Henriette-Anne of France

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Madame Henriette jouant de la basse viole (Madame Henriette playing the bass viol) by Jean-Marc Nattier
Madame Henriette jouant de la basse viole (Madame Henriette playing the bass viol) by Jean-Marc Nattier

Henriette-Anne of France (14 August 1727 at Versailles—-10 February 1752 at Versailles), was the twin sister of Princess Louise-Élisabeth, the eldest child of King Louis XV of France and his queen consort Maria Leszczyńska. Both were born at Versailles. She was known as "Madame Seconde" and then "Madame Henriette".

Of a reserved nature, Henriette-Anne was passionate about music, as Jean-Marc Nattier's portrait shows. She spent her childhood at Versailles with her sisters Louise-Élisabeth and Adélaïde. Her twin sister moved to Spain in 1739 to marry Philip of Bourbon, a younger son of Philip V of Spain, and a parting that Henriette regretted greatly, and she withdrew further into her music. She never married, although she had a romantic relationship with the duc d'Orléans. She endeavoured with Adélaïde and Louis-Ferdinand, her brother and the dauphin, to work together to oppose Madame de Pompadour, and was estranged for a time from her twin sister Louise-Élisabeth, who became friendly with their father's mistress.

She died of smallpox aged 24. She was buried at Saint-Denis, where she was joined by her twin sister after Élisabeth died in 1759. Her tomb, like other Royal tombs at Saint-Denis, was desecrated in the French Revolution.

Her nephews included (among others) Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, Louis XVI of France, Louis XVIII of France, Charles X of France. Her nieces included Madame Élisabeth and Queen Maria Louisa of Spain.

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