather edged with gold.

Tragic Footsteps

These beautiful 18th century ladies shoes is labelled to have belonged to none other than Marie Antoinette herself. It were this pair that the Queen wore when the royal family was taken to Paris by an angry mob - she would probably have received them at Versailles but she would never return. The shoes are currently stored by the Metropolitan Museum of Art but are not exhibited to the public eye.