Memoirs of the Court of Marie Antoinette, Queen of France, Volume 4 Being the Historic Memoirs of Madam Campan, First Lady in Waiting to the Queen
by Mme. Campan
- Pages
- about 75
- Category
- History
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 83 min at 250 wpm
From the opening
About the close of the last century several of the Northern sovereigns
took a fancy for travelling. Christian III., King of Denmark, visited the
Court of France in 1763, during the reign of Louis XV. We have seen the
King of Sweden and Joseph II. at Versailles. The Grand Duke of Russia
(afterwards Paul I.), son of Catherine II., and the Princess of
Wurtemberg, his wife, likewise resolved to visit France. They travelled
under the titles of the Comte and Comtesse du Nord. They were presented
on the 20th of May, 1782. The Queen received them with grace and dignity.
On the day of their arrival at Versailles they dined in private with the
King and Queen.
The plain, unassuming appearance of Paul I. pleased Louis XVI. He spoke
to him with more confidence and cheerfulness than he had spoken to Joseph
II. The Comtesse du Nord was not at first so successful with the Queen.
This lady was of a fine height, very fat for her age, with all the German
stiffness, well informed, and perhaps displaying her acquirements with
rather too much confidence. When the Comte and Comtesse du Nord were
presented the Queen was exceedingly nervous. She withdrew into her closet
before she went into the room where she was to dine with the illustrious
travellers, and asked for a glass of water, confessing "she had just
experienced how much more difficult it was to play the part of a queen in
the presence of other sovereigns, or of princes born to become so, than
before courtiers." She soon recovered from her confusion, and reappeared
with ease and confidence. The dinner was tolerably cheerful, and the
conversation very animated.
Brilliant entertainments were given at Court in honour of the King of
Sweden and the Comte du Nord. They were received in private by the King
and Queen, but they were treated with much more ceremony than the Emperor,
and their Majesties always appeared to me to be very, cautious before
these personages.
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