The Royal Versailles Ball
The Royal Versailles Ball was a charitable private event held at the Palace of Versailles on 21 May 2022. The ball celebrated the historic 1855 state visit of Queen Victoria, and the ball held by Napoleon III at the Palace of Versailles in her honour. The goal of the ball was to raise money primarily for children's charities. The event was organised by a committee of volunteers, and attended by over 1,100 guests, supporting the charities Street Child, Lewa, and UNICEF. The chief Royal patrons were Prince Michael of Kent and Jean-Christophe, Prince Napoléon. Origins and history As the new Emperor of the French, Napoleon III's greatest aim was to reconcile his country with England and to heal the wounds of the Napoleonic wars. Following detailed correspondences between both rulers, Queen Victoria invited the emperor to come on a State Visit to England in 1855. In April of that year, cheering crowds flocked to catch a glimpse of ‘Boney’ as he arrived in London, and at Windsor he was invested as a Knight of the Garter, an order founded when England was at odds with France in the Hundred Years War. With the successful visit to England complete, both Royal