Marie Antoinette: The Journey

It took two and a half weeks for Marie Antoinette to travel from Vienna to Versailles, a town outside Paris. She was celebrated with balls, operas, and cheering crowds at stops along the way. The Comte de Noailles was sent to prepare Marie Antoinette for the demands of French court etiquette. At the border between French and Austria, everything Austrian was left behind: Marie Antoinette’s Austrian attendants were sent away and she took off her clothes; both were replaced with French versions. Afterward, she traveled to Strasbourg, where a celebration was held.

On May 14, 1770, Marie Antoinette arrived in the town of Compiègne, where she was greeted by King Louis XV, Dauphin Louis Auguste, and three of the king’s daughters. The king found her pretty, but flat-chested. That night, Marie met the Princesse de Lamballe, a future friend, as well as the king’s official mistress, the controversial Comtesse Du Barry.

On May 16, Marie Antoinette arrived at the court of Versailles for her wedding day. The dauphin was described as “cold” and “sulky” during the ceremony. That night, select members of the court, including the king, went to Marie and Louis’s bedroom to watch the ceremonial start of the marriage consummation (i.