Marie Antoinette

Press, 31 January 1989, Page 14

Marie Antoinette

By PHOEBE DOBSON Aged 13, of Sefton Queen Marie Antoinette stared out of the small crack in the window, in the vain hope of seeing her son, Louis. Suddenly her heart lifted. Was that Louis coming across the courtyard? No, it was only that awful man, Simon, who looked after Louis. If only she could talk with Louis. And get away from this awful prison. As the weeks slowly passed Marie got more and more bored. She wished she was young and free again and able to go out to places like the opera. What was the use of trying to fool herself? She was old and sick, her hair had turned completely white and she was nearly 40. •

Suddenly the door burst open and in came her captors with orders to take her away from the small rooms where she was kept prisoner with her daughter, Marie Therese Charlotte, and her sister-in-law, to a dank, dark cell. Sadly Marie said goodbye to her family and went off calmly with her captors to the cell. She would have surely died in that cell if it wasn’t for Rosalie (her serving maid) who was very kind to Marie. For two and a half months Marie managed to live in the cell, when one day she was told she was being taken to court. Marie burned with indignation as she heard the charges against her. She naturally denied them all. These stupid people,

who did they think she was! But in the end she was sentenced to be executed. The night before the execution Marie cut off her hair so the executioner would not have to do it. The next morning Marie managed to have some food and get dressed, she then waited for the guards to arrive. When they did they took her to the courtyard where she got into an old cart to travel to the guillotine. When they arrived at the guillotine Marie Antoinette got out of the cart and slowly walked up the steps towards the guillotine. She then knelt down before it. The last thing she heard was the swish of the blade coming down to chop off her head.