Historians and biographers debate whether Marie Antoinette and Axel von Fersen were platonic friends or lovers. Only Marie Antoinette and Axel von Ferson know the truth, but the strength of their affection for each other resonates in their letters and the way they impacted each other’s lives.
Marie Antoinette and Swedish soldier Hans Axel Von Fersen were both still teenagers when they met each other at a masquerade ball in Paris on January 30, 1771. She was still the Dauphine and not yet the queen and Fersen’s military career had just begun. Born in 1755, he was part of the Swedish nobility, but served in the Army of France.
At the ball, Marie Antoinette and Axel von Fersen took off their masks and talked to each other and that meeting began their friendship. She invited Axel von Fersen to Versailles and he quickly became one of her favorite guests. He traveled to Versailles as often as he could, but his military career soon transformed into a diplomatic post that took him to England for several years.
