--- title: The Scandal Never Ends for Marie Antoinette description: Now, a historian said letters dispute the paternity of Marie Antoinette's children. canonical: https://time.com/4171550/marie-antoinette-children-letters-affair/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-01-07T19:48:01.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T13:52:50.270Z article:section: History og:title: Marie Antoinette's Secret Love Children Revealed in New Book og:description: Was Louis XVI really the father? og:url: https://time.com/4171550/marie-antoinette-children-letters-affair/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2013a9fd29b35a9c/698878115f570f6650b1f155/marie-antoinette-children-paternity-questioned.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Marie Antoinette children fersen affair og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Marie Antoinette's Secret Love Children Revealed in New Book twitter:description: Was Louis XVI really the father? twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2013a9fd29b35a9c/698878115f570f6650b1f155/marie-antoinette-children-paternity-questioned.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Marie Antoinette's Secret Love Children Revealed in New Book  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Jan 7, 2016 7:48 PM CUT  Marie Antoinette and her daughter, in a painting by Joseph Caraud. Marie Antoinette and her daughter, in a painting by Joseph Caraud.Dea / A. Agli Orti—De Agostini/Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Jan 7, 2016 7:48 PM CUT The French Revolution may have ended over two centuries ago, but Marie Antoinette is still a source of intrigue. The newest attention has nothing to do with her lavish lifestyle that fanned the flames of the 18th-century uprising. Instead, a historian believes that her lover — and not King Louis XVI — may have fathered two of her children, [_People_ reports](http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222%5F20978189,00.html "undefined"). Historian and author Evelyn Farr compiled the most complete set of extant letters between Marie Antionette and her intimate confidant Axel von Fersen, a Swedish diplomat and count. The pair used codes and invisible ink, among other strategies, to keep their messages private. And Farr said that after scrutinizing the cryptic love letters, she believes Fersen fathered two of Marie Antoinette’s children. Marie Antoinette had been married off to King Louis XVI at age 14, and began a relationship with Fersen four years later, Farr told _People._ “If she hadn’t had him, how absolutely awful her life would have been,” she said. Read more at [_People_](http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222%5F20978189,00.html "undefined"). ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4171550/marie-antoinette-children-letters-affair/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4171550/marie-antoinette-children-letters-affair/"},"headline":"Marie Antoinette's Secret Love Children Revealed in New Book","datePublished":"2016-01-07T19:48:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:52:50.270Z","description":"Now, a historian said letters dispute the paternity of Marie Antoinette's children.","url":"https://time.com/4171550/marie-antoinette-children-letters-affair/","keywords":[],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2013a9fd29b35a9c/698878115f570f6650b1f155/marie-antoinette-children-paternity-questioned.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2013a9fd29b35a9c/698878115f570f6650b1f155/marie-antoinette-children-paternity-questioned.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Marie Antoinette children fersen affair","caption":"Marie Antoinette children fersen affair","creditText":"Dea / A. 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