Off With Her Head: How One Necklace Sparked A Mad Royal Scandal That Cost Marie Antoinette Her Life

Reality can be a strange thing sometimes, with genuine episodes from history reading entirely like the plot twists from the most far-fetched of novels. The life of Queen Marie Antoinette of France, for instance, was so full of improbable episodes that it’s difficult to believe it really played out the way it did. But there’s one strange chapter in particular that really stands out. Across the years of 1784 and ’85 the monarch found herself embroiled in a scandal known as the Diamond Necklace Affair. This tale, in essence, centered on a piece of fancy jewelry, but it ultimately contributed to the queen’s eventual demise.

It’s probably fair to say that Marie Antoinette occupies an odd place within history and culture more broadly. She was, after all, the final queen to rule France before the country’s deeply influential revolution kicked off in 1789. Given that, she’s largely been characterized as a symbol for the failures of monarchical power.

But in tandem with this recognition of her excesses, Marie Antoinette is also revered as something of a fashion icon. The way she dressed is a source of fascination to people, with certain historians even dedicating their work to it. All in all, the queen has proven to be a lasting obsession over the centuries since her death.

A couple of eponymous films have focused on Marie Antoinette and the events of her life. One retelling of her tale was released in 1938 with Norma Shearer portraying the character. It was almost 70 years before the story was tackled on the big screen again: this time via a 2006 Sofia Coppola-helmed flick where Kirsten Dunst took on the starring role.

These films – as well as numerous books, plays, operas and other artworks of all kinds – reflect how the figure of Marie Antoinette has continued to loom so large. But even though her story’s been told and retold in countless different ways, it can still be difficult to get a grasp of how strange and eventful her life truly was. Even the Diamond Necklace Affair alone is enough to defy plausibility.