Marie Thérèse

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The Princesse de Lamballe (born Marie-Thérèse Louise of Savoy) was an Italian noblewoman and the intimate confidante of Queen Marie Antoinette of France. Life and Role at Court Early Life and Marriage: Born on September 8, 1749, in Turin, Italy, she was a member of the House of Savoy. In 1767, she married Louis Alexandre de Bourbon-Penthièvre, Prince de Lamballe, the heir to one of France's greatest fortunes. Her husband died just a year later, leaving her a wealthy young widow. Confidante of the Queen: Following her husband's death, she came to the French royal court and became close friends with the young Dauphine, Marie Antoinette. When Marie Antoinette became queen in 1774, she appointed the Princesse de Lamballe as the Superintendent of the Queen's Household, the highest-ranking lady-in-waiting position. Political Role: The Princesse's apartments in the Tuileries Palace became a meeting place for the queen and royalist sympathizers in the National Assembly during the early years of the Revolution, where they discussed ways to support the monarchy. Contrary to her public image as a simple confidante, she was a cultured and intelligent woman who was also the Grand Mistress of all French masonic ladies' lodges, believing in the order's potential for social improvement.