Princess Sophie Hélène Béatrice of France

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Sophie Beatrice of France1.jpg
Born(1786-07-09)9 July 1786
Palace of Versailles, France
Died(1787-06-19)19 June 1787 (aged 345 days)
Palace of Versailles, France
Full name
Marie Sophie Hélène Béatrice de France
FatherLouis XVI of France
MotherMarie Antoinette

Marie Sophie Hélène Béatrice of France, Daughter of France, Madame Sophie (9 July 1786 – 19 June 1787) was a French princess. She was born at the Palace of Versailles. Sophie was the youngest of the four children of King Louis XVI of France and his Queen consort, Marie Antoinette. She was named after her deceased great-aunt, Princess Sophie of France. As the daughter of the king, Sophie ranked third in importance after her mother the queen and her older sister Madame Royale Marie Thérèse. Sophie was legally titled Her Royal Highness Princess Sophie of France but was however known as Madame Sophie)

Sophie was a very large baby.[1] Her health was undermined by tuberculosis. She died in Versailles after five or six days of troubles caused by the cutting of new teeth.[2] She was eleven months old. Her death caused much grief for her parents. When Marie Antoinette's foster-brother, Joseph Weber,[3] attempted to comfort her with the fact that Sophie was very young and could not have formed a strong attachment for the mother. Marie Antoinette said only, "Don't forget that she would have been my friend." This referred to her words after the birth of Sophie's older sister in 1778.[4] Sophie was buried at the Royal Basilica of Saint Denis. This was north of Paris.

References[change | change source]

  3. Fraser, p. 4. Joseph Weber was the son of Marie-Antoinette's wet nurse, Constance Weber. His memoirs were published by Baudouin Frères, Imprimeurs-Libraires, in Paris, in 1822:
  4. Fraser, p. 257.