We will start with the full name, Catherine Noele Grand de Talleyrand-Périgord, Princesse de Bénévent (b.1762). She started her life in a French colony in India and she was a total dish! She became Madame Grand after marrying a British Officer ("officers!!"), George Francis Grand. She soon found her self having an affair with another man, and things crumbled with her husband. She left and moved to London. She moved to Paris for 5 years or so, but at the dawn of the revolution she left for Britain again. (According to wiki she was selling it in Paris but I still cant find a published source on that!)
But then she met Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord, a French Diplomat, and he fell for her! Before long she was this dandy's mistress (well I don't know if he was an official dandy but I would say so!) Talleyrand had his own saucy history. He was a church man, as he could not be in the military due to a slight limp. He was also a total womanizer and was said to have fathered a handful of illigitiment kids including Eugéne Delacroix! (remember there were no Maurry shows called 'Whos Your Baby's Daddy?' back then).
She became his live in love. He was not about to marry her, "Why buy the cow if you get the milk for free?" BUT after so many years, when Napoleon was around he was like 'okay thats enough you guys, marry, NOW'
So Catherine was married again, and just like last time it all fell apart. Soon she moved out and was living alone and Talleyrand paid for her to move back to London. She stayed there awhile, living comfortably but decided to move back to Paris! Afterall husband #2 was paying a fortune for her to live a luxe life. Le Sigh! She passed away in Paris, 1834. And that is the story of Madame Grand.
Well, I think it's "Bénévent" end not "Bénévente"...
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! ;-)
ReplyDeleteShe was married Charles Jefferey Symes until his death of a head injury whilst skating in Aberdeen in the year1778 aged 23 he was an adjutant in the 7th royal fusiliers I belief she had a daughter by him in 1787 she then moved to Martinique france where she lived with mess le Grand .She then became envolved with Charles talleyrand-Perigord
ReplyDeleteMadame (Princess) Catherine Grand was one of the few of his mistresses that didn't genuinely love Talleyrand, Prince de Bénevent, whispered to be exquisitely gentle by his many lovers, most of whom he kept as lifelong friends. He wrote in a letter to a friend that she was the most beautiful woman in Paris and was the only one who could, in bed "bring him to the 7th heaven" (she had been a "professional"). She was in the pay of the English as a spy on him, though he was so secretive I doubt she got much to give them. Despite being born lame with a club foot, Talleyrand was above average height, slim, well built, handsome with masses of golden blond hair he usually powdered. Even into old age, he was notoriously attractive to women. He had a deep, slow pleasing voice, was effortlessly elegant and a brilliant wit, if often silent in company . He separated from and pensioned off Catherine when she had a blatant, long affair with A Spanish Duke in the entourage of the Spanish king and his son whom Napoleon demanded Talleyrand keep for 6 years under house arrest at his country palace, Chateau Valençay. Napoleon forbade Catherine to come to court (though he had forced Talleyrand to either marry or get rid of her.) She liked to eat and died very fat one year before her husband, a former bishop, --who was pleased that he could then reconcile with the Catholic Church and die absolved of his many sins.
ReplyDelete