The Queen Consort Summary and Analysis

In chapter nine, "In Truth a Goddess," Antoinette takes on the role of Queen of France and many compare her to a goddess or nymph. One child at court later relates the story of seeing Antoinette as a gentle, kind woman who is willing to play with the children until the moment a foreign ambassador arrives, at which time she becomes "strikingly dignified." One of the first acts of Louis as the new king is to eliminate the presence of his grandfather's consort, an act that many attribute to Antoinette though she had no need to try to influence her husband on this front. It's soon clear that Louis prefers the advice of his aunts to that of his wife. There's no official role for Antoinette in the French rule. If she were to give birth to...