News about Marie Antoinette

Sebastian Garrido was visiting his dying grandfather when he says he experienced a 'time slip,' showing him a glimpse of his grandfather as a younger man

Experts believe the gemstones (pictured), worth £1.4-£2.3million, were at the centre of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, the 1780s theft from Crown jewellers Boehmer and Bassenge orchestrated by Comtesse Jeanne de la Motte. She forged Marie Antoinette's (inset) signature to get the necklace. Though innocent, the queen's reputation never recovered. It played a role in ending the Bourbon regime, the start of the French Revolution and eventually led to the execution of the queen, right. The necklace was broken up and the diamonds bought to London in 1785, with a receipt from jeweller Robert Gray documenting the purchase of a substantial amount of them. It is believed they were used for these rows of diamonds, above, designed in a 'negligée'.

There was a touch of Marie Antoinette hauteur about Lady Starmer's appearance at London Fashion Week yesterday, sporting a flamboyant designer outfit. If she is remotely embarrassed about having accepted thousands of pounds worth of high-end clothes from a Labour donor, she certainly wasn't showing it. But while she and husband Sir Keir, who was provided with snappy suits and spectacles by the same donor, Lord Alli, may want to shrug off this affair as trivial, it matters. They are a wealthy couple who can well afford to dress themselves. For the Labour leader to accept such largesse and initially fail to declare it appears cheap and potentially compromising.

Join Kate Williams and Robert Hardman for a rollicking ride through a royal scandal that really does have it all: sex, lies - and Marie Antoinette: one of the most iconic - and most misunderstood - female figures of the 18th Century. Listen wherever you get your podcasts now.

It was the scandal that rocked France and permanently damaged the reputation of Marie Antoinette (inset, and depicted by Kirsten Dunst in 2006 film). But did the so-called 'Affair of the Diamond Necklace' really bring down the queen consort and her husband, King Louis XVI (inset bottom, right portrayed by Jason Schwartzman), and trigger the French Revolution? That is the question explored in the fourth episode of new Daily Mail podcast Queens, Kings and Dastardly Things. Mail columnist and royal biographer Robert Hardman and his co-host, historian Kate Williams, delve into Marie-Antoinette's stunning extravagance and the chain of events that saw her lose her head at the guillotine in 1793. They reveal the scandalous sale of a necklace (left) - then the most expensive in the world - that the ailing King Louis XV had commissioned for his mistress. Marie Antoinette was inextricably caught up in the public outcry that followed, but Professor Williams and Mr Hardman reveal how all was not as it seemed.

El Palacito Secreto Luxury Boutique Hotel and Spa, a property in the historic centre of Merida, in the Yucatan, claims to capture 'the spectacular French architecture that had an influence on the city' in the 1800s.

On Saturday evening, as Australia's triumphant 4x100m freestyle relay women's team were making their way out of the Paris Aquatics Centre, a sports commentator called Bob Ballard observed: 'Well, the women [are] just finishing up. You know what women are like... hanging around, doing their make-up.' Ouch. There's no getting away from the fact that this was a gratuitously sexist remark. Four women had just put in amazing performances to win gold and here was a 64-year-old man musing on their application of lippy and mascara, as if they were teenage girls about to hit the town.

Around 6,800 athletes covered in plastic ponchos attempted to keep spirits high as they travelled down the river Seine on a huge flotilla of 85 boats. But people were outraged after turning in to watch the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony and found it had terrible audio due to the torrential rain. There was also a decapitated Marie Antoinette singing as well as an apparent parody of the Last Supper that was deemed blasphemous by Christians. The New York Times scathingly called it a 'bloated made-for-TV spectacle', with the New York Post labelling it 'boring, ill-conceived and choppy'. MailOnline headed to the French capital to find out what people really thought of the controversial ceremony.

Social media users shared a screenshot of the organisation's footage, which showed a blank screen with the caption 'this video is not available'. Meanwhile, the show also does not appear to be on their YouTube channel - despite there being coverage of the games both before and after the ceremony. And full-length versions of the ceremonies for London 2012, Rio 2016 , Beijing 2022 and even Nagano 1998 are all available. It comes after the event was dubbed the 'worst ever' and sparked backlash as it was carried out amid appalling weather.

French actor and singer Phillippe Katerine was playing the role of the Greek god of wine Dionysus in a recreation of the famous biblical scene of Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles sharing a last meal before the crucifixion. But the artistic imitation, which also included a group of drag queens and a transgender model, has caused offence among some Christians for making a 'gross mockery' of the religion. However Mr Katerine seemed to dismiss the critics, telling BFM TV today: 'It wouldn't be fun if there were no controversy. Wouldn't it be boring if everyone agreed on this planet?' Although others were less impressed, accusing organisers of creating a ' woke ' parody of the iconic painting by Leonardo da Vinci.

The UK press dubbed last night's disastrous opening ceremony as patchy, being an 'insane cabaret of clichés' and the Daily Mail slammed it as 'La Farce'. And Britain is not alone in that opinion, with many newspapers across the globe expressing similar sentiments. Even the French admitted the ceremony hosted in their famous capital was 'just too much'.

Journalist and entrepreneur Carla Efstratiou took aim at a part of the ceremony which showed what appeared to be a nod to the iconic Leonardo DaVinci painting.

Performances from Lady Gaga and approximately 3,000 dancers, acrobats and actors were hard to hear over the sound of rain, with viewers slamming it as 'the worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory'. Gaffes with country names, the mounting of the Olympic flag and bizarre scenes which saw as headless Marie Antoinette singing peppered the display last night as sport begins in earnest this morning. But among the various artistic tableaus, named after French values such as freedom, fraternity and equality, it was the last supper-style performance in 'festivité' - or party - scene which caused the most controversy.

OLIVER HOLT - CHIEF SPORTS WRITER IN PARIS: The boats that carried the Olympians along the River Seine through the torrential rain and the dark of night were festooned with strings of lights that made them look like chariots of fire. They sailed in a great flotilla of speedboats, water taxis and barges, past cardboard cut-outs of Madame Pompadour half-submerged in the river's dark waters. They sailed beneath bridges thronged with acrobats and dancers and past guitarists high on balconies as if they had been transported here from the set of Mad Max: Fury Road. The rain fell more and more heavily and drenched the pianist in his sequinned shirt as he sat at his grand piano on the Pont Royal and soaked the severed head of Marie Antoinette at a window overlooking the river. With every chaotic minute of it, the opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics felt more and more like a movie made by Alain Resnais, Jean Cocteau or another of the great French surrealists.

It took a while for them to finally arrive, but the Aussies have made their way along the River Seine to officially kick off their Games campaign - but one detail left fans back home unimpressed.

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is underway, with more than 300,000 spectators set to crowd the banks of the River Seine after a series of scandals threatened to overshadow France's showpiece event. Organisers will be praying that tonight's carefully choreographed parade, which kicks off at 6.30pm UK time, will go smoothly after a 'massive arson attack' brought mayhem to France 's rail network today. The 'co-ordinated acts of malice' on high-speed rail lines across the Channel has left sport fans facing travel chaos, with snaking queues forming at St Pancras as Eurostar trains were delayed or axed. Eurostar has told customers to cancel their trips today if they can - advice which has been backed by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. In a major blow to Olympics organisers, Eurostar delays are set to last until Monday, with one in four trains due to be cancelled today and over the weekend.

Anyone popping their head into the headquarters of Macron's Renaissance party to test the pre-election mood would think he's about to go the way of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. That's because the 'Together' alliance - a coalition of centrists led by Macron's party - is set to be slaughtered when the French electorate heads to the polls tomorrow. The only real question is whether Macron's rival Marine Le Pen (inset) and her hard-right National Rally (RN) will be able to win the election so convincingly as to emerge with a majority. Latest exit polls are split over whether France faces a hung parliament or an outright RN victory - but if it's the latter then Macron will effectively lose control of his government. Here, MailOnline breaks examines why Macron and his party fell from grace and delves into some of the key issues fuelling the hard-right fervour ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections.

Pink hair has long been a popular choice among free spirited public figures, from Marie Antoinette (pictured bottom left) to Madonna (pictured top right), Kurt Cobain (pictured bottom left), and Kylie Jenner (pictured top right). Bianca Censori (pictured far left) is the latest to join the pink hair club, and the architect yesterday revealed her bright locks as she stepped out in Paris alongside her husband, Kanye West. Positive Psychology Coach & Master Practitioner in body image, Elle Mace, is among the practitioners with the belief that pink hair is more than a stylistic choice for Censori.

Shocking video shows a woman sitting across a path leading down to the popular Caló des Moro cove while a local shouted at would-be tourists to 'go, go, go!' Another man sporting long hair and tattoos is seen explaining to disgruntled holidaymakers that 'tourists have taken over the beach... for one day, we're going to enjoy it', before gesturing at them to leave. On the beach itself, protesters clapped and jeered as visitors were ejected from the sandy bay, forlornly packing up their bags and trudging up the hill to leave. Other demonstrators were seen wielding placards reading: 'Beware of locals, we are angry', expressing their rage over rampaging Brits and mass tourism at the Mediterranean holiday hotspot. More than 200 activists in total descended on Caló des Moro - a favourite spot of social media influencers and regular tourists alike - to heckle any holidaymakers who dared to sunbathe or dip in the cool waters. One protester was seen wearing a white t-shirt declaring tourists on the Spanish island 'b*******' - while another had a slogan adapted from Marie Antoinette's famous quote 'Let Them Eat Cake'. The slogan, translated into English, stated: 'If they have no bread, eat the tourists'.

MailOnline Travel's Ailbhe MacMahon checks into Hotel de la Coupole in Sapa, a town that sits 1,600m (5,200ft) above sea level. She writes: 'Though less than a decade old, the mustard building it occupies is a grand pastiche of Belle Époque architecture.' Its nickname of 'Versailles in the clouds' comes from Sapa's lofty location - and the fact that it's often draped in dense mist, Ailbhe adds. Read on for her full verdict...

The Great British Sewing Bee is back for its tenth season this evening, which will see contestants compete with each other to be crowed the winner.   Regular individuals who enjoy sewing in their day-to-day life have come together from up and down the country to take part in the competition.  They will each step into the magical Sunny Bank Mills, a famous 19th-century woollen mill located in Farsley, West Yorkshire, where the series is filmed. Pictured, the new contestants. Inset: Comfort, a self-employed business woman and Neil, a 6ft4 woodwork instructor from Leicester

When Britain's biggest private house, a mega-mansion called Witanhurst on Highgate Hill in north London , went on the market in 2008, it was close to a ruin. The roof was riddled with leaks, the floorboards were warped and cornices embellished with gold leaf were blighted by mould. Given that this 90,000 sq ft property had a total of 65 rooms - including 25 bedrooms - and a ballroom 70ft long and 20ft high, with an elaborate ceiling that takes six months to paint, it amounted to the country's ultimate doer-upper.

The crescent-shaped, golden-coloured pastry has been a staple of the Gallic breakfast for almost two centuries. But a Parisian baker has dared to take on the purists by launching a dairy-free version, declaring: 'I'm changing the world. The efforts of boulanger Rodolphe Landemaine (left), a vegan with an interest in animal welfare and climate change who has five shops in the French capital, have been met with a mixture of outrage and incredulity. Thierry Loussakoueno, a food show judge for the French Union of Bakers and Pastry Makers, scoffed: 'I don't understand these vegan pastries. I can understand people who don't eat meat for whatever reason, and I respect this completely.'

Linda Andrade, a resident of the United States and now lives in Dubai (left), has spoilt her child with luxurious chocolates, luxurious designer handbags, and a chic stroller. On TikTok, the mother first posted a video of her buying a glitzy gold pacifier, costing almost £700 (right). Linda said, "You've probably never seen a gold pacifier before, so I'm going to be the one to show you." It totally matches her gold digger mum right?' The 24-year-old mother said she spent £6,300 on a Tiffany jewelry set for her child (inset).