A Royal Affair

One of the most discussed and disputed affairs was that of Marie Antoinette and Axel de Fersen. It is still not certain whether or not they actually had a sexual affair or if it was platonic. But let's take a look at the rumoured affair anyway:

The Swedish count first met the French Queen at a mask ball in 1774 and when they were introduced again four years later, Marie Antoinette exclaimed: "Oh, he's an old acquaintance!". He immediately became a part of the Queen's inner circle when he moved to Versailles and was often invited to the exclusive dinner parties given by the Queen herself. He was even invited to Petit Trianon and spent many hours with the Queen and her friends. Axel de Fersen was sent off to fight in the American war of independence and divided his time between court and his regiment.

The correspondence between the Queen and the count show their affection for one another. These letters has nourished the legend of their affair and many has wondered whether Axel meant Marie Antoinette, when he wrote this to his sister: "I have taken the decision never to marry [...] I cannot belong to the one person whom I would truly wish to be mine [...] So I do not want to belong to anybody." 

When Marie Antoinette and her family was imprisoned during the revolution, Fersen had stayed - unlike many of her other friends - and even arranged the flight to Varennes. When Marie Antoinette was beheaded Axel was devastated. He noted that now that Marie had died, he had lost everything that he had in the world. He continued on noting: She whom I have loved, for whom I would have given my life a thousand times for, no longer exists. He himself died in 1810.

Dressing the Queen

In a court that was famous for being the most fashionable in Europe, the Queen's wardrobe was of the utmost importance. Marie Antoinette had a great love of fashion and she often spent more than her allowances on dresses, shoes, perfumes etc. But - of course - there was a strict etiquette that had to be followed even when it came to the Queen and her dresses.

Marie Antoinette started every morning with being presented with the gazette des atours which was a book with fabric samples. She would then place a pin on the fabric she wanted to wear, the book would be sent to her wardrobe and the chosen dress would be carried to her bedchamber in baskets of velvet taffeta in a dark green. When the Queen's bedroom was renovated several pins were found that had slipped down between the floorboards during one of these ceremonies.

The court etiquette dictated that the Queen must change dress three times a day. The first dress would be for going to Mass and would often be made of silk or velvet. She would then change into a "simple" gown made of muslin or cotton and she would wear this for the rest of the day. Then, for the evening, the Queen changed into the famous extremely elaborate gowns and she would often attend balls or operas. You can almost imagine a room filled with ladies wearing huge dresses decorated with gemstones...

Furthermore the Queen could only wear a dress once - and then she had to pass it on for a lady-in-waiting or a friend. Marie Antoinette's wardrobe allowances meant that the Queen could buy thirty-six dresses for winter and another thirty-six dresses for summer. Three entire rooms at Versailles stored the many - and huge! - dresses of this last Queen of France and it was open for the public as an exhibition.
But sadly the revolution meant that many of Marie Antoinette's dresses were either destroyed or reused.

Adopted by the Queen?

Marie Antoinette was the focus-centre of many rumours and royal gossip. One of the rumours that surrounded her before the revolution was that she evidently adopted a peasant boy!

Reality was that Marie was very fond of children and wanted to help a poor peasant family. She provided money for the education of the peasant boy, Jacques, and helped his family out financially. Marie was very interested in the boy's upbringing because - at the time - she had no children of her own. However, that she "adopted" him is a wrong term. If she had adopted him then he would legally be her son - something that definitely could not be allowed for a Queen of France.
Instead she would follow the boy's life with interest. When she had her own children her attention towards the little boy naturally declined but she never stopped checking up on him.

So, to sum up:

Marie Antoinette did not adopt a boy but paid for his education and aided his family with their financial problems. She most likely did it because she had no children of her own combined with her great love of children.