Marie Antoinette: Expert discusses phrase ‘let them eat cake’

Marie Antoinette was an Austrian archduchess who wed the heir apparent years before the French Revolution began, when she was just 14. She became Queen of France upon Louis XVI’s ascension in 1774 — but soon became the subject of national hatred. France was heavily divided at the time, with just a few at the top of the social hierarchy holding all the wealth, including the monarchy.

The French began to resent the inequality, while Marie Antoinette seemed to represent the extravagance and excess that the aristocracy were famous for at the time.

She was seen as incredibly out of touch with the people of her nation, and representative of all the elements revolutionaries were trying to remove from France.

Her absurd behaviour is often encapsulated in her supposed phrase, “let them eat cake”, which many believe she uttered while the public rioted against the price of bread.

The phrase is still attributed to the infamous Queen today.

However, the Amazon documentary, ‘Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths and Secrets’ examined just how accurately history remembers the famous consort.

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Ms Worsley explained the phrase has survived because the words are used to “prove the Queen’s indifference to her people”.

But, she pointed out that the full phrase in French is “qu’ils mangent de la brioche”, and that brioche is more of an “eggy bun” than a cake — meaning the version of the story that survives is inaccurate firstly in its translation.

She also revealed a fundamental flaw in the story which has come to define the infamous Queen.

Ms Worsley said: “There’s absolutely no evidence that Marie Antoinette ever said those words, no documents, no eyewitness reports, no nothing.

“The phrase had been reported as coming out of the mouth of a different French Queen, the wife of Louis XIV a century earlier.”

Maria-Therese of Spain, who wed Louix XIV, reportedly uttered the words instead.

Additionally, as Ms Worsley explained: “It wasn’t until 50 years after Marie Antoinette’s death that the phrase was first written down, and ascribed to her.

“And even then they said it was a rumour that wasn’t true.”

The historian explained that many were trying to explain the cause of the French Revolution and “their narrative needed a royal scapegoat”.

Marie Antoinette even became known as “Madame Deficit”, as the public associated the national debt with her lavish spending.

By the 20th Century, the “let them eat cake” tale had “become a fixture” in the history books, according to Ms Worsley.

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She explained: “The words have been put into her mouth to show how thoughtless and out of touch she was.

“But worse than that, they’ve been used to justify the bloody events that follow.”

Although the Storming of the Bastille in 1789 is considered the beginning of the Revolution against the absolute monarchy, Louis and Marie Antoinette were not executed until 1793.

During this time, Louis took on more of a backseat role but was still accepted as the sovereign, and there was lingering affection for him among the French people.

Marie Antoinette on the other hand was despised for her spending habits and love of extravagant parties.

Yet, Louis also fell out of favour when he refused to cede his royal power to the government and it was revealed his wife had appealed to her brother Emperor Leopold II of Austria to threaten France.

Revolutionaries then reportedly forced Marie Antoinette to watch as her husband was beheaded by the guillotine.

A few months after his death, the Reign of Terror began.

This was a series of executions which took place across the next six months — Marie Antoinette died during this time.

Her death was perceived as a required step for France to become a true Republic.

Her Austrian descent had also added to France’s resentment of the Queen, as the nation was seen as one of the Republic’s enemies, while her continued correspondence with the country meant she was perceived as a treacherous aristocrat.

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