I have just finished The Lost King of France by Deborah Cadbury, the biographical account of Marie Antoinette's son who grew up in the tumultuous time of the French Revolution, and whose death has been surrounded by mystery and confusion for centuries.
'In 1795, Louis XVII, the ten-year-old son of Marie-Antoinette, was declared dead by the revolutionary authorities. Immediately, rumours spread that the Prince had escaped from prison and was, in fact, alive. In time, several 'Princes' appeared to claim his name and inheritance, but which, if any, was the real Louis-Charles? The quest for the truth finally runs to the present day as modern DNA testing of a stolen heart leads to an exciting conclusion to this extraordinary two hundred-year-old mystery.'
Additive in its intrigue and well-researched history, this book is one of the best I have read about the French Revolution and the fall of Marie Antoinette and her family from royal splendour. Records of the conditions in which the royal family were imprisoned are heartbreaking, especially the treatment of the child prince. Wonderfully written, I highly recommend The Lost King of France.
