On this day, King Stanislas writes to Queen Marie:
“Dearest heart, it is truly great news that you send me, all the more so since the rumour that the coffee was to be reformed made me fear for my portion. Now that the coffee is assured, nothing will prevent me from profiting from Saussade’s quarter on duty. The expedition to England is very interesting. Your prayers will grant the happy success that we hope for by God’s grace. Here I am at Commercy. It feels like my arms can stretch to embrace you, my dear heart, with all my heart and soul.”
Commentary:
To save money, Louis XV has decided to cut off the supply of free daily coffee to all the women of the bedchamber of the various royal households, an expense that amounts to 200,000 a year. The Queen’s own supply of coffee, it seems, is assured. This M Saussade is in charge of the coffee in the Queen’s Bouche, the department of her household in charge of food and drink, from July to September of each year, during which period King Stanislas usually makes his annual visit to either Compiègne or Versailles.
Stanislas has been the reigning Duke of Lorraine since 1737. The duchy was awarded to him by the Treaty of Vienna as compensation for the loss of his crown in the War of the Polish Succession. Lorraine’s capital is Nancy, but Stanislas lives at his palace in Lunéville for most of the year. One of his favourite escapes is his château at Commercy, which passed to him on the death of Élisabeth-Charlotte d’Orléans, the widow of Leopold I of Lorraine.
Pictured: The entrance front of the château of Commercy, photographed by me in July, 2023.
Louis XV’s father-in-law has been at Commercy, his last overnight stop before Versailles, since 3 July. There is only one more stage to the journey, but it is the longest one and the octogenarian father needs to rest for a little while before moving onwards to his daughter’s waiting arms.
Pictured: The garden front of Commercy, photographed by me in July, 2023. The gardens, once vast, no longer exist. Out of frame to the right are railway tracks. The interior of the château now houses municipal government offices.
The translation from the French is my own, as it always is unless I credit someone else. If you have questions that I have not addressed in the commentary, please ask in the comments.