On this day, the Duc de Croÿ, who has come to Versailles to dine with M de Sartines, reports news of the Queen’s pregnancy.
Commentary:
Louis XVI and Queen Marie-Antoinette have been married for nearly 8 years at this date and this is the Queen’s first pregnancy. The child will be born in December.
Pictured: Marie-Antoinette (1755-1793), Queen of France and Navarre, painted in 1775 by Dagoty.
The Duc de Croÿ has previously remarked that the Comte and Comtesse d’Artois are the only members of the royal family who are procreating. They have 3 children at this date, the youngest born only 4 months ago. The Comte d’Artois is the King’s youngest brother.
Pictured: Marie-Thérèse de Savoie (1756-1805), Comtesse d’Artois, in the early 1780s with her 3 surviving children, the Duc d’Angoulême (left) and the Duc de Berry (right), who will both survive to adulthood, and Mlle d’Artois, who will not.
The middle brother, the Comte de Provence, is married, but he and his wife, like the King and Queen until just now, have not shown any evidence of having consummated their marriage. The Comtesse de Provence will in fact never become pregnant.
Pictured: Marie-Josephine de Savoie (1753-1810), Comtesse de Provence, with a bust of her husband.
The Comtesse de Provence and the Comtesse d’Artois are sisters, princesses of Savoy and Sardinia. Their elder brother is married to one of their husbands’ sisters, Madame Clothilde.
Pictured: Clothilde de France(1759 -1802), at this date Princess of Piedmont, later Queen of Sardinia, declared a Servant of God in 1808 and Venerable in 1982.
Croÿ goes to Versailles almost every Friday to dine with M de Sartines, the Secretary of State for the Navy. He then accompanies the minister on his daily constitutional around the Pièce d’Eau des Suisses, a walk of more than 2km. They are often alone on these walks, which gives our diarist the opportunity to discuss naval and other matters one-on-one.
If you have questions that I have not addressed in the commentary, please ask in the comments.
Hey Portia, just saw this. Cool.
This is cool. Just found your Stack. Love the 1775 Dagoty.