Princesse Lamballe

The Princesse Lamballe is one of those subjects that has, so far, been too much for me to tackle.  For my purposes here, let's just say that she was Marie Antoinette's first close friend in France and, as such, had her own bedchamber at the Petit Trianon.  When Elissa, Matt and I took our private tour of the normally unseen parts of the Trianon, we stood in her bedchamber, spellbound.  To THINK that she actually inhabited, lived in, the room and to imagine her there was profound.

To set the stage and provide perspective, a short description is in order… The princesse was reportedly so sensitive that she fainted at the least provocation, so much so that something I read recently suggested that she may have had epilepsy.   When Marie Antoinette gave birth to one of her children, the Lamballe, witnessing the event, collapsed in a faint and had to be carried from the room.  Sensitive she may have been, but when the chips were down, she was made of iron.  She, alone, of Marie Antoinette's friends, stayed at her side and, because she refused to denounce the King and Queen, died a most horrible death.  There's more to tell, but later.