The Queen's Necklace: Marie Antoinette and the Scandal that Shocked and Mystified France

Book Description
Written in 1961 and now back in print, this classic and fascinating true crime story stars none other than Marie Antoinette. Four years before the French Revolution, some priceless diamonds were purchased in elaborate secrecy from a court jeweler. The jewels, not yet paid for, were delivered into the hands of the first Prelate of the Church of France. He, in turn, gave it to a countess who claimed to be acting for Marie Antoinette. Although essentially an innocent bystander, the Queen became embroiled in a scandal that fatally weakened the monarchy.


About the Author
Frances Sanger Mossiker was born in Dallas in 1906. She studied French and Romance languages at Smith College, Barnard College, and the Sorbonne. The NEW YORK TIMES said upon her death on May 9, 1975, 'She wrote in a way that combined painstaking attention to detail with a lively style that made her a best-selling author on both sides of the Atlantic.'


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Marie Antoinette was never far from scandal, but it was her involvement in the notorious affair of 'the Queen's Necklace' that dealt her a mortal blow and damaged the prestige of the French royal family. What happened to the diamond necklace, supposedly ordered by the Queen? Was she involved in its disappearance? Who was the prime mover behind the conspiracy of theft and slander? Everyone involved in the affair had different secrets to hide and different lies to tell. The scandal that resulted involved the highest people in the realm. The Cardinal Prince de Rohan, first prelate of the church of France, the Countess de La Motte-Valois, who claimed to be acting for the Queen, Count Cagliostro and the prostitute Oliva were some of many who were thrown into the Bastille. But in the orgy of rumour and accusation that followed, it was the Queen whose reputation was most tarnished.


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