Désirée was quite a gorgeous and savvy gal! But, other than being independent, almost totally uninhibited, outspoken, and spoiled, who was she really?

Bernardine Eugénie Désirée Clary: Born in Marseilles, France, Nov. 9, 1777; died as Queen Desideria of Sweden at the age of 83, Dec. 17, 1860

She was the daughter of a wealthy silk merchant, François Clary, and his wife Françoise Rose Somis. Sometime in the 1790's, Désirée met poor, young Napoleone Buonaparte who was born and raised on Corsica and changed his name to Napoleon Bonaparte when he got to France.

In 1974 Napoleon and Désirée became engaged. Désirée's parents objected to the match, and Napoleon needed more money and social standing to aid his grand aspirations than she would or could bring to the marriage. The engagement was broken in 1796, and Napoleon immediately married Josephine de Beauharnais.

Not much later, Désirée married Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte who was sixteen years her senior, and, Napoleon's ablest General and the most trusted of Napoleon's 18 Ministers of War.

Désirée and Jean-Baptiste's first and only child was a boy. It has been said Napoleon chose the name for Désirée and Jean-Baptiste's child: Oscar, a Nordic name -- how unusual, and, how prophetic.

In 1810, Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte was adopted as heir-apparent by the royal house of Sweden and Norway and crowned King Carl XIV John in 1818.

Désirée never acclimated well to the Swedish traditions, language, or climate, and spent long periods of time in Paris, away from her husband and only child, Oscar. She returned to Sweden in 1823, and was crowned as Queen Desideria in 1829. Bernadotte was 16 years her senior, and 16 years after his death, she passed away in Stockholm following a night at the opera at the age of 83.

Désirée and Jean-Baptiste's son, Oscar, was King Oscar I. The fifth generation of the Bernadotte Dynasty rules Sweden today.

My other favorite movie is Auntie Mame with Roz Russell; it's difficult for me to tell where Roz leaves off and my mum begins. Knowing what I know of my mum and Roz R. in Auntie Mame? They are two peas from the same pod.

~Nan