Tea at Trianon: Christmas Dinner at Blenheim Palace

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, December 27, 2020

Christmas Dinner at Blenheim Palace

From The Daily Mail:

Blenheim Palace has unveiled its stunning traditional festive decor ahead of the Marlborough family's Christmas celebrations, as they invite visitors to experience the classic winter look of the state rooms - complete with dazzling trees, twinkling lights and festive garlands. The UK's only non-royal palace, the family seat of the Duke of Marlborough, has been transformed into a remarkable Yuletide paradise for visitors to enjoy until January 3rd. While the Oxfordshire venue is renowned for its spectacular and inventive themes - with last year's being an Alice In Wonderland extravaganza, this year the family have decided to scale back their display. (Read more.)