On New Year’s Day in 1772, Marie Antoinette finally spoke a few words
to Madame du Barry, after refusing to address the favorite for a long
stretch of time. At Versailles, it was customary for all presented women
at court to engage with the royal family on New Year’s Day; Madame du
Barry appeared at Marie Antoinette’s apartments with several other
people and Antoinette, after speaking a few words to the other women
with her, said simply: “There are many people at Versailles today.”
Court
etiquette stipulated that Madame du Barry could only speak to the
dauphine if she was addressed first, and given du Barry’s status as the
king’s mistress, it was certainly expected that she be given this
privilege. Although Marie Antoinette treated Madame du Barry politely
and even cordially during her first few months in France, the gradual
influence of her husband’s aunts–who detested their father’s
mistress–led the teenager to snub the woman entirely. They convinced her
that the king had no problem with her behavior (he did) and that it was
acceptable for her to snub a courtier if she disliked them regardless
of etiquette (it wasn’t). After pressure from her mother and the
Austrian ambassador, Marie Antoinette made several attempts to speak to
du Barry in order to smooth things over, but was always pulled away by
her aunts at the last moment.
It was only when she did not
inform the aunts of her plan that the young dauphine was finally able to
speak a few words to du Barry, appeasing both du Barry and the King.
