Queen Marie Antoinette’s Surprising Morning Routine
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The famous French monarch loved long baths but disliked public ceremony
It is impossible to think about the French Revolution of 1789 without being reminded of the famous Queen Marie Antoinette.
Most remember Marie Antoinette — formerly known by her Austrian name as Maria Antoina Josefa Johanna — by her towering, elaborate hairstyles and expensive tastes, as shown and perhaps over exaggerated in Sofia Coppola’s 2006 film.
She is also mistakenly known for coining the phrase “let them eat cake,” a misquote circulated by her political enemies and those who wanted to justify her infamous beheading in 1793.
Marie Antoinette was disliked from the moment she stepped foot on French soil because of her Austrian heritage and spending habits, making the malicious rumors about her still pervasive today.
While the criticism of the beautiful monarch was excessive, she certainly enjoyed the finer things in life. Marie Antoinette’s taste for the exquisite is made obvious by her morning routine.
A morning bath
Arriving at Versailles and wedding her husband Louis XVI at only fourteen, Marie Antoinette must have yearned for the comforts of home.
After all, her husband showed little interest in his new wife — it took the two seven long years to consummate the marriage — and her dealings with some key members of the court were less than cordial. For example, she began a public feud with the King’s (her husband’s grandfather) mistress when she first arrived at court.
Perhaps this is why her mornings always consisted of small luxuries.
At the beginning of her marriage, Marie Antoinette enjoyed sleeping late, rising between nine and ten in the morning.
However, as she grew older, the fashion-conscious royal preferred waking at around eight o’clock to select her preferred fabrics and garments for the day:
The first waiting woman presented a book, in which were pasted samples of gowns, full dress, undress…
