(Episode 33—A Funeral Bell Tolls in the Twilight )
On June 2, 1789, 10.00 p.m., the Dauphine was very ill. The great bell of Notre Dame sounded for the Forty Hours’ Prayer. Louis XVI arrived at Median at 4.00 and left in his carriage at 10.00pm in the evening. So, he did not accompany the Dauphin till the last minute, like the episode described. Marie Antoinette remained at her son’s bedside. At 1.00am the child died.
In accordance with etiquette, Marie Antoinette had not the right to weep by the little corpse, which was also different from her crying and saying "Joseph" in the episode. Marie Antoinette returned to Versailles.
The autopsy showed the child’s vertebrae were decayed, bulging and out of place, the ribs curved and the lungs adhering.
Marie Antoinette’s service placed the child’s corpse into its white velvet coffin with silver nails. Both Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette stayed in Versailles and did not attend their son’s funeral.
The royal couple were allowed to spend a week at Marly. The expenses was paid by the money from the silver plates.