She had spent the entire voyage across the channel on deck, breathlessly awaiting her first glimpse of France in almost twenty years....The sound of English cannon had barely faded when they began to hear an echoing roar on the French shore. The closer the coast of her homeland came to her, the more the rush of tears seized Thérèse. The moment had come at last. There she was, in a high-crowned, beplumed hat, and tailored white dress with a shoulder cape, at her uncle's side on the ship's bridge, looking at the throng who had come to greet them. They were her own people, for whom she felt an overwhelming maternal love that would risk anything for their benefit.
The moment of disembarkation had arrived. With the King leaning upon her arm, they went forth from the ship, to be met by the local clergy and worthies of Calais....The first to bend the knee was an old priest, who had once been exiled for refusing the constitutional oath....
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4 comments:
This is so beautiful, her love for her people and country despite everything she had endured there... Thanks.
You're welcome, Hummingbird. Yes, the princess always had a great love for France which, as she said, she had learned from her parents.
Must have been quite a powerful moment for Marie. She was a fascinating woman.
This, I think, is one of the advantages of a monarchy where the members of the royal family are raised from childhood for the public role. It seems to enable them to identify with their country and people in a unique way.
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