Marie Antoinette was a queen.
The Affair of the Diamond Necklace was an incident in 1785 at the court of King Louis XVI of France involving his wife , Queen Marie Antoinette . The royal Flight to Varennes ( Fuite à Varennes ) during the night of 20 -- 21 June 1791 was a significant episode in the French Revolution in which King Louis XVI of France , his queen Marie Antoinette , and their immediate family attempted unsuccessfully to escape from Paris in order to initiate a counter-revolution at the head of loyal troops under royalist officers concentrated at Montmédy near the frontier . Marie Antoinette ( [ ˈmæriˌæntwəˈnɛt ] , [ ˌɑ̃ːntwə - ] , [ ˌɑ̃ːtwə - ] , [ məˈriː - ] [ maʁi ɑ̃twanɛt ] ; born Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna ( 2 November 1755 -- 16 October 1793 ) was the last Queen of France and Navarre before the French Revolution . Despite her initial popularity , a growing number of the population eventually came to dislike her , accusing her of being profligate , promiscuous , and of harbouring sympathies for France 's enemies , particularly her native Austria . Spendthrift . Historical figures who have been characterized as spendthrifts include Karl Marx , George IV of Great Britain , King Ludwig II of Bavaria , and Marie Antoinette the Queen of France .