Madame Carette

Amélie Césarie Carette (, ; ; 28 January 1839 – 1926), commonly known as Madame Carette, was a French memoirist and lady-in-waiting at the court of Napoleon III. She is best remembered for her memoirs, Souvenirs intimes de la cour des Tuileries, which provide a detailed account of life at the French Imperial court during the Second Empire.

Biography

Early life and family Amélie Césarie Bouvet was born on 28 January 1839 and raised in Brittany, When her father died in 1864, Amélie and her mother were left in financial hardship. member of the General Council of Aisne. His fortune was estimated to exceed three million francs. The couple had three sons: Eugène Louis (born 1867), Pierre Amédée (born 1869), and François Pierre (born 1874).

So valued was Amélie at court, and so generous the Empress, that when her engagement was announced, Eugénie offered a dowry of 300,000 francs and the title of Honorary Chamberlain to Amélie's future husband. Out of love for his fiancée, Henry declined both offers. There is no record of her holding any further official court position, but it is noted that Eugénie gave Amélie a portrait of herself in 1880 in Camden Place, just before her visit to her son's death site in Zululand.

It is unclear whether she continued writing beyond her memoirs, which she published in 1889, but Amélie's memoirs remain an important source on the customs, intrigues, and personalities of the Second Empire's court life.