Calling all “Marie Antoinette” fans The wait is finally over — Season 2 is right around the corner It’s time to step back into the glistening As you get ready to watch Marie Antoinette in her latest royal undertakings pause to meet the characters and the incredible cast that brings them to life Here’s what you know about the who’s who of Season 2 Historically, Marie Antoinette is known for opulence and luxury, making her a consistently controversial figure in the French monarchy. She’s often portrayed feasting while her people starved — and the debunked quote “let them eat cake” has become her legacy in many ways But in “Marie Antoinette” on PBS, we get to see another side of her history: the story of a child thrust into an unfamiliar, often hostile environment. In the show, she’s a bright, bold heroine whose cleverness is only rivaled by her impeccable fashion sense.  we saw a teenaged Marie Antoinette taking her first steps into Versailles — and her role as a queen As she struggled to adapt to a new culture facing everything from complex political pressure to a less than affectionate husband a ruler and a crucial thread in the tapestry of history.  Now, in Season 2 she has even more enemies — and clever rivals just waiting to take advantage of the slightest misstep.  As she continues to shape her role in the French monarchy Marie Antoinette will navigate financial crises a looming revolt and trouble with an incredibly expensive diamond necklace But not to worry — she’ll do it all with the style and sophistication that have made her a fan favorite on PBS love palace gossip or consider yourself a Marie Antoinette hair enthusiast She’s the star who brings the character to life — and it’s just one of her shining achievements She made her television debut in 2006 and landed her first lead role just two years later at age 15 her career has expanded to include roles in over 50 features and series — and that’s where the “Marie Antoinette” TV series comes in.  We first saw Schüle sporting the characteristic Marie Antoinette wigs in late 2022/early 2023 With Season 2 set to premiere on PBS on March 23 romance and intrigue right around the corner Marie Antoinette’s fiancé Louis XVI was a teenager himself reluctant to step up to the throne and struggling to connect with our heroine the two young rulers grow together in their relationship and their power In “Marie Antoinette” Season 2, Louis is confident and ready to rule — just in time for a new wave of unrest both inside and outside the palace walls. He’ll have to find his place as king and father, even as his young family’s future hangs in the balance and the French Revolution looms ever nearer Young British actor Louis Cunningham brings a thoughtful sensibility to the character on screen He graduated from Oxford University and captured his first leading role — and our hearts — in “Marie Antoinette.” What to watch, exclusive previews, and updates from PBS coming soon to your inbox. Want to subscribe to see all of PBS’ email offerings in one place? Check out our newsletter page and captivating international shows from MASTERPIECE and other PBS favorites When we first meet Cardinal de Rohan in Season 2 it’s clear that Marie Antoinette is far from his biggest fan despite his powerful pedigree and importance in the Church he’s even more determined to win her affections — or at least her attention — one way or another.  But will his persistence be his downfall when he runs into a scheming countess with her eyes on a diamond necklace Actor Maximilien Seweryn may be a newcomer to the “Marie Antoinette” cast but he seems right at home in the grand halls and grander schemes in Versailles He was born in Paris and trained at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London; he went on to build a career in theater Jeanne de la Motte is as clever as she is charming — but although she has royal blood she’s not a legitimate member of the monarchy That means the lavish lifestyle she craves is out of reach.  To snag some of the royal riches, she’s spinning a complicated web of lies that will eventually entangle her in the infamous Diamond Necklace Affair But with unwitting pawns like Cardinal Rohan and even Marie Antoinette herself on the chess board Jeanne is playing a delicate — and dangerous — game Not just anyone can portray “sneaky with a smile,” but actress Freya Mavor rises to the challenge Long-listed for a Cesar award and nominated for 2 Scottish BAFTAs we saw Comte de Provence cause plenty of trouble for Marie Antoinette and his older brother Louis XVI His wife Marie Josephine Louise of Savoy was in on the antics — and although they’re far from the happiest couple they manage to discredit and discourage our heroine in more ways than one we’ll see Provence and Josephine continue their scheming But with other forces at play in Versailles they may no longer be the threat they think they are… has worked on various recurring roles across genres He’s received “Best Actor” nominations at The Stage Debut Awards and The Off West End Awards for Quaint Honour She got her first film role in 2009 and hasn’t slowed down since Chartres spent the first season of the “Marie Antoinette” PBS show building a relationship with our heroine But she soon discovered that he was harboring unreturned romantic feelings and things went south fast — and when we left him in Season 1 he was banished from Versailles and building an alliance with prickly Provence to take down King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette we’ll see just how far Chartres will go to avenge his wounded pride Although his limited access to the Queen makes it difficult to start trouble directly he’s not above making some clever moves that will have his rivals struggling to keep up Actor Oscar Lesage was born in Mulhouse and attended classes at the Cours Florent After studying at the Ecole du Nord in Lille which was presented at the Cannes Film Festival He went on to spread his acting wings in various projects Support your local PBS station in our mission to inspire was one of Marie Antoinette’s first friends in Season 1 Her devotion and insight made her a valuable companion for our heroine — but when a new ally took the spotlight she was forced to find a balance between jealousy and loyalty Although her smooth-spoken charm and cleverness made her one of the Queen’s fastest favorites it turned out that Yolande had more than a few secrets To get money from her contacts and relatives elsewhere in the monarchy she sold information about Marie Antoinette — and even demanded money from her (Perhaps Lamballe’s suspicions were more than just jealousy!) despite warnings from both her friend and her mother Marie Antoinette stays close with the dubious Yolande But as both the Queen and Countess face everything from money problems to family tragedies their loyalties will be pulled in different directions and Marie Antoinette will once again be left wondering whom to trust It might just be up to Lamballe to protect her friend Actress Jasmine Blackborrow has also had roles in Netflix projects independent films and even a BAFTA-nominated short.  was born in Spain and made her film debut at just 11 years old she’s had roles in plenty of international productions including multiple historical series in addition to “Marie Antoinette.” elegant Marie Antoinette is a patron of the arts dresses and portraits in Season 1 showed us her determination to make palace life beautiful She’ll do the same in Season 2 — with help from a few creative characters a playwright whose stories come to life on the stages of Versailles Marie Antoinette looks forward to a starring role in his “Marriage of Figaro,” but what was supposed to be a fun project quickly becomes a royal scandal in more ways than one Beaumarchais is played by Philippe Tlokinski who was born in France and has acted in both TV shows and films he fills Versailles with music — but he’ll also play a role in the growing unrest between Marie Antoinette and her people bringing a background in classic theater and international productions to his portrayal of Saint-Georges it’s time to put Elizabeth Vigée Le Brun in the spotlight As Marie Antoinette’s official portraitist she’s an important partner in shaping how people see the Queen — literally and figuratively But the relationship isn’t purely professional; the two women also become friends and Marie Antoinette even helps her earn admission to the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture learned everything about Season 2 and even did a little history homework you’re more than ready to see our heroine’s newest escapades a bit of betrayal and — of course — plenty of historical drama Watch “Marie Antoinette” Season 2 on PBS starting March 23 Had a “let them eat cake” attitude (even if she never said that famous phrase) The University of Rhode Island Theatre Department thinks there is as it opens its 2023-24 season with David Adjmi’s “Marie Antoinette,” a contemporary look at the doomed queen that is full of fashion “It’s a really deep story that people need to see,” says sophomore Abraphine Ngafaih “I feel you’ll come out learning so much more especially if you had a previous image of Marie Act like you’ve never met this woman before “Marie Antoinette,” which debuted in 2012 at the Yale Repertory Theater follows the downfall of Marie and her monarchical mates As they fiddle and gamble and conspicuously consume the sparks of revolution slowly turn from embers to a full blaze consuming the monarchy and beheading the bunch and just having too good of a time to fully understand the discontent—until the cage the Butterfly queen is trapped in springs closed “It’s really funny,” says director Rachel Walshe “I think the journey of the play is that it’s really fun until suddenly it’s really not And I think the joy of that is laughing yourself silly until your head falls off “I find it very fascinating how the story progresses and you don’t see how serious things are until it’s too late,” says senior Josh Winderman In some ways you can relate that to real life You can always be hit by a curveball when you’re not expecting.” Walshe recommended the play for this season and has had a long history with it She worked with the playwright and director on the play when it was in development at Goodman Theatre in Chicago and she directed it in 2017 at the Gamm Theatre where she is currently associate artistic director She says she’s always wanted to stage it at URI because it’s a great student play “In some ways the play is about an 18th century queen,” she says “But I think the play has more to say about contemporary American celebrity culture than necessarily just history.” They invoke Madonna more than Marie – especially in Marie’s “ROI TOY” dress that somewhat mimics Madonna’s “Boy Toy” gown of the ‘80s “When I think about the most iconic American celebrities “She was very heterodox in how she approached fashion Her clothing was very much about being audacious and challenging people’s ideas about piety And yet she was very sexualized and intentionally used that as part of her image To prepare for their roles as king and queen of France Winderman and Ngafaih digested a lot of history on the period along with doing their own research and closely studying their interactions with other characters “Before we even did our first read-through I was binging documentaries on the time period all the quirky things about her,” says Ngafaih.   Winderman has found Louis XVI an interesting character He had an obsession with clocks,” says Winderman “His relationship with Maire I found fascinating You find out very early that it’s not a romantic relationship Ngafaih sees a bit of herself in Marie—funny a bit of spendthrift who repeatedly vows to change her ways She says Marie goes from bubbly and upbeat to seeing the things she has feared become reality She becomes this raw human being of emotion She says you thought you could kill me but now I’ve become the stuff of history.” “I think we can identify with the seduction of excess,” Walshe says “One of the ways Marie was known for her excesses was through her clothing and her hair I think her story of being the most beloved fashionable apex of celebrity who then meets a very bitter end is fascinating.” “I think it’s the same way we see celebrities now,” says Ngafaih we’re fascinated with what’s happening in their lives who felt they had a divine right to rule and cut it by its head Pardon our appearance: With the Fine Arts Center undergoing construction patrons must use the theater entrance in the back of the building accessed from the parking lot on Bills Road Look for the marked entrance to the right of the fenced off construction area and follow the ramp Copyright © 2025 University of Rhode Island | University of Rhode Island URI is an equal opportunity employer committed to the principles of affirmative action purchased the 25-hectare property Kerfraval in the village of Baden near the natural harbour of the Gulf of Morbihan Sallaud will transform Kerfraval into a wine estate comprising a winery – where he will make still and sparkling wine – a visitor centre and six gites ‘We will plant 10ha of Chardonnay in April this year to make still and sparkling wines,’ Sallaud told Decanter he wants to make a “Breton Chablis” together with sparkling wines,’ Sallaud said during an exclusive tour of the estate fresh and naturally balanced wines on a distinctive terroir of granite soils,’ he added Sallaud spent eight years as head of wine operations at Fronsac producer Château Puy Guilhem When asked why he had decided to leave Bordeaux Sallaud said he was attracted by the challenge of making wines in Brittany a culturally distinctive peninsula on Europe’s Atlantic edge I felt it was the right place for me,’ Sallaud said has long been better known for its cider and beer production This is in part due to the fact that in 1941 the French state removed the Pays Nantais from the Brittany region to the Loire Valley region wine plantings in Brittany have substantially increased since the EU’s liberalisation of planting rights in 2016 which brought an end to France’s prohibition of commercial wine production in Brittany president of the Association Vignerons Bretons (Breton Winemakers Association) said there were now 27 professional vintners operating in Brittany A changing climate has prompted some French producers to look north This year sees the release of Brittany’s first contemporary commercial wines winemaker at Les Longues Vignes near St Malo will release a number of wines including a barrel-fermented Chardonnay His vineyards are in conversion to organics will release his first still Chardonnay made at Vignoble de Rhuys Hagnier won an unusual tender from the commune of Sarzeau to produce wines at Vignoble de Rhuys The commune is investing €1.5m (£1.3m) in a new winery and visitors centre which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023 French billionaire Christian Latouche won an approval from the French state’s prefecture in Morbihan to plant a contested vineyard on the Breton island of Belle-Île-en-Mer When we last left Versailles in Season 1 of Marie Antoinette the king and queen were on top of the world with Antoinette (Emilia Schüle) finally giving birth to the dauphin that pinnacle will pretty much be their last This season will be all about the different forces and factions closing in on Antoinette and Louis (Louis Cunningham) and eventually turning public opinion fully against them to deadly consequences in the grips of one of the coldest winters France has ever seen Despite people freezing to death in the streets the villages sport kings and queens made of snow to honor the monarchy’s “charity.” (Frustratingly it’s unclear who benefited or what the crown paid for.)  By the end of this episode we’ll learn of France’s secret financial crisis and Antoinette will have lost her next pregnancy.  Axel von Fersen (Martijn Lakemeier) is apparently still at the forefront of Antoinette’s mind the pregnant queen writes him letters in lemon juice The letters are blank stationery to the naked eye Antoinette keeps this one-sided correspondence hidden in her desk Louis’ scheming brother Provence (Jack Archer) insults the king with one breath and demands the financial controller position with the next which Louis denies him.  Provence licks his wounds and gossips about Louis over at the Palais Royal home to their cousin Chartres (Oscar Lesage) Chartres is not taking his banishment from Versailles well – though you’d never know it with the explosion of guests and constant revelry He blames Louis for his lost reputation and keeps company with open critics of the monarchy such as his lover Félicité (Jessica Clark) and Beaumarchais (Philippe Tlokinski) once the personal spy for both Louis XV and XVI Beaumarchais’ new play, The Marriage of Figaro contains anti-monarchy and revolutionary sentiment But her loyalties are plain: she is beholden to her husband Jules (Thomas Alden) and her lover Vaudreuil (Paul Spera) Much to Yolande’s delight and the court’s horror This is part of the crown’s new philosophy of modern governance whereby titles can be earned through loyalty and service Yolande also becomes a permanent member of the royal household when she’s appointed governess to Antoinette’s children.  But this new status brings unwanted attention Vaudreuil gets beaten up by a loan shark demanding three million livres Realizing the debt will get both her men killed She plots to influence the king so their friend Calonne (James Northcote) can become financial controller where he can pay off their debts from the public purse The sleazy Cardinal de Rohan (Maximilien Seweryn) But Antoinette won’t forgive him for calling her mother a hag and blocks Louis from appointing him to his council Antoinette then asks Louis for and is granted more money for the people of France; she references the economic surplus since they’re no longer at war we meet a fresh face who will become quite important: Jeanne de Valois (Freya Mavor) who arrives at Versailles hanging off the back of a carriage Jeanne attends mass and uses her proximity to the aristocrats to bump into Yolande and Lamballe (Jasmine Blackborow) Jeanne notices the court jeweler with a massive chest She correctly supposes that it contains an opulent diamond necklace initially commissioned for King Louis XV’s favorite but never paid for but she says she’d be hung if she spent two million livres on a necklace When Jeanne is nearly caught stealing by Victoire (Caroline Piette) and Adelaide (Crystal Shepherd-Cross) she quickly throws them off her scent by pretending she’s collecting for a charity on behalf of “poor fallen women.” Later Victoire advises Jeanne to get the queen to be a patron for her charity to motivate donations out of sycophantic courtiers Jeanne hits Versailles again with her friend and fellow con artist Villette (Alexander Bhat) it’s a planned caper where Villette fakes a seizure She easily slips into the queen’s private apartments and takes the “blank” stationery in Antoinette’s desk – the secret letters to von Fersen Jeanne tells Villette she plans to steal the diamond necklace.   Antoinette is frantic when she discovers the letters have been stolen but the queen couldn’t fathom that betrayal Antoinette sends for Yolande but receives a message – on a platter Antoinette begins to search the castle for Yolande She’s alone in a corridor when she suddenly has horrible pains and discovers she’s bleeding profusely between her legs She falls to the ground and weakly cries out for help Yolande is busy carrying out her plan for the king to meet Calonne Yolande coldly opts to carry on with her plan going so far as to close the corridor door so neither Louis nor Calonne becomes distracted the loyal Lamballe notices Yolande’s suspicious behavior Lamballe discovers Antoinette and immediately calls for help when the queen is unconscious but attended to charging her with the blame should the queen die Lamballe promises to tell Antoinette the truth Louis appoints Calonne as the new financial controller Calonne is thrilled until Louis’ closest advisor Vergennes (Guy Henry) lets him in on the secret: France is broke They owe over a hundred million livres in loans The former controller falsified the economic situation and lied about a post-war surplus she demands to know why Yolande didn’t come to her when she was bleeding but the queen says Yolande’s place is always at her side She reveals her secret letters were stolen and Yolande swears she would never take them and Yolande somewhat callously reasons that at least it was a girl Yolande tries to cheer her up by mentioning von Fersen’s imminent return but Antoinette now seems cautious of her favorite Marie Antoinette Season 2 airs Sundays on most local PBS stations and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel at 10 p.m All eight episodes of the new series are available on PBS Passport for members to stream starting on premiere day Season 1 is available to stream for members on PBS Passport and on the Prime Video Masterpiece Channel A writer since her childhood introduction to Shel Silverstein She studied screenwriting at UARTS and has written movie You can usually catch her watching Hot Fuzz for the thousandth time Find her very sparse social media presence on Instagram: @cerise.marni It's been two years since Marie Antoinette last graced PBS viewers' TVs and PBS Passports Here's a rundown of everything to remember ahead of Season 2's return For actors Emilia Schüle and Louis Cunningham, who play Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI in PBS' new Marie Antoinette this series is a chance to take a new view on figures to whom history has been less than kind.  The series premiere of period drama Marie Antoinette sees the young Austrian archduchess arrive in France only to discover that her sumptuous new life is just another gilded cage Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want 703-998-2600 tellyvisions@weta.org - Photos: Vincent ter BeekIndividual precision feeding for sows has been affordable and doable for decades something similar has always been possible too theoretically; yet the costs and investments somehow never seemed to be outweighed by the benefits Finisher feeding is about to make the step too – as can be seen in Brittany Pig 1070016581 understands well how the feed station works All he needs to do is follow the yellow light He pushes through the open doorGet full access to all stories on Pig ProgressThis Premium article is exclusively available for subscribers Obtain insights from exclusive interviews Dive into articles covering trending industry topics Already subscribed? Click here to login Your Ads Privacy ChoicesIMDb   Colonel Vincent Lamballe (far right) accompanied by Lt Colonel Wintzer-Wehekind during the courtesy visit with President Gibbs on Tuesday MARIGOT--President of the Collectivité of St Martin Daniel Gibbs received a courtesy visit from Colonel Vincent Lamballe newly-appointed head of the Gendarmerie in Guadeloupe and the northern islands (St has 33 Gendarmerie barracks under his authority spread over the archipelago of Guadeloupe and the islands of St   The visit was an opportunity for Gibbs to welcome Lamballe to the French West Indies and to discuss the security of the territory and protection of the population Copyright © 2020 All copyrights on articles and/or content of The Caribbean Herald N.V. dba The Daily Herald are reserved Without permission of The Daily Herald no copyrighted content may be used by anyone Nina Bennett and Andrew Bennett visiting Splash Planet from Palmerston North People are visiting Splash Planet in droves this year as well as other community pools in Hastings Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst said Splash Planet was a drawcard for local families and visitors alike many people having fun and enjoying this wonderful tourist facility over the holiday period." 59,420 have already visited the water park since it opened on November 12 For the same period over the summer of 2017/18 Ice cream was the snack of choice while visiting As well as an increase in numbers at Hawke's Bay's favourite destination water park Hastings has seen an increase in visitor numbers to its other pools not counting four private bookings bringing 600 swimmers This was compared with 1782 in the same period last year 4089 people cooled off at Havelock North Village Pool between December 20 and January 5 Clearly lots of people wanted a swim on January 2 with that being the busiest day for both Frimley and Havelock North Hastings District Council Community Facilities and programmes manager Alison Banks said it was great to see all the facilities being so well used She sad they had plans to improve Hastings pool space in 2019 "Staff have suggested some improvements for next season such as more shaded areas closer to the pools play features in the toddlers' pool and maybe a volleyball court at Frimley." The Saturday closure comes amid a proposal to shut Napier Library for at least two years A series of public missteps and private heartbreak have left the queen reeling from grief, in the next episode of Marie Antoinette on PBS Antoinette’s (Emilia Schüle) desire to punish Cardinal Rohan (Maximilien Seweryn) for the theft of a valuable diamond necklace did not play out as she hoped The young Dauphin’s health problems have only add to her woe she’s about the learn that some of those closest to her have their own agenda Antoinette has learned that Louis (Louis Cunningham) concealed the truth about the Dauphin’s fatal spinal condition from her she’s devasted at the thought of losing her child In this exclusive clip from Marie Antoinette Season 2 Episode 7 “Madame Deficit,” the queen has a frank conversation with Lamballe (Jasmine Blackborow) about her situation She admits that she should have followed her friend’s advice about not going through with the public trial she asks is Lamballe knew the truth about her son’s health Yolande (Liah O’Prey) might have kept quiet about the Dauphin’s health issues who wanted to spare his wife from the truth for as long as possible “You would never keep anything like that from me,” she tells Lamballe But Lamballe has been keeping a secret from her friend confessing what she witnessed on the night of Antoinette’s devastating miscarriage in episode 1 when she saw Yolande ignore the suffering queen so that she could follow through with her plan to get her friend Calonne named financial controller With Calonne in charge of the public purse Yolande would be able to skim fund to pay her own mounting debts “[Calonne] was appointed the night you had that dreadful miscarriage,” Lamballe reveals “Yolande saw you collapsed,” she continues And she left you to bleed while she pushed Calonne for the job and she puts her hand over Lamballe’s mouth to stop her from speaking “I wanted to tell you so many times,” Lamballe says Antoinette might have refused to accept that Yolande could betray her she’s realized there are vanishingly few people she can truly trust And as life at court become ever more precarious and the political situation in France increasingly volatile she will soon find herself in a truly dangerous situation All episodes are now streaming with PBS Passport For more news and exclusive interviews, follow Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s Instagram If you've ever wondered what it was like to hang out with a queen all day, every day, you might not have thought of it as deeply and disturbingly stressful. According to Portland State University being a lady-in-waiting involved serving the queen in ways related to companionship and display manners that would prompt any man to melt into the carpet they faced everything from the possibility of getting poop on their gowns to the serious concern of having their heads chopped off Ladies who waited part-time weren't usually paid for their services, while those who were always with the queen were given some sort of compensation. Sometimes they were recouped for their clothing, travel, and food on top of a salary, which certainly incentivized the girls to stay at the job longer, according to Portland State University This was also one of the only opportunities for women to have serious employment ladies-in-waiting may have fulfilled certain favors to the king in secret Japan was totally out in the open about it The women of the sovereign were certainly known to be of service to the emperor but also fulfilled the usual duties to the empress and performing other everyday tasks for her along with keeping her constantly entertained along with two other children from the emperor And Emperor Meiji assuredly didn't stop with the first maid after he had a successor (and a backup another high-ranking and quite attractive maid of the empress a mob of angry revolutionaries seized Marie-Louise they demanded that she denounce the actions of the greedy government the mob put her head on a pike and paraded it beneath Marie Antoinette's windows King Charles II of Scotland also found himself so enamored with one of his mistresses that he actually made his wife Catherine take her on as a lady-in-waiting to have her around more often, according to Historic UK It was also known that the king's courtiers were welcome to pursue the maids a place to court prospective wives from the upper echelons of society When Henry VIII took his fourth wife, Catherine Howard, she was around 17 years old and a former lady-in-waiting to his previous queen, Anne of Cleves, per Historic Royal Palaces When the king took the teenager to the altar he was unaware that she had gotten around a little bit before him this was a big fat no-no during Tudor times as women who were eligible for royalty were required to be virgins Unfortunately, Catherine was also having an affair with one of the king's close friends, Thomas Culpepper, while she was married, according to Britannica This damningly tragic secret wasn't kept for long and the king was quick to revert to his past tactics of dealing with wives who had greatly disappointed him or whom he'd grown tired of Catherine probably wasn't too surprised when she learned that she'd be executed considering that her husband had beheaded Anne Boleyn on likely bogus rumors of adultery As for Culpepper, Catherine implicated him with a heartfelt letter she sent him while he was away "...when I think again that you shall depart from me again it makes my heart die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company."  Most probably remember Queen Elizabeth I's nickname, "The Virgin Queen," since she never married. Even if that nickname wasn't true whatsoever, she seemed to have the same expectation for her ladies-in-waiting and seldom gave them permission to marry if she didn't fancy the fellas her maids presented her, per University of Portland was imprisoned after not telling her about a marriage of one of her friends' daughters Before it seems like that's totally petty and incredibly controlling — the bride in question, Lady Catherine Grey, was next in succession to Queen Elizabeth I, according to Encyclopedia.com it was in Elizabeth's best interest for Catherine to not be married in case she went and did something crazy with her husband like produce an heir to take Elizabeth's place So Elizabeth threw the newlyweds in prison along with Bess who got to spend seven months in the Tower of London King Henry VIII's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was a little contradictory with her lot of ladies: She wanted them to be as beautiful as humanly possible but also pious beyond humanly possible, per H for History This seemed to be the case with all of Henry's wives as almost all of them after Catherine had been ladies-in-waiting to his queens who had refused to be Henry's mistress before he gave up got an illegitimate annulment to Catherine Later in her life, Queen Elizabeth I was known to be quite temperamental and brutally sarcastic with just about everyone around her, according to The Spectator Being that her ladies were literally waiting on her ol' Lizzy was known to throw some pretty debilitating jabs at them It was known that the queen was also quite depressed toward the end of her life and while she lashed out at her attendants from time to time she deeply depended on them to keep her stable and became more needy for their company As her closest ladies-in-waiting started to die Ladies of the court had to have it all: musical talent, good wit, exceptional manners, housekeeping skills even if they weren't using them, a highly respectable socioeconomic status, modesty with a touch of sumptuousness then followed by the irony of virginity, and most importantly, genetically superior good looks, per Tudor Times Looks had become so important in the 16th century in English courts that Henry VIII's first queen, Catherine of Aragon, went as far to bend the rules for beautiful women who weren't from families of great wealth and nobility, per H for History was so superficial that she required her maids to wear extremely elaborate garments to the point where she came up with standards that included the number of pearls that had to be on the girdle But god forbid if any of them became pregnant from their duties to the queen who immediately banished women who happened to reap the consequences in the proverbial line of fire This made the girls great pawns for the men at court who were looking to find higher status, nobility, and money, unless the king got to them first, of course, per The Spectator their hopes were certainly the other way around and they sought to set their daughters up for success to find rich sometimes the queen got in the way of betrothals especially for exceptional maids that she wanted all to herself like the fabulously single Queen Elizabeth I who always sported an impressive squad of girls throughout her reign