Wondery Plus subscribers can listen to even the royals early and add free right now. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts. You and I have been friends for a long time. Yeah, and you know what, honestly, not long enough. I want to have you a long time ago. You know, I don't disagree at all. Good times. Yeah. We've kind of been through it all, you know. We have, yeah, parking cars for celebrities. Yes. Living together.
Yes. Having arguments about how to put the toilet paper in the role correctly or who turned magnets upside down. Yeah, real serious stuff. Yeah, yeah. We get into the nitty gritty. And here's something else I think our listeners should know about us. We live in brief rom-coms. Literally, I feel like that's one of the times where I'm being completely serious. Yep. And we also love the do-eyed cousin of the rom-com, the Princess movie. But these stories always end after the Princess marries.
The Prince, and allegedly lives happily ever after. Like, we never see the part where they get into a screaming match about whose turn it is to clean the moat, you know? Honestly, I need to see that. Me too. That's how you can really tell where the love is when you see two people fight. Yep. But all jokes aside, real life is hard. I mean, sure, you get to wear a tiara, but you can also get exiled or beheaded. Right. And we're not talking Disney movies.
Like, the real life, uncensored version is usually more like game of thrones, meets Vanderpump rules. Ugh, what a great mashup. And that brings us to why we're here. Brooke and I have so much fun pulling back the curtain on the world's biggest celebrities and family dynasties over on even the rich. That we wanted to do the same on a show all about royals. So in this new series, we'll be sharing stories about some royals you may have heard of. And some, you likely have not.
So Brooke, speaking of someone everyone knows of, but who most people don't actually really know, when I say Marie Antoinette, where does your mind go? Listen, I know what most people would say, but here's the thing when we auditioned for even the rich. They asked us who our favorite royals were and you said Marie Antoinette and you were like, she didn't actually say let them eat cake and I've never forgotten it.
Oh my God, this is really hitting me in the fields of, you know, while she was a wig wearing fashion icon of her time who ended up getting beheaded, the truth of Marie's story and why she was killed is way more complicated than cake. Like, what if I told you all of this was because of really bad PR, that she was basically the victim of a total bogus propaganda campaign with pornographic cartoons? Okay, well, I know nothing and I'm now on board.
Yeah, this story truly wild and that's just the beginning. I mean, if you think a bunch of nude pictures is bad, grab those pearls to clutch for when you hear what she's ultimately accused of. Honestly, it's almost too shocking to believe. Okay. So this is the story that shows how rumors can get you killed. You ready, Brooke? Oh, I am so ready. It's October 1793 in Paris. Queen Marie Antoinette of France is riding the back of an open wagon.
Her hands are bound and her once fabulous hair has been hacked off. She's weak and she's half starved, but she still manages to sit up straight. She chose her outfit carefully today, a pristine morning dress, pedicote, and bonnet, all white. She's determined to carry herself like a queen, not like a criminal. Now, pulling on context clues, I'm sure you've guessed she's on her way to be executed for high crimes against France. I did have a feeling maybe that was happening, yes.
So a huge crowd gathers in the plastula revolution to her own insults at Marie. Now, most of these insults are about how she's a traitor and a sexual deviant. Marie wants to yell back at them, but the people didn't listen to Marie during her trial, so why would they now? And part of her is like, fuck them. But then she thinks of her kids and a pit forms in her stomach when she wonders if her children will remember her as a villain too. Marie finally arrives at the center of the square.
Her eyes shoot up to a platform where the executioner and the guillotine await. It's only a few steps at the top, but for Marie, it might as well be a thousand. She shrugs off the soldier who's leading her to the stairway. She doesn't need or want his help. She's doing this alone. But with each step, her pulse speeds up. She reaches the top of the platform and stares defiantly into the executioner's eyes. He pushes her forward and forces her head onto the chopping block.
She catches one last glimpse of the blade dangling overhead. She can't believe it's come to this. When she first came from Austria and was introduced as a future queen of France, people cheered her into streets. They saw her as a force of change. What did she do to make them turn against her so dramatically? How could they swing so violently from love to hate? She still can't fully understand it. What in collars closed around her neck and her thoughts swirl?
Was there something she could have done differently? Could she have listened more? Fought harder? Many people would have loved her if she'd acted like someone else. Someone less foreign, less independent, less Marie Antoinette-like. Or maybe not. Maybe because she was a strong woman in a world run by men, she was always doomed to a faith like this. If I asked you how many subscriptions you have, would you be able to list all of them and how much you're paying?
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Rocket money has over 5 million users and has helped save its members an average of $720 a year with over 500 million in cancelled subscriptions. Stop wasting money on things you don't use. Cancel your unwanted subscriptions by going to rocketmoney.com slash Wondery. That's rocketmoney.com slash Wondery. Rocketmoney.com slash Wondery. Angie has made it easier than ever to connect with skilled professionals to get all your home projects done well.
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And this is Even the Royals, where we bring you true stories of the world's kings, queens, and all the wannabes in their orbit. It's a show about pulling back the gilded curtain, because despite the whole anointed by God thing, Royals are just like us. Yeah, they have messy breakups, backstabbing frenemies, and workplace drama. Only theirs ended wars, beheadings, and sometimes the fall of dynasties. No biggie.
This two-part series is all about Marie Antoinette, the infamous last queen of friends who found herself in a fight for her reputation, her legacy, and her life. This is Episode 1. Diamonds aren't a girl's best friend. Let's jump back 23 years to May 1770. We're at Versailles, the huge palace of Louis XV, King of France. Everything from the wall to the furniture is gilded and gaudy.
The king and a crowd of royal partiers, a sport 14-year-old Marie Antoinette, and her 15-year-old hubby, Louis XVI, into the royal bed chamber. And why, you might ask, is this crowd of muckety mucks gathering in a teenager's bedroom? Because when you're a royal, your business is everyone's business, even when you're about to have sex for the first time. As a teenager, I know. That's...Yup. Also, never say muckety muck again. Alright, fine. But yes, it's Marie's wedding night. Oh, wow.
The king makes sure that Marie and Louis get under the covers before ushering everyone out. They lay in a gilded bed that's been blessed by the archbishop, and Marie is terrified. She and Louis met for the first time two days ago. Oh, wow. They barely know each other. Plus, neither of them knows a thing about sex. The internet is at least another 200 years away. So they sit there in bed, and neither makes a move. Marie's anxiety isn't helped by the huge grandfather clock in the room.
Every tick tocks that's her further on edge. Her thoughts spiral as she considers her options. Option one. Run. But where would she go? She's hundreds of miles from her hometown of Vienna. Plus, palace guards have horses, and have you ever tried running in a hoop skirt? There's a reason Princess is end up leaving slippers behind on the steps. That's fair. Option two. Straight up refuse. But then again, that's not really an option either. She's a princess, and her job is to produce an heir.
And let's be very clear, nothing about this night, or Marie's move to France has been her choice. So she goes with option three. Take charge. She knows she has a job to do, even if she's not feeling it. And it looks like she'll have to be the one to take action. Because Louis, he's currently imitating a corpse. Or you flirting. Oh, yay. Wow. Shot's fired, and we're just getting started. We are. We are. So Marie steals herself and rolls towards her husband.
She lets her hand fall lightly across his chest, and waits for him to take it, or kiss it, or do anything with it whatsoever. Instead, he shuts his eyes and goes to sleep. Oh, also much like me. Yeah, well, I respect it. Marie lies back. Half her leaves, she's not about to be ravaged by this boyman. But the other half of her, the part that knows the fate of the country rests on an air, starts to worry. Because who do you think is going to get blamed if they don't make a baby like right away?
Something tells Marie it's not going to be golden boy Louis. Okay, so before we get to into the weeds, let me give you the quick background on how a 14 year old Austrian chick found herself in the bed of the very not horny air to the French throw. Yes, please. So Marie has come to France at a critical time. The gap between the aristocracy and the so-called Third Estate, which basically means everyone who isn't royal or noble, has been widening for decades.
Plus France is broke after a long war with Austria. But after three centuries of fighting, they're finally allies. And in order to cement this partnership, the countries arrange for a marriage between Marie and Louis. Now the only problem is Marie doesn't want to go. She's devastated to leave Austria. I mean, it's bad enough she's being forced to leave home. But being the future queen of France means she literally has to give up being Austrian.
She has to change the way she dresses and the language she speaks. And worst of all, and Brooke, you will hate this. Oh no, she has to say goodbye to her Austrian pug. Absolutely not. You're like, go back to war countries because I'm not giving up my dog. Yeah. Or take my head now. Honestly, I don't care. No, you know that thing about how the French hate anyone who isn't French. Yes. Well, it's pretty much always been a thing.
Because when Marie gets to Versailles, people at court think she does everything wrong. They give her the side eye when she attempts even the simplest of tasks. It's like showing up for your first day of work, or I guess since she's a teenager, will say school. And everyone is following you around making mental notes of everything you do. So I wear a nightmare. Yeah, not a good start. No. And it's not like Marie has a supportive partner to help her through all of this.
Louis is cold, weak, and a real snooze. Not just when he's supposed to be consummating his marriage. Well, and he's also a child. Yeah, that too. Yeah, they're both kids. Like this is absurd. Yeah. Now Marie is homesick and in way over her head. So what does a young princess do when ripped from her family and thrown into a hostile French court? Whatever she can to cheer herself up. It's four years later and the dead of winter. Marie Antoinette is at a mast ball in the heart of Paris.
Partiers mix and mingle in the ballroom, eating, drinking, and getting their free gun. Let's just say there's dip for days. I was gonna say there better be death. The social packing order has been wiped clean for the night as everyone slinks in cognito behind their masks. Marie is at the center of it all. Dressed to the nines. Her silk dressed shimmers with jewels and she's rocking a three foot updo. Ooh. Marie's filled the void of her family by doubling down on having fun.
It's rubbed some courteers the wrong way. But if she's going to be queen one day, she figures she might as well get the perks. Now, Louis is nowhere to be found. Honestly, he's probably back at Versailles asleep by 10 as per usual. Parties are not his thing. And that's fine with Marie. She's here to have a blast. Not let her sad sack of a husband spoil it. Well, he might have gotten his first chest hair. You never know. Yeah, that's something we're celebrating.
And Marie, like me, is a great dancer. Oh, wait. She floats around into her satin slippers doing their Versailles glide, which is a move that makes it look like your feet never touch the ground. The who's who of Paris are all there, sipping on champagne and watching Marie make the dance floor her bitch. The tempo picks up and she starts to dance with a sexy guy in a purple mask. There's instant chemistry and he matches her step-for-step. Marie feels her heart flutter as they catch eyes.
Does she know him? It's impossible to say because he's wearing that stupid mask. And if a Cinderella story, starring Hillary Doff taught us anything, it's that a simple mask over the eyes obscures your whole identity. You know, Alicia, this is why we're best friends because I immediately pictured that movie when you said this. So, yeah, on the same page. I mean, it's a timeless classic. It is! Dancing with this mystery man makes Marie feel alive.
The music finishes and the mystery man bows to Marie. He gives her a look like, should we take this to the garden? But she pats his hand and rejoins her friends. She's not trying to start trouble. Besides, it's three in the morning and she's had enough fun for one night. And it's interesting because in all the movies about Marie and Tuenette, you see her having these affairs with hot guys in trigonor hats. A.K.A. Pirate hats, which means they were just trying to get that booty, you know?
Oh, there it is. There it is. But in reality, Marie's actually pretty modest. I mean, at least by the standards of the French court. Now, that doesn't stop her from flirting though. She's got to have fun somehow because Louis ain't doing the trick. The whole sexless marriage thing? It's still happening. In fact, it's been almost five years. And she and Louis still have not done the deed. Oh, wow. Okay. That's impressive, honestly. Yeah, it is. It is.
Especially if you think about like raging teenager hormones. Exactly, yeah. And honestly, there might as well be a ring camera in her Boudoir because everyone in France knows about their sexless marriage. Yeah. The thing is, when you're the future queen, whatever does or doesn't go on in your bedroom, is a matter of national importance. The stability of the country rests on the loins of a couple of teenagers who are in vibing. With every passing year, the pressure rises.
And of course, this being the 18th century, everyone assumes the problem lies with Marie. It's May 1774, and Marie is in her bedroom in Versailles. She's just stumbled in after another long night of partying. Her ruse smudged her hair as sticking out from under her waist. And she has serious champagne breath. Marie falls face-first onto her bed. And that's when her head starts to pound. But then she realizes the pounding isn't just in her head. There's someone at the door.
Louis rushes into the bed chamber. Now Marie's annoyed. She's had a long night, and she just wants to sleep. But when she sees the tears in his eyes, she sits up. He can barely choke out the words. His grandfather, the king of France, has died. Oh no. The news hits Marie hard, and her head really starts to pound. Her Louis is the next in line, because his dad died about 10 years earlier. So if the king is gone, that means she just became queen. And she's not ready.
Marie's finally gotten into a groove at court and stopped crying over her mom and her Austrian dog. She has friends and parties to go to every night. Being a princess is fun. But being a queen, that sounds hard. Yeah, that's work. Yeah. And who wants to do work? No one. Yeah. Louis starts to lose it. And Marie's heart goes out to him. Even though there's still pretty much strangers, she knows firsthand how hard it is to say goodbye to your family before you're ready.
So she takes Louis's hand, and they both fall to their knees and pray together. She puts on a brave face, but it's hard not to let her fear take over. Because now the clock to produce an air is really ticking. Queens who don't have babies have a way of getting disposed of. Oh no. The thoughts and shivers through Marie's body. But she has to find a way to push those fears aside. Because at the young age of 19 years old, Marie Antoinette becomes queen of France. Whether she's ready or not.
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It's 1775 and Marie is at a horse race in the Bois de Bologna. It's a large park near Paris packed with members of the French court. And the most important thing is to get a ride on the road. It's a large park near Paris packed with members of the French court. Everyone is in their finest. Men in fancy raccoco coats and breaches and women with their widest floral gowns. Below the grandstand, Marie jumps up and down yelling for her horse to run faster.
She may be dressed like a queen, but she cheers like one of the people. Marie slams her fist in frustration as her horse trails behind and she loses another huge bet. Now, anyone else might call it a day, but the queen is no quitter. There's always another bet to make. In the year she's been queen, Marie spends most days like this, partying and dancing and partaking in her new favorite pastime, gambling. Does she gamble a lot? Sure. One year she lost 500,000 Leavera.
That's a couple million bucks to you and me. Oh my God. Yeah. But that's nothing out of the ordinary for a royal. People gossip about her at court, but Marie's gotten really good at ignoring it. But before she can make another wager, her lady in waiting pulls her aside. She warns Marie that a CD pamphlet, or what's called a Lebel, has been making the rounds in Paris.
Now, Lebels are like today's equivalent of a nasty political cartoon, and they're sometimes paired with a little rhyme or a punchline. Marie asks to see it and her lady hands it over. This Lebel is about the queen's inability to get pregnant. Marie clenches the paper tight and reads the graphic verses. It describes her as a sad queen and suggests different positions the royal couple might try. It even compares the king's foreskin to Marie's favorite color, Puse.
I don't even know what that means, honestly, and I don't want to. Marie crumbles the Lebel. Her day just keeps getting worse. Then she looks around and spots a courtyard waiting a pamphlet and laughing. She marches over and snatches it out of his hands. But when she looks down, she sees it's just a wager sheet. Marie starts a blush and she's suddenly very aware of all the eyes on her. She's pissed.
It's not her fault her husband won't touch her. But more worrying to her is how her people could publicly trash her like this. She's the queen of France. They should be kissing her ass or living in healthy fear of her, bringing her baguettes in bed. Yes, it's not too much to ask. Marie pulls herself together and decides it's time to have a word with the royal censor. He's got some explaining to do. So let's backtrack a little. Marie and Louise Reign as king and queen starts off well enough.
In fact, the French people were excited for their new king and they fond over their new queen. Because Louise grandfather, the old king, let corruption reign and ran up huge bills waging war. So in comparison, Marie and Louise are way less greedy. But things quickly go downhill. After yet another war, this time with England, the country is broke.
Things get worse when Louise knew how to finance gets the bright idea that the government should stop regulating the grain market and let the peasants figure it out for themselves. Oh, okay. Yeah. But his plan totally backfires. This plus poor harvest leads to grain shortages, which lead to skyrocketing prices, which lead to famine. People are mad at the government and Louise and Marie are becoming the focal point.
The spread of these anti-Marie lebells plays on that anger and shows the monarchies weakening position. Now, just a few years ago, it would have been unthinkable to show such open disrespect for royalty. They've always been treated like gods. I mean, Louise grandpa was literally called the sun king. Yeah, he's also a man. You said it. I did.
But the lebells keep coming out. The royal censor tries to stop them, but the pamphlets are already everywhere and publishers are making so much money they refuse to stop. Marie is their favorite target. And when they get sick of mocking her sex life, they move on to a new subject, her spending. And there's just no way around it. Marie burns through a lot of cash. In 1776, when our country was but a wee newborn, she dropped a few million on dresses alone.
Now again, this is super typical of royals at the time. She's not doing anything different from queens who came before her. But it's not so cool when the rest of the country can't even afford to buy bread or cake, right? With the bad press showing no sign of letting up, Marie decides she can't handle the heat. So she gets the hell out of the kitchen. She packs her bags and moves to the country. So let's jump forward seven years to the spring of 1782.
Sunlight filters through the trees in a secluded corner of the grounds at Versailles. A river flows gently nearby. It's incredibly peaceful. That is until someone comes crashing through the forest, causing birds to scatter everywhere. It's Marie, but she looks nothing like her old self. She's traded in her towering wig and diamonds for a simple white dress and straw hat. It's her uniform of choice in this private oasis known as Petite Trionon.
Marie has traded her fast track life in Paris for the delicious laziness of the country. It's a simple chateau, just a bunch of sheep and a whole lot of flowers. And guess what? She's thriving. Now that she's far from the prying eyes of the public in press, it's like she did a social media cleanse and never stopped. I honestly love that her idea of relaxing is still wearing a dress. Couldn't be me! And you know that's coming with a corset? Like, oh my god. Yeah, she can't breathe.
Marie pauses at the edge of the forest and listens, because she's not alone in the woods. In fact, she's chasing someone. Suddenly, her daughter, Marie Tariya Charlotte, jumps out from behind a note. Then her son, Louis Joseph, crawls out from a pile of leaves. Yep, Marie and Louis finally had sex. Wow. At least twice. I thought a stork was about to come into the story that she actually talks to like a real queen. Yeah. But does he need most people to think that?
Yep. But no, Marie and Louis now have two kids, ages three and almost one. Now Marie adores her children. And the best part about her private retreat is she gets to enjoy being a mom and protect her kids from the toxic shit they print in the papers. All three of them look up at the sound of the royal carriage. Louis hops out and wades. The kids run to say hi to daddy and he ruffles their hair. Louis a very proud father these days.
Knowing he has a son to take over when he dies is a huge weight off his shoulders. Louis tells Marie he has something for her. That he pulls out a large velvet box, which contains a totally outrageous diamond necklace. By which I mean it looks like five necklaces in one. There's a diamond choker, trailing ribbons of diamonds, which dangle with many diamond pendants. All told, the thing has 647 precious stones and weighs 2,800 carrots.
She's gonna wear that while she shovels up sheep poop at the chateau or what? Yeah, she does everything in style. I'm happy for her. It's an impressive necklace, but it's also kind of hideous. It's way too gaudy, not at all classy, more chain male than Tiffany's. Now, Louis explains that the royal jewelers happen to have it on hand and asked if Marie might like to buy it. It costs 1.6 million leave, which is the equivalent to $15 million in today's money. Chump change. Hold on a second.
So he didn't purchase the necklace for her as a gift. He's like, hey, I'm a salesman now. Would you like to buy this? Listen, it's hard out here for rolls. Okay. But no, you're not wrong, this is fishy. Marie's like, hold up, hubby. Something doesn't make sense. Why is a $15 million necklace just lying around? Now, Louis folds immediately and admits it's a necklace his grandfather had made for his mistress years ago. But his grandfather died without paying for it.
His grandfather's mistress went out necklace this. And now the royal jewelers are desperate to sell it off. Marie's like, what the hell do I want with a piece of jewelry meant for my in-laws sidepiece? And hello, France is in the red. Louis should be saving that money to spend on battleships and whatever else the country needs. Besides, Marie has turned over a new leaf. She's focused on her kids and doesn't need any more jewelry. Sadly, though, nobody in France sees this new Marie.
Retreating from the public eye may have been great for her, because it gave her some much-needed privacy and control over her life. But it also leaves the people to imagine what she might be up to. And of course, they assume the worst. At this point, rumors have been spreading in Paris about grand feasts and orgies out at Petit Trionneau. They imagine it as a giant pleasure dome covered in diamonds and naked dudes. The libels add fuel to the fire, zeroing in on Marie's alleged sexual escapades.
One cartoon shows her canutling with her brother-in-law, his hand reaching up her dress. Another imagines her bare-breasted and making out with one of her lady friends. It all serves to tear down the queen and reinforce the idea that she's an immoral leech who thinks the French people are so unimportant that she moved to the sticks to get away from them. And it's all completely unfair. But for now, Marie focuses on what she does have, her kids, her privacy and her sanity.
Petit Trionneau is her happy place. That is, until three years later, when that necklace comes back to haunt her. It's summer 1785 at Petit Trionneau. Marie is practicing her herbs accord. The song she plays is light and carefree, the perfect complement to another afternoon in Eden. But her piece is shattered when one of the royal jewelers hands her a strange letter. Now, these are the same jewelers who are trying to talk Louis into buying Marie that ugly diamond necklace three years ago.
Marie rolls her eyes. What do these bozos want now? She continues reading, and her jaw drops. Turns out the letter is some kind of invoice. The jewelers are confirming the purchase of the diamond necklace, which they claim she has agreed to buy. See, did that mistress really die or did she run off the grid to escape this necklace? When undercover, not quite. But Marie is obviously super confused. She figures someone working for the jewelers made a mistake, a very big, very stupid mistake.
Or they're trying to play hardball with her, which would be in serious bad taste. Marie could march over to the palace right now and figure this out. But instead, she pulls a leaf out of Brooks book and burns the letter. I, you know what? That's what you got to do. You got to shred documents, burn them, do whatever you got to do. I have on board. Exactly. Yeah. Marie's not going to justify this insanity with a response, just like you and your tax documents.
She tells her lady in waiting to let the jewelers know, again, that diamonds are not her thing anymore. Marie's annoyed, but convinced this will all resolve itself, and she goes back to playing. So as you might have guessed, ghosting the jewelers doesn't solve anything. They say that they have proof she wanted the necklace and is willing to pay for it. And now Marie's like, wait, what the actual fuck? What are they talking about?
Hello, I would remember if I had agreed to buy a $15 million necklace. And that's when Marie realizes that something is wrong. Something is seriously wrong. But what she doesn't realize is that this necklace will be the beginning of the end for her and her entire family. Whether you're shipping 100 packages a month or thousands, ship station lets you automate routine shipping tasks and easily handle returns.
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Optimize and keep up your momentum for growth with ship station. Use promo code Wondry today at shipstation.com to sign up for your free 60 day trial. With the jewelers refusing to back down, Marie has no choice but to get to the bottom of this. So she turns to her lady in waiting, aka her middleman, and is like, tell me everything the jeweler said. And the story that she tells Marie is bananas. It all starts with this shady cardinal named Roan.
Long story short, he pissed Marie off a couple of years ago and got put on her shit list. Ever since then, he's been desperate to get back into her good graces. Now he apparently heard from Marie that she wanted the necklace, so he got in touch with the royal jewelers on her behalf. Roan was so eager to help the queen, he even agreed to buy the necklace for her on the deal. The only problem is it's all bullshit because Marie never talked to Roan and she hasn't in years.
So she confronts him and is like, okay, start talking, Bob. And Roan's like, I'll do you one better. And he hands her a letter detailing how she, Marie Antoinette, wanted him to buy the necklace on her behalf. And the kicker, it has her signature at the bottom. Okay, so he's a handwriting expert. Marie looks at it and does a double take. It is her name, but it certainly is not her handwriting. Okay. When Marie asks where he got this from, he says, Well, you, duh, you sent it to me.
Remember, right before we met in the garden? What? Yeah, Marie's like, uh, no, I don't remember any of this because it didn't happen. But even if she didn't write it, someone did. And that someone turns out to be a social climbing criminal named Jean Lamont. So quick review. Louis grandfather had a $15 million necklace made for his mistress. Then he died before he could pay for it. Well, word about that necklace spreads through court. And eventually it gets to none other than Jean Lamont.
So Lamont is like the con woman of the century. Think Anna Sororcan meets all the ladies from Ocean's eight rolled into one. Okay. Her goal is to get this necklace, sell off the diamonds and live like a queen. Okay. The snag is, Lamont is broke. So she wants to get her hands on the diamonds. She's going to have to pull off a con. And that's exactly what she does. She comes up with this whole scheme to leverage the desperate, gullible cardinal row on to pony up money on Marie's behalf.
Step one, she writes a letter to him, forging Marie signature. She's like, buy this little necklace for me. Pretty please. Step two, she pays a sex worker to impersonate Marie and meet the cardinal in a garden. Oh. I mean, nothing like some late night sweet talk to steal the deal, eh? Well, has he ever seen Marie? It's night time. Okay. Everyone's different at night. I mean, it is a huge risk. But apparently, this sex worker is a really good actress because the cardinal falls for it.
Ah. Don't like I said to be fair, they did meet in the middle of the night. So maybe he doesn't have great night vision. That's possible. Yeah, for sure. He's going too much is what the thing is here. Yeah, yeah, he really is. So Lamont gets the necklace from Rowan and immediately sells off the diamonds. But the problem is, the cardinal actually didn't pay for it all at front. He only paid for some of it and the rest he promised Marie would pay for herself.
Oh, no. So when the jewelers go to collect payment from Marie, she's like, uh, quah? And all of this happens without Marie's knowledge. So when she finally finds out, yeah, she's a little confused. And then she's a lot of bit furious. Yeah, I would imagine. So, Rowan is arrested. And the Wii gives him a choice. Plead for clemency or go to trial. Now, Rowan thinks he's a victim of Lamont too. And he chooses to go to court. And this launches a scandal into the public eye.
And it's huge. Like Clinton, Lewinsky, Bick. Oh, okay. But Marie is actually glad about that. After putting up with gossip and lies for 10 years, she's finally had it with her name being dragged through the mud. And the thought that someone might confuse her for a sex worker is just too much for her to handle. She wants to make an example out of these con artists. And when you mess with the queen, you're going to get burned. Uh-oh.
And a public trial means Marie can set the record straight and clear her name once and for all. It's the spring of 1786. Eight months have passed since news broke of the diamond necklace affair. Marie is pacing the gardens a petite triathlon, talking to herself. She's rehearsing her testimony for Rowan's trial. She's confident that it'll put those schemers who solid her good name behind bars. Because honestly, who's the court going to believe? A couple of phony criminals or the queen of France?
That's a great question. Mm-hmm. A messenger from the king interrupts Marie mid-thought. He has news from Louis about the trial. It turns out the king doesn't want Marie testifying in person. Apparently, it would be too embarrassing to the crown. Oh, we know they hate that. Yeah. Now Marie is obviously super disappointed. She wants to clear her name. But she's not really in the mood to argue with her husband. So she just dismisses the messenger. Marie resumes her pacing.
But this time she's walking off her frustration. She does not like being silenced. Which is when she realizes she's not totally handicapped. She is the queen after all. She's been hiding in petite triathlon so much. Maybe it's time she shows her face more in Paris. And what about her place than its Sunday Mass? It's a warm Sunday morning in May. And Marie's carriage strolls through Paris. She's just come from Mass and she's feeling a tad smug. She absolutely slayed the fashion game.
After many days of simple outfits, it's almost refreshing to put on her best dress and her loudest headdress adorned with tall feathers, of course. Very Carrie Bradshaw. Yes, Mary. Today's outing is a welcome distraction from Ruan's upcoming trial. Marie's anxious to get it over with, but has to wait a few more days. She tells her driver to take the long route home because everyone should see their queen in her splendor. Marie looks out the carriage window at Paris passing by.
But the city of love is looking pretty grim right now. The country is on the verge of bankruptcy. Which is left even more people unemployed and even more riding on the streets. Just then Marie spots a peasant struggling to round up her children. She's been there with her own kids and she offers the woman a wave of support. But instead of waving back, the woman starts cursing at Marie. Marie was just trying to be nice like, hey, you're a mom, I'm a mom.
But the peasant picks up a hunk of rotten cabbage and chucks it at the queen. Oh man, we're not throwing food enough anymore. Could not agree more. Marie docks it the last second. Marie is deeply unsettled and tells her coachman to pick up the pace. As the gallop away, panic grips her. She knows there have been rumors about her for years. But the levells are so warped and overblown, surely the French public don't actually believe she's the monster they've painted her as, right?
Spoiler, the people believe every nasty thing the levells have ever said about her, including the judge and jury at Rauhan's trial. At the end of May 1786, the verdict comes out. They find the conwoman Lamotte Guilty, which Dove, of course she is. She gets sentenced to life in prison. And Marie's like, hell yeah. They saw through the Huckster who had the gall to impersonate her. But when it comes to Rauhan, the jury finds him innocent.
Wow. This means the court believed this pesky cardinal's excuse that he genuinely thought the sex worker in the moonlit garden was her, the queen of France. They were like, listen, we've all seen someone at night. It adds up. It does add up. Yup. Our eyes just stop working when the sun goes down. We're not else. But then Marie thinks about the toxic lebels. The ones that painted her as a sexual deviant. And she realizes her bad PR has officially swelled the truth.
Because the people think she's capable of anything, including conning Rauhan, then throwing him under the bus to save her skin. After the trial, rumor spreads that she manipulated the clueless cardinal. They're like, of course, this frivolous chick tried to buy a diamond necklace when the rest of the country was starving. Because that's who Marie is, a selfish sexual deviant. All of this sends Marie into despair. In a little over a decade, she's gone from a beloved princess to a despised queen.
And you know what? She's sick of it. It's time she shows the French people who she really is. No more hiding in Petitriina. She's going to get her ass back to the heart of things and start fighting for her reputation. Unfortunately for Marie, this will daycare grave even faster. This is Diamonds Aren't a Girl's Best Friend. Episode 1 of our two-part series on Marie Antoinette.
We use many sources when researching our stories, but we especially recommend Marie Antoinette, The Journey, Biantonia Frazier, and How to Rewan a Queen, Marie Antoinette and the Diamond necklace affair by Jonathan Beckman. You can follow us, your hosts, on socials, at Alicia Skidmore Williams and at Brook Sifrin. I'm Alicia Skidmore Williams and I'm Brook Sifrin. Andrew Barbo wrote this episode, Sound Design is by Sam Ada. Our Associate Producer is Hannah Ward.
Our coordinating producer is Sophia Martins and our Senior Managing Producer is Ryan Moore. Julie McGruder and Rachel Engelman are our series producers. Our Senior Producer is Natalie Sheeshia. Our Music Supervisor is Scott Velasquez for Free Sun Sync. And our Executive Producer is our Jenny Bloom, Erin O'Flaherty and Marsha Louis for Wundery. Hey, I'm Alicia and I'm Brook.
And we're the hosts of Wundery's podcast, Even the Rich, where we bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking stories about the world. We're the hosts of Wundery's podcast, Even the Rich, where we bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking stories about the most famous families and biggest celebrities the world has ever seen. Our newest series is all about pop superstar Taylor Swift, a lonely kid who ate for friendship. She did everything in her power to let her music be her voice.
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