Sunday, September 1, 2013

The Marriage of Madame de Lamballe

From Madeleine Doak:
Formerly Princesse Marie Louise of Savoy, she married the Duc de Penthièvre's son, the Prince de Lamballe, when she was seventeen years old and attained the title of Princess de Lamballe.  Like most royal and aristocratic marriages of the day, it was arranged by their families.  Nonetheless, the Princesse recorded in her memoirs that her husband-to-be was so anxious to get a pre-official presentation look at her that he joined the group that traveled to meet her when she arrived in France, disguised as a page.  She was so taken with the page that during the journey to Paris, she exclaimed, "I hope my prince will allow his page to attend me, for I like him much.  What was my surprise when the Duc de Penthièvre presented me to the Prince and I found in him the page for whom I had already felt such an interest!  We both laughed and wanted words to express our mutual sentiments.  This was really love at first sight."

Alas, their bliss was short-lived.  The duc de Penthièvre had selected Princesse Marie Louise hoping that her beauty and purity would influence his son to abandon his dissolute lifestyle.  A lifestyle he shared with his sister's husband the infamous duc de Chartres.  Didn't happen.  Within two years he had sold her diamonds, run off with an opera singer, and died of a venereal disease. (Read more.)
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1 comment:

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing.
Beautiful oil painting.