Tea at Trianon: The Crown: Monaco Edition?

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

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

The Crown: Monaco Edition?

From Tatler:

The House of Windsor gave birth to The Crown. But another royal saga is in the works that is poised to offer even more scandal, drama and intrigue. Monaco will track the grand history of the ruling Grimaldi family, whose members include Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene, and the late Prince Rainier III and Grace Kelly. Tantalisingly, the project has the blessing of its royal subjects (or, more accurately, their descendants): it is being produced by a production company headed by Princess Caroline of Hanover’s sons – and Grace Kelly’s grandsons – Andrea and Pierre Casiraghi, and daughter-in-law Beatrice Casiraghi (née Borromeo). Dimitri Rassam, who is married to Princess Caroline’s daughter Charlotte Casiraghi, is also involved.
‘I thought I knew this story but it turns out I had only scratched the surface. Simply said, it is epic in every way: family, adventure, intrigue,’ Rassam said of the project, according to Variety. ‘The true story of the foundation of the Grimaldis of Monaco some seven centuries ago is one of the most captivating stories I have had the chance of discovering thanks to the initiative of Beatrice, Andrea and Pierre.’ (Read more.)