Were They, Weren't They? Yolande de Polignac & the Comte de Vaudreuil

The relationship between the Duchesse de Polignac and the Comte de Vaudreuil was a stormy one, at best. The queen's (in)famous friend, Yolande de Polastron, had been married to Jules de Polignac since 1767 whereas Joseph Hyacinthe François de Paule de Rigaud remained unmarried until after Yolande's death. While at Versailles, the Comte served as Captain of the Gardes du Corps which would have brought him into contact with both the queen and - by extension - Yolande. He might already have known Yolande, though, as they were distant cousins. Legend has it that the two were actually intended to have married when both very young but Joseph refused after glimpsing her in a convent and finding her not pretty enough - he would later drastically change his mind but she had already been married off. He had also attached himself to the company of the Comte d'Artois and therefore already had an "in" with the royal family's inner circle.

As the relationship between the two grew, it caused many of Yolande's friends - including Marie Antoinette - to worry. The Comte de Vaudreuil was known for his violent temper and his extreme ambition which made him unwelcome in most circles. However, as the two became closer, he became indispensable to the queen's favourite. Even Marie Antoinette begrudgingly accepted his presence in their small circle of friends, despite often lamenting his presence - notably, the queen was outraged that a raging Vaudreuil had broken one of her billiard cues. 

Interestingly, the exact nature of Yolande and Joseph's relationship is not quite clear. Even at the time, people were doubting whether their liaison had become physical. Yolande was considered to be a rather cold woman who did not lend herself easily to a physical relationship. This has been further evidenced by the ease with which she distanced herself from Vaudreuil when he overstepped the queen's patience. If they were in love, it was evidently not a blinding sort of love, and Yolande was not willing to risk her position for him.

Yolande de Polignac

Meanwhile, others gleefully (and loudly) speculated that when Yolande gave birth to a son in 1780, it was Vaudreuil's. Neither Marie Antoinette nor Louis XVI believed that particular rumour, though, and even went so far as to visit the infant which was otherwise not done.

Another intriguing fact about their relationship is the utter lack of correspondence between them. It is possible that they burned or otherwise destroyed such evidence - or maybe they did not write to each other? 

Greed was an unfortunate characteristic shared by both Yolande and Joseph. They both shamelessly exploited their proximity to a generous queen, although Yolande was considerably more successful. However, as the 1780s wore on, Marie Antoinette became increasingly disillusioned with the grasping nature of Madame de Polignac. The queen had already showered her with money, favours, positions, etc. yet, the demands kept coming. The relentless pressure from Vaudreuil is said to have contributed to the cooling of their relationship, although it did not end entirely.

When Yolande died in late 1793, Joseph wrote a letter to the exiled Comte d'Artois. The letter clearly expresses the Comte's seemingly heartfelt sorrow at her death - but also ends on an entirely different note. Rather than focusing the short letter on the death of a woman he cared for, Joseph ends it with a practical note regarding his financial matters. It does give the impression that Joseph was not that distraught - despite his eloquent expressions.

On another note, the memoirs of Yolande's life - written by her own sister-in-law - does not mention Vaudreuil at all. Likewise, Yolande's last will and testament also left nothing to Joseph. Rather unhelpfully, the attitude of Yolande's husband does not help clear the situation up. The relationship between husband and wife was rather more like two friends; they got along, but no one suspected that they had any particular romantic love for one another. The fact that Joseph was welcomed into their home - by both parties - consequently cannot be taken as a token of platonic relationship.

Collectively, these clues give their relationship an odd character. Joseph was clearly important enough for Yolande for her to risk the queen's wrath by bringing him with her - but not important enough to risk the queen's displeasure. It poses the question of whether Vaudreuil - in his capacity as a relation - was yet another blindly ambitious family member who was more than willing to use Yolande's relationship for his own advantage? If so, he succeeded, as he was granted both a pension of 30.000 livres and the position of Grand Fauconnier of France - neither of which he would have gained without Yolande.

Comte de Vaudreuil

Their behaviour during the revolution is quite telling, too. Both fled France during the revolution but went in separate directions. Yolande embarked on a journey through Europe, ending in Vienna where she herself died shortly after Marie Antoinette's execution. Joseph, meanwhile, had left far in advance. Already by the storming of the Bastille in 1789 - before the attack on Versailles, mind you - Joseph had left for the Austrian Netherlands. Furthermore, there is nothing to suggest that Yolande made any attempt at contacting Joseph after she fled France. It should not be ignored, either, that Joseph did not attend her funeral. Therefore, it seems likely that any connection they might have had in France was well and truly over by 1789.

Coincidentally, Yolande experienced a resurgence in her relationship with Marie Antoinette in the dying years of the 1780s. Whereas the queen had - as mentioned - become exasperated by her friend's demands, something changed after Yolande had spent a bit of time in England. Perhaps that change was the discarding of Vaudreuil? It would explain both why the queen happily accepted her friend back as her pushy lover would no longer be an inconvenience. It would also explain the seemingly sudden rupture of Yolande and Joseph's relationship. Considering that just a few years before, Yolande had been constantly flanked by Joseph, it would have taken quite a turn-around for something to change that drastically.

Given Yolande's willingness to remain in the queen's good graces, it might have become obvious that her relationship (whatever its nature) with Vaudreuil was more hindrance than help.