Page "Hortense de Beauharnais" Paragraph 9

Queen Hortense was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome from the public.

She quickly became accustomed to life in the Netherlands and came to like the country.

She was present at official celebrations and ceremonies, visited the market places where she made large purchases, and was much liked by the public, which annoyed her husband.

She learned water colour painting and made trips around the countryside.

Nevertheless, she hated her stay there because of her bad relationship with Louis: The couple lived in different parts of the palace and avoided each other at every opportunity, with Hortense describing herself as a prisoner.

In 1807, her son died ; she was subsequently allowed to visit France as the climate there was considered better for her other son Louis-Napoléon.

She remained in France, again pleased by her status as queen at the French court, until 1810, when Napoleon forced her to return to the Netherlands at his new wedding — he did not consider it suitable to have the daughter of his former spouse at court.

Hortense returned temporarily to the Netherlands, but on 1 June 1810, she was allowed to leave again on the pretext of her health.