The Lost King of France

A True Story of Revolution, Revenge and DNA

Caught up in the Terror of the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette’s much-loved son, Louis-Charles, was singled out for special retribution. When his parents were sent to the guillotine in 1793, the eight-year-old heir apparent became a symbol for many of the despised ancien régime. But the public did not know what had happened to him. Louis-Charles became a mystery; whereabout unknown.

In 1795, the prince was declared dead by the revolutionary authorities. Immediately, rumours spread that he had escaped from prison and was, in fact, alive. In time many ‘Princes’ appeared to claim his name and his inheritance, but which if any, was the real Louis-Charles?

The Lost King of France is a moving and dramatic tale that interweaves a pivotal moment in history with a unique detective story that involves pretenders to the crown, royalist plots, bizarre legal battles and modern science. The quest for the truth finally runs to the present day as DNA testing of a stolen heart leads to an exciting conclusion to this extraordinary two-hundred-year-old mystery and sheds new light on a transformative moment in Europe’s past.

Media

Long listed: Samuel Johnson Prize (now Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction):

The Lost King of France was Book of the Week, Radio 4, (read by Haydn Gwynne)

Audio Book Preview The Lost King of France, by Deborah Cadbury (read by Hannah Gordon) 

Reviews

‘Outstanding…The action races forward with sumptuously judged pace equal to that of any top-rate thriller. The structuring is good, the prose uncluttered and jargon free…Cadbury’s masterstroke is to unfurl the Revolution’s black dramas through the eyes of a small boy who is expelled from Versailles’ ‘carpet of flowers’ into a life of ‘unrecognisable, frightening chaos’…Wrapped around the Dauphin’s story comes a gripping account of the Revolution itself, making this the ideal Christmas gift for any serious minded teenager who will appreciate a warm blooded description of one of humanity’s most tortuously complicated events…The book’s most important role is as a cautionary tale of what can happen anywhere when circumspection ebbs or simply when luck elapses…the author has set a fine standard of scholarship.’ George Lucas The Financial Times, 19.10.02

‘Absolutely stupendous…This is history as it should be. I can’t praise it highly enough. It is stunningly written, I could not put it down. This is the best account of the French Revolution I have ever read.’    Alison Weir.

‘Beautifully structured and sympathetically narrated, Cadbury’s book benefits from having a subject that successfully brings together science, suspense and sentiment. Something for everyone.’ Miranda Seymour   Sunday Times 20.10.02

‘Unputdownable…Deborah Cadbury succeeds in conveying the human tragedy of the French royal family’s end more emotively than any other writer. Added to that, her book has the gripping pace of a thriller and offers the ultimate satisfaction in revealing how a historical mystery has been solved by modern science. For sheer escapism and some fascinating insights into history, I cannot recommend this too highly.’  Maureen Waller, author 1700: Scenes from London Life & Ungrateful daughters: the Stuart Princesses who stole their father’s crown.

‘Gripping from start to finish…This tale reads like a Gothic novel of gloomy castles, dark deeds and false claimants and a cliffhanger ending, with science as an added bonus.’ Roy Herbert, New Scientist 5.10.02

In this riveting book, Deborah Cadbury delivers a fable for our times which combines the grisly panache of Struwwelpeter with the concentrated pathos of John Everett Millais’s The Princes in the Tower.  Hilary Spurling, The Daily Telegraph 5.10.02

A wonderful book… Deborah Cadbury’s fascinating account of a child victim of revolutionary brutality is a masterly synthesis of science and narrative history which provides a definitive solution to a celebrated mystery. Authoritative, lucid and utterly absorbing.’ Anne Somerset, author Elizabeth 1st. 

‘France lost a Prince, but science found his heart…If you are tired of dry history books and dream of the past come alive, then The Lost King of France is a spectacular book for you… It is the author’s own skill, insight and sympathy that gives this true story its power…The descriptions of the rage, ruthlessness and depravity of the time, read like fiction… The author has done a splendid job providing an accessible account of the French royal family as well as revealing a puzzling mystery of great magnitude and depth.’ The Washington Times 6.10.02

A winning and highly readable account of the French Revolution and the fate of the Dauphin, the son of the executed King Louis XVI…Cadbury dramatically relates the history, mystery and the tragic fate of Louis XVII. This will appeal to the same readers who followed the recent genetic unravelling of the fate of another executed royal family, recounted in The Romanovs by Robert Massie. Publishers Weekly 2.9.02

‘In the Lost King of France, Deborah Cadbury lays out in fascinating detail the historical mystery of the royal heir – Louis XII- and uses modern science to try to solve it’ Stuart Ferguson The Wall Street Journal 19.10.02

A conclusive account… As she weighs up the pros and cons of various pretenders, Deborah Cadbury creates an air of suspense that does not end until we know the absolute truth about the Dauphin…The book is enjoyably readable and the quest tantalising….  Sunday Independent 24.11.02

‘This is a truly shocking history of a child victim of the French Revolution…’ Beryl Bainbridge in Critics Choice, Daily Mail, 6.12.02

Chilling…In a gripping new book, The Lost King of France, Deborah Cadbury charts the tragic lives of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI and their son Louis-Charles – and shows just what a courageous wife and mother Marie-Antoinette was.  Adriaane Pielou,  Sunday Mail. 8.12.02

‘A fascinating investigation into the brief life and mysterious death of the young King. Deborah Cadbury uses modern DNA testing to shed fresh light on the story.’ Bookmark.

Cadbury weaves an exciting, thrilling story of the French Revolution – a gripping page turner that is hard to put down until the last page of The Lost King of France…She has created an excellent mystery adventure with harrowing details and horrific descriptions that transpired during one of France’s pivotal periods in history. Buy It!  15. Minutes Magazine, Online. November 02 

As both the story of a short and tragic life and a record of how science solved one of the greatest puzzles in French history, The Lost King of France works brilliantly. Amazon reviews.

‘A superb piece of historical writing, finely structured, well researched, and constantly absorbing…Cadbury creates a powerful atmosphere of suspense and holds the resolution of the mystery until the book’s end.’ Charlotte Zeepvat. Royalty Digest Dec 03

‘A very good new book,’  Allan Massie The Scotsman, 15.10.02

‘A first-class read – informative, entertaining, and a great, grand adventure story. Most noteworthy.’  Margaret George, author The Autobiography of Henry XVIII, Mary Queen of Scotland, & Cleopatra. 

Impressive…An excellent example of narrative history…Cadbury’s painstaking enquiry into the mystery and eventual solution, through DNA testing of the true fate of the lost Dauphin is a fascinating example of how science can collaborate with historical research.   Library Journal, 1.11.02

‘The Lost King of France is a fascinating and well-told story that reads with great interest and pleasure. My congratulations on a well researched work.’   Ian Dunlop, author, Marie-Antoinette and Louis XIV

‘An absorbing tale, combining sound history and modern science. The restrained description of the sufferings of the little Prince from the officious sadism of the Revolutionary officials serves only to add poignancy to his story.’   John Hardman, author Louis XVI and Robespierre.

A compelling piece of history…History is the stuff of biography and a new book by Deborah Cadbury, The Lost King of France, evokes the drama and violence of the French Revolution and its aftermath while tracing a 200 year old mystery. Well worth reading. Bookviews Feb.03