The Royal Versailles Ball
The Royal Versailles Ball was a charitable private event held at the Palace of Versailles on 21 May 2022. The ball celebrated the historic 1855 state visit of Queen Victoria, and the ball held by Napoleon III at the Palace of Versailles in her honour. The goal of the ball was to raise money primarily for children's charities. The event was organised by a committee of volunteers, and attended by over 1,100 guests, supporting the charities Street Child, Lewa, and UNICEF. The chief Royal patrons were Prince Michael of Kent and Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon. Origins and history As the new Emperor of the French, Napoleon III's greatest aim was to reconcile his country with England and to heal the wounds of the Napoleonic wars. Following detailed correspondences between both rulers, Queen Victoria invited the emperor to come on a State Visit to England in 1855. In April of that year, cheering crowds flocked to catch a glimpse of ‘Boney’ as he arrived in London, and at Windsor he was invested as a Knight of the Garter, an order founded when England was at odds with France in the Hundred Years War. With the successful visit to England complete, both Royal couples – Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie – were animated about the return State Visit to France. On 18 August 1855, Napoleon III journeyed to Boulogne to receive his British guests. The port that had witnessed his uncle Napoleon's planned invasion of England but was now to welcome the Queen of England. The significance of this day could not be ignored. The last English monarch to formally make the journey to Paris was King Henry VI – who was crowned King of France in 1432 in Notre Dame (coincidentally the same place as Napoleon I). After an impressive tours of the Tuileries, St Cloud, the Louvre, and various parties, Napoleon III led the Queen and Prince Consort to the climax of the tour – a grand ball. Emperor Napoleon III called on the assistance of his wife, Empress Eugénie. To find inspiration for the ball and, for this, she turned to none other than the 18th century French court and the lavish parties of Louis XV. The Hall of Mirrors and the Orangerie had been the setting of numerous important fetes, celebrations, political and diplomatic events. Here, France hosted Queen Victoria the first state visit from an English monarch in four centuries. Great preparations had been made for this historic moment. Gas lighting was installed in the Hall of Mirrors, the marble courtyard and opera. Four orchestras were brought in along with the celebrated conductor Isaac Strauss. The sovereigns danced with each other's partners among the 1,200 other guests. They adjourned for dinner in the opera house and continued dancing until the following morning. It was the first social ball to take place at the palace since the revolution of 1789. Napoleon III proudly wore his new Garter sash and Eugénie, whose grandfather had been