How to Ruin a Queen: Marie Antoinette, the Stolen Diamonds and the Scandal that Shook the French Throne

by Jonathan Beckman

'A hell of a tale and Jonathan Beckman gives it all the verve and swagger it deserves . . . I read it with fascination, delight and frequent snorts of incredulity' The Spectator

On 5 September 1785, a trial began in Paris that would divide the country, captivate Europe and send the French monarchy tumbling down the slope towards the Revolution. Cardinal Louis de Rohan, scion of one of the most ancient and distinguished families in France, stood accused of forging Marie Antoinette's signature to fraudulently obtain the most expensive piece of jewellery in Europe - a 2,400-carat necklace worth 1.6 million francs.

Where were the diamonds now? Was Rohan entirely innocent? Was, for that matter, the queen? What was the role of the charismatic magus, the comte de Cagliostro, who was rumoured to be two-thousand-years old and capable of transforming metal into gold?

This is a tale of political machinations and extravagance on an enormous scale; of kidnappings, prison breaks and assassination attempts; of hapless French police disguised as colliers, reams of lesbian pornography and a duel fought with poisoned pigs. It is a detective story, a courtroom drama, a tragicomic farce, and a study of credulity and self-deception in the Age of Enlightenment.

• ISBN10: 1848549970
• ISBN13: 9781848549975
• Publish Date: 23 April 2015 (first published 31 December 1950)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: John Murray Press
• Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd
• Format: Paperback (B-Format (198x129 mm))
• Pages: 400
• Language: English

Reviews

[pamela]

The event that is the 'Diamond Necklace Affair' is perhaps one of the most exciting and enigmatic cons in history. Its effects were more far reaching than the players could ever have envisaged, and it played a huge part to toppling the French monarchy. This is the first book I have read on the subject, and it certainly served as a great introduction to the character of Jeanne de la Motte Valois, but unfortunately did very little to discuss the subject of its title 'How to Ruin a Queen'.

From the historical documents that remain, Beckman does a wonderful job of extrapolating the fact from the fiction. He paints a vivid picture of Jeanne, her childhood and her upbringing, and places her firmly in her milieu to show just how the affair could have arisen. She is characterised with as much depth as in any novel, and the Diamond necklace affair itself given a blow by blow narration which was truly outstanding.

Where Beckman's 'How To Ruin A Queen' falls short however was in its failure to attempt anything more than a passing analysis on the effect the affair had on the royal family and public opinion. Close to the end there was a poignant moment where Beckman very succinctly pointed out that essentially what the outcome of the trial amounted to for Marie Antoinette was that by exonerating the Cardinal de Rohan the courts essentially admitted that it was acceptable and understandable that a commoner and a prostitute could have been mistaken for the Queen. A deeper analysis of this would have been wonderful. Rather than being a tale of how the Queen was ruined and the political effect the scandal had, it was instead a narrative of Jeanne and the affair itself.

'How To Ruin A Queen' was an exciting read about a fascinating period and event in history. It brings the affair in to stark focus, but lacked any deeper thought in to how it related to the bigger picture of the French Revolution. A deeper analysis of this would have turned a good book in to a great one.