Part 3.5 is the last part of Chapter 3.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 3.5, Mme de Boigne records her family’s reception in England, which got off to a good start when they bumped into Mrs. Fitzherbert on the pier at Brighton.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter 3, Part 5 (3.5)

I have little recollection of this voyage.  I recall only the impression that the sight of the ocean caused me.  Child that I was, I devoted to it from that time a veneration that has never waned.  Its grey and green shades have a charm for me that the beautiful blue waters of the Mediterranean have not made me unfaithful to. 

We debarked at Brighton.  As chance would have it, my mother encountered Mrs. Fitzherbert, who was walking on the pier.  Some years before, fleeing the Prince of Wales’s attentions, she had come to Paris.  My mother, who was her cousin, had often seen her there.  Since then, the blessing of a Catholic priest having sanctified her relations with the prince, without making them legal, she was living with him in an intimacy to which both of them affected to give the most conjugal forms.  They lived as simple commoners in a small house in Brighton.  My parents were received there with alacrity, and this circumstance led them to spend a few days.  

I remember being taken to see Mrs. Fitzherbert one morning, and she showed us the prince’s dressing room, where there was a large table all covered in shoe buckles.  I cried out on seeing them and Mrs. Fitzherbert smilingly opened a big armoire which was also full of them.  There were shoe buckles for every day of the year.  It was part of the elegance of the time, and the Prince of Wales was the most elegant of the elegant men.  This collection of buckles struck my childish imagination, and for a long time the Prince of Wales only figured in it as the proprietor of all those buckles.  

My parents were very well received in England.  The French rarely went there in those days. My mother was a pretty woman of fashion, and her family loaded her with kind attentions.  We went to spend Christmas with the Earl of Winchilsea on his beautiful estate at Burleigh.  It seems to me now that this way of life was very magnificent, but I was too accustomed to great establishments to think much of it.  

Lord Winchilsea’s mother, Lady Charlotte Finch, was the governess of the English princesses.  I saw the three youngest of them several times at her home.  They were much older than I and they did not please me at all.  Princess Amelia called me little thing, which shocked me infinitely.  I spoke English very well, but I did not yet know that it was a term of affection.²⁰ 

Notes: 

20. See the letters written by Madame Adélaïde to the Marquise d’Osmond during this trip in the Pièces justificatives.  

Part 3.4 is the fourth of five parts of Chapter 3.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 3.4, the author recalls the confusion, missteps, and dangers of the events of October, 1789.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter 3, Part 4 (3.4)

One day, I was out playing at the home of the little de Guiches, and I was fetched away much earlier than usual.  Instead of the servant ordinarily charged with carrying me home, I found my father’s trusted valet.  I had an English nursemaid who spoke French badly; she was given a note from my mother.  While she was reading it, I returned to my little companions’ room, and already everything was upside down, there was weeping, and packing had got started.  I was bundled into a fur-lined coat and the valet took me up in his arms.  Then, rather than taking me to my parents,’ he settled me with my nursemaid at the home of an old English master, who lived in a small fourth-floor room in a distant part of town.  

The following night I was fetched away to the countryside, where I remained for several days without news from anyone.  I was already old enough to suffer a great deal from this exile.  It was around the time of the troubles of the month of June and the time of the departure of the Comte d’Artois, his children, and the Polignac family.  On my return, I found that the eldest of the little de Guiches was gone and his sister hidden at the home of her maid’s parents.  The motive of all this anxiety for us children had been the rumour put about that the people, as a handful of miscreants was then called, were on their way to come and take the nobles’ children away and make hostages of them.  

A great fright engendered by this separation remained with me, and when the events of 6 October occurred, my thoughts were occupied by the fear of being sent away from our house.  

Part 3.3 is the third of five parts of Chapter 3.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 3.3, the author recounts her father’s refusal to attend the opening of the Estates General in May, 1789, and the offence he gave to Madame Adélaïde on that score.   

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter 3, Part 3 (Part 3.3)

My father made no mistake about the gravity of the circumstances.  The ceremony of the opening of the Esates-General was solemn and accompanied by magnificent proceedings that attracted foreign visitors from every corner of Europe to Versailles.  My mother, attired in full court dress, had my father informed that she was leaving.  Not seeing him arrive, she went to his room and found him in his dressing gown.

“But you must hurry, we shall be late.”

“No, for I’m not going. I do not want to see that unfortunate man abdicate.”

That evening, Madame Adéläide spoke of the splendid view in the hall.  She addressed my father with a few questions about the details.  He replied that he had no idea of them.  

“Where you were sitting, then?”

“I was not there, Madame.”

“Were you ill?”

“No, Madame.”

“How is it that when others have come from so far away to attend this ceremony, you did not trouble yourself to cross the street?”

“It is just that I do not like funerals, Madame, still less that of the monarchy.”

“And I do not like that at your age you think you know better than everyone else.”

So saying, the princess turned on her heels.

It should not be concluded from this that my father did not want concessions to be made. On the contrary, he was persuaded that the times demanded them imperiously, but he wanted them made according to a plan agreed upon in advance, and he wanted them to be generous and freely given, not extorted. He watched the Estates General open with mortal anguish because, abreast of everyone’s vague aims, he knew that no one had fixed the actual goal at which they had to stop, whether in terms of demands or in terms of concessions.   

Furthermore, he had no confidence in M Necker. He believed that the latter was disposed to place the King at the top of a slope, not with the intention of pushing him down it, but with the arrogant notion that only he could hold him back, and thus render himself indispensable.  

Madame Adélaïde’s anger did not have long to wait before events calmed it.  

Part 3.4, in which Mme de Boigne recalls the events of October, 1789, should appear sometime in the first week of May, 2018.

Part 3.2 is the continuation of Chapter 3.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 3.2, which is quite short, the author relates an anecdote involving Louis XVI and her pet dog, discusses her relationships with the royal children, and notes the darkening shadows of the oncoming Revolution.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter 3, Part 2 (3.2)

I often used to encounter the King in the gardens of Versailles, and no matter how far away he was when I spotted him, I always ran to him.  When one day I failed to do so, he had me called.  I arrived all in tears.  

“What’s the matter, my little Adèle?”

“It’s your beastly guards, Sire, who want to kill my dog because he runs after your chickens.”

“I promise you that will never happen again.”

And indeed an order was issued to allow Mlle d’Osmond’s dog to chase the fowl. 

My successes were no less great with the young generation.  The Dauphin,²⁰ who died at Meudon, loved me extremely, and incessantly asked for me to come play with him, and the Duc de Berry²¹ got himself in trouble because at a ball he only wanted to dance with me.  Madame²² and the Duc d’Angoulême²³ favoured me less.  

The misfortunes of the Revolution put an end to my successes at Court.  I do not know if they acted on me in the way of a homeopathic remedy, but it is certain that despite these beginnings of my life, I have never had the instincts of a courtier, nor a taste for the society of princes.  Events had become too serious for anyone to be able to be amused by the antics of a child; 1789 had arrived.  

Notes:

20.  The first son of Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette; born in October, 1781, died in June, 1789.  

21.  Charles-Ferdinand, second son of the Comte d’Artois, born in 1778.

22.  Marie-Thérèse, daughter of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, born in 1778.

23.  Louis-Antoine, eldest son of the Comte d’Artois, born in 1775.   

Part 3.3 will deal with the opening of the Estates General and the events of October, 1789.  Look for it here on the blog or on the Versailles Century Facebook page next week!

Part 3.1 is the beginning of Chapter 3.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 3.1, the author relates how, as the only non-royal child at Court, she was spoiled by members of the royal family, including the King and Queen.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter 3, Part 1 (3.1)

I was literally raised on the knees of the royal family.  The King and Queen above all heaped kindness on me.  At a time when, as I have already said, children were put out to nurse, then to be weaned, and then sent to a convent, and when, dressed as little ladies and little gentlemen, they only appeared, sulky and grumpy, to be put on display, I, with my cambric frock and a profusion of blonde hair that adorned a pretty little figure, was extremely striking. My father amused himself developing my intelligence, and I was quite sincerely found to be a little prodigy.  I had learned to read with such great facility that at three years old I read and declaimed Racine’s tragedies for my own pleasure and even, it was said, for that of others.   

It pleased my father to take me to the theatre at Versailles.  I was taken away after the first play so as not to keep me up, and I remember that sometimes the King would call me into his box to have me recount the play I had just seen.  I added my own reflections, which were usually a great success.  To tell the truth, one day I said to him in the midst of my literary remarks that I felt a great desire to ask a favour of him; encouraged by his indulgence, I confessed that, since my ears were going to be pierced the next day, I coveted two of the smallest pendants of the chandeliers in order to have some earrings made.

After a long gap, Part 2.7 of A Childhood at Versailles is now finished.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 2.7, the author addresses the importance of wit at the Court of Versailles, which she illustrates with several anecdotes.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter Two, Part 7 (2.7)

It was during one of these conversations in her rooms that Mme Adélaïde recounted to my father how her curiosity about the Man in the Iron Mask had been checked.  She had talked her brother, the Dauphin, into asking the King who he was.  The Dauphin duly asked the King, who said: “My son, I will tell you if you like, but you will have to swear the same oath that I swore myself never to divulge this secret to anyone.”

The Dauphin admitted that he only wanted to know it in order to tell his sister Adélaîde, and said that he would forego hearing the secret.  The King answered that it was just as well, for the secret, which he set store by keeping because he had sworn to do so, had never been of any great importance and was therefore of no interest.  He added that there were only two men living who knew the secret, himself and M de Machault.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 2.6, the author describes Mme Adélaïde’s rather fraught relationship with her chief lady-in-waiting, the Duchesse de Narbonne, who seems to have been a bit of a bully.  This Duchesse de Narbonne (1734-1821), born Françoise de Chalus, had been a mistress of Louis XV.  What’s not explained in the original footnote at the bottom of the page is that it’s possible that Mme de Narbonne’s two sons, including the Comte Louis de Narbonne mentioned in this excerpt, were the King’s sons, and therefore Mme Adélaïde’s half-brothers.  If true, it makes Mme de Narbonne’s hold over Mme Adélaïde more understandable.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter Two, Part Six (2.6)

Mme de Civrac hosted a salon for Mme Victoire that was suitably full of courtiers.  Mme de Narbonne, however, added hardly anything more to the princess’s service than did the people who were invited to meals. Her arrogant personality did not permit any other relations.  It was put about in libels of the time that the Comte Louis de Narbonne was Mme Adélaïde’s son.  That is false and absurd, but it is true that the princess made enormous sacrifices for him.  Mme de Narbonne, otherwise so imperious, submitted to every one of Comte Louis’ whims.  When he committed an extravagance and was short of money, Mme de Narbonne would be in an insufferable mood, which she took out mainly on Mme Adélaïde, making her home life intolerable.  After a few days, the poor princess would buy her peace and quiet back at at exorbitant price.  This is how Comte Louis found himself supplied with enormous sums that were procured without the least effort on his own part, and which he spent with equal ease. In any case, he was the most agreeable and the least malicious of men; a scamp, to be sure, but only because he was always indulged.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts. In Part 2.5, the author tells how the royal family spent their evenings at Versailles, describing the ceremony of the coucher, or the royal going-to-bed, as practised under Louis XVI.

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter Two, Part 5 (2.5)

At nine o’clock the whole royal family gathered for supper in the apartments of Madame, the wife of Monsieur.  They were exclusively amongst themselves there, and were only very rarely absent.  There were positive reasons apart from displeasing the King.  Even the Comte d’Artois, who was very bored by these occasions, was hardly ever absent from them.  Court gossip was recounted and family matters were discussed.  They were very much at ease and often very merry, for it must be said that once they were separated from the entourages that importuned them, these princes were the best people in the world.  After supper, they all went their own ways.

The King went to his coucher.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts.  In Part 2.3, the author recalls the Princesse de Guéméné, the rather eccentric governess of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette’s children.  At any rate, she was their governess until a sudden reversal of fortune…

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter Two, Part 3 (Part 2.3)

At Versailles, the Princesse de Guéméné’s house was the one most frequented by my parents.  My father had some family connection to her, and she overwhelmed them with kindness.  She was a very singular person.  She had a great deal of intellect, but she put it to use by plunging into the follies of spiritualism.  She was always surrounded by a multitude of dogs to whom she rendered a kind of worship, and let on that through them she was in communication with intermediary spirits.  In the middle of a conversation in which she showed wit and judgement, she would suddenly stop short and fall into a trance.  She sometimes told her intimates what she had learned on these occasions and was offended to notice any signs of incredulity.

One day my mother found her in her bath, wreathed in tears.

“You are ill, princess!”

“No, child, I am sad and horribly tired; I spent the whole night fighting for this unfortunate child (motioning towards the Dauphin), but I could not beat them.  They won and there will be nothing left for him, alas!  And what a fate the others shall have!”

My mother, accustomed to the princess’s aberrations, paid little attention to these words; she remembered them afterwards and told them to me.

A Childhood at Versailles consists of the first 5 chapters of the memoirs of Mme de Boigne (1781-1866), née Adèle d’Osmond, who was a French salon hostess and writer.  She was born in the Château de Versailles and lived at the court of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette until her family fled to England during the Revolution.  Later in her long life, she married a rich soldier of fortune 30 years her senior, hosted a brilliant salon in Paris, and became an intimate of the last French queen, Marie-Amélie, consort of King Louis Philippe (r. 1830-1848).  Childless herself, Mme de Boigne addressed her memoirs to her grandnephew.  The memoirs were not published until 1907, under the title Récits d’une tante, or An Aunt’s Tales.  They’ve never been published in English, as far as I know, so I’ve decided to translate the first 5 chapters, the ones that take place mainly at Versailles, and post them here on this blog for interested readers to enjoy for free.

The chapters are quite lengthy, so I’ve broken each one into several parts.  In Part 2.2, the author describes the urbane manners and mores of summer life in 3 great country houses: Hautefontaine, Frascati, and Esclimont.  As far as I can tell, all 3 chateaux were casualties of the Revolution.  

A Childhood at Versailles, Chapter 2 (Part 2.2)

During the first years of my parents’ residence at Versailles, they divided their summer between the homes of the Duc d’Orléans, Saint-Assise and Raincy, Hautefontaine, which belonged to the Archbishop of Narbonne, the Bishop of Metz’s Frascati, and the Maréchal de Laval’s Esclimont.

I am wrong to say that Hautefontaine belonged to the Archbishop of Narbonne; it belonged his niece, Mme de Rothe, daughter of his sister, Lady Forester.  She was the widow of a General de Rothe.  She had been pretty enough and despotic with it, and did the honours of the house for her uncle, with whom she lived for many years in a highly complete intimacy that they hardly bothered to dissimulate.

The Archbishop had eight hundred thousand in revenue from his clerical benefices.  Every two years he went down to Narbonne for a fortnight, and then presided over the Estates at Montpellier for six weeks.  Throughout these times, he led a grand and very episcopal life, and deployed a fair amount of administrative capacity in presiding over the Estates.  However, the day that the sessions ended, he packed up his papers and never gave them another thought until the next sessions opened, nor did he give any further thought to the needs of his diocese.

Hautefontaine was his customary residence.  Mme de Rothe was its proprietor, but the Archbishop was the master.  He had married his nephew, Arthur Dillon, son of Lord Dillon, to Mlle de Rothe, an only daughter and his grand-niece.  She was a very pretty woman, very fashionable, one of the Queen’s ladies, and openly had a liaison with the Prince de Guéméné, who spent his whole life at Hautefontaine.  In a nearby village, he had installed a hunting establishment, which he possessed in common with the Duc de Lauzon and the Archbishop, for whom his nephew, Arthur, served as the front.