Tea at Trianon: 1950s Princess

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, January 24, 2010

1950s Princess

Another Old Movie Blog discusses The Swan. Share

5 comments:

MadMonarchist said...: Thanks for the tip, that is one of my favorites (did a little review of it last month for the monaco blog). The story might not have been anything spectacular but with the amount of talent on screen there you couldn't go wrong. Incidentally, I know your 'thing' is France and not Monaco but are you at all familiar with the Monaco Institute?; January 24, 2010 at 4:15:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: No, I have never heard of it but it sounds interesting.; January 24, 2010 at 8:28:00 AM EST
MadMonarchist said...: I don't agree with them on everything but on all but two occasions I have and what sets them apart to me is their emphasis on the Catholic heritage of the country. I quoted their last release in my post for today on the Monaco blog dealing with the Pope and the Princess Grace exhibit going to England. A number of their articles have also been featured at Catholic.org, I link to them and I'd join them in a minute but I doubt I have sufficient brainpower to get through the door.; January 24, 2010 at 2:18:00 PM EST
Julygirl said...: Grace Kelly's life was full of irony...life imitating art or art imitating life. She has always been one of a kind, and the same is true for the beloved Audrey Hepburn.; January 24, 2010 at 4:47:00 PM EST
Jacqueline T. Lynch said...: Thank you so much for the link.; January 25, 2010 at 2:06:00 PM EST