Marie Antoinette’s children lived under immense scrutiny and pressure at the lavish palace of Versailles. Their lives, heavily controlled by royal protocol, were drastically altered by the French Revolution. Despite Marie Antoinette’s reputation as a devoted mother, her public image suffered due to rumors of infidelity, including claims that her third child, Louis Charles, was fathered by a Swedish diplomat rather than King Louis XVI.
The revolution brought tragedy to her children. Louis Joseph, her second child and the Dauphin, died at a young age in 1789, leaving Louis Charles as the new heir. However, his title provided no security. Louis Charles was imprisoned, subjected to mistreatment, and forced to accuse his mother of heinous crimes during her trial. Separated from his family, he endured horrific conditions, leading to his decline and eventual death at just 10 years old.
Marie Therese, the eldest child, survived her imprisonment but was haunted by the loss of her family. She was the only one of Marie Antoinette’s children to outlive the revolution, but her life was marked by continued turmoil. After being released in 1795, she spent years contending with impostors claiming to be her lost brother. The trauma of her experiences never left her, and she passed away in 1851. Despite the royal status, the lives of Marie Antoinette’s children were marked by profound suffering and tragedy.
Top image: Marie-Antoinette en grand habit de cour – 1778 – Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun. Source: Yann Caradec from Paris, France/CC BY-SA 2.0
