Produced by David Widger
Being the Historic Memoirs of Madam Campan,
First Lady in Waiting to the Queen
About the close of the last century several of the Northern sovereignstook a fancy for travelling. Christian III., King of Denmark, visited theCourt of France in 1763, during the reign of Louis XV. We have seen theKing of Sweden and Joseph II. at Versailles. The Grand Duke of Russia(afterwards Paul I.), son of Catherine II., and the Princess ofWurtemberg, his wife, likewise resolved to visit France. They travelledunder the titles of the Comte and Comtesse du Nord. They were presentedon the 20th of May, 1782. The Queen received them with grace and dignity.On the day of their arrival at Versailles they dined in private with theKing and Queen.
The plain, unassuming appearance of Paul I. pleased Louis XVI. He spoketo him with more confidence and cheerfulness than he had spoken to JosephII. The Comtesse du Nord was not at first so successful with the Queen.This lady was of a fine height, very fat for her age, with all the Germanstiffness, well informed, and perhaps displaying her acquirements withrather too much confidence. When the Comte and Comtesse du Nord werepresented the Queen was exceedingly nervous. She withdrew into her closetbefore she went into the room where she was to dine with the illustrioustravellers, and asked for a glass of water, confessing "she had justexperienced how much more difficult it was to play the part of a queen inthe presence of other sovereigns, or of princes born to become so, thanbefore courtiers." She soon recovered from her confusion, and reappearedwith ease and confidence. The dinner was tolerably cheerful, and theconversation very animated.
Brilliant entertainments were given at Court in honour of the King ofSweden and the Comte du Nord. They were received in private by the Kingand Queen, but they were treated with much more ceremony than the Emperor,and their Majesties always appeared to me to be very, cautious beforethese personages. However, the King one day asked the Russian Grand Dukeif it were true that he could not rely on the fidelity of any one of thosewho accompanied him. The Prince answered him without hesitation, andbefore a considerable number of persons, that he should be very sorry tohave with him even a poodle that was much attached to him, because hismother would take care to have it thrown into the Seine, with a stoneround its neck, before he should leave Paris. This reply, which I myselfheard, horrified me, whether it depicted the disposition of Catherine, oronly expressed the Prince's prejudice against her.
The Queen gave the Grand Duke a supper at Trianon, and had the gardensilluminated as they had been for the Emperor. The Cardinal de Rohan veryindiscreetly ventured to introduce himself there without the Queen'sknowledge. Having been treated with the utmost coolness ever since hisreturn from Vienna, he had not dared to ask her himself for permission tosee the illumination; but he persuaded the porter of Trianon to admit himas soon as the Queen should have set off for Versailles, and his Eminenceengaged to remain in the porter's lodge until all the carriages shouldhave left the chateau. He did not keep his word, and while the porter wasbusy in the discharge of his duty, the Cardinal, who wore his redstockings and had merely thrown on a greatcoat, went down into the garden,and, with an air of mystery, drew up in two different places to see the