Marie-Antoinette’s fate is sealed. She will marry the future King of France, the Dauphin, and she must join him in Versailles.
The time has come to say goodbye…
Before her departure, balls, banquets, fireworks and concerts are organised to honour the future Dauphine.
One morning the Empress gives her beloved daughter one last hug, with the tender words “Goodbye, my dear child. There will be many miles between us.” Marie-Antoinette is speechless with emotion. Bravely she fights back her tears and steps into the splendid gilt carriage sent by the King of France for her.
A long procession of fifty-seven carriages takes away the young girl, her little dog and a few friends, whom she will have to part with when she enters her new country, France.
“I must leave you, my dearest brothers and sisters, but my heart is yours to keep” whispers the Princess, watching her home and her happy childhood fade away in the distance. At the border she has to say goodbye once more, this time to her friends and her beloved pet.
“I cannot tell you how deeply your kindness has touched me.
Take good care of yourselves and of my dear little dog.”
The marriage ceremony is concluded there, between France and the Austrian Empire, and Marie-Antoinette hasn’t even seen the bridegroom yet! A royal envoy stood in for him. What a strange custom!
“Where is my Prince?” the new Dauphine wonders. She will meet him later on, in a forest where King Louis XV impatiently expects her, along with his daughters and grandson, the Dauphin Louis-Auguste, Marie-Antoinette’s new husband.
When Marie-Antoinette arrives at the Palace of Versailles, after a long three week journey, she is met by a weird crowd in powdered wigs, their faces covered in white with rouged cheeks and tiny moles made of black silk.
“What strange hairdos they have here! And it looks like they dip their faces in a tub of flour! Why do they have two large red circles on their cheeks? Is this a masquerade or is it the fashion in Paris?” wonders the Dauphine.
Soon Marie-Antoinette discovers life in the French Court and its heavy “etiquette”.
There are rules for everything you do here! “Madame Etiquette”, her stern lady-in-waiting, is always at her side to remind her of it. The princess is bored.
Her husband, Louis-Auguste, spends all his time hunting and she feels terribly lonely.
Huge formal dinners are served in front of a crowd of onlookers.
“This is ridiculous” she thinks. The Dauphine is losing her appetite. Everyone looks at her as if she were a strange animal in a zoo.
“Ah, it’s snowing…” she sighs, remembering her happy childhood in Austria. But being homesick won’t help. So she decides to have fun!
Sleigh-rides in the park and horse riding are followed by a night at the Opera, a play at the Comédie-Française or even better, a ball at the Opéra de Paris. There are also balls in Versailles, and Marie-Antoinette loves dancing. On Mondays the court dances at Madame la Dauphine’s, and on Wednesday at the Countess de Noailles’, the tiresome “Madame Etiquette”.
Days are passing by monotonously. Marie-Antoinette has to follow rules and customs set a hundred years earlier by the Sun-King Louis XIV. She finds them terribly dull.
“Madame, it is traditional for the Court to watch you get up in the morning”, Madame Etiquette declares with a frown.
“Is that so?” wonders Marie-Antoinette surprised,
“Can’t I get up and dress by myself?”
“Oh, your Highness, certainly not! These are the rules. When you wake up, you rise from your bed in the presence of the ladies. Then the Court is ushered in to watch you put on your make-up and wash your hands. After that, the Court retires and only the ladies stay.”
The Countess has a little awkward cough. “Then your lady-in-waiting washes her hands before handing you your chemise. After that, your attendant hands you the dress, assisted by the chief chambermaid and her helpers.
But if a Royal Princess is present, the lady-in-waiting must defer to her and let her hand you the chemise.
Does your Highness understand?”
Blah blah blah… “This is ridiculous!” Marie-Antoinette can’t believe it. She thinks these customs are weird and outdated, not to mention very embarrassing.
“This is too much!” decides the Dauphine, without losing her good nature and graceful character. “From now on the morning rituals will be simplified.
Once her hair is brushed and her make-up done, the Dauphine will greet the Court and then retire to her chambers to get dressed.” She gets her way.
