Float through any social event with M's fast facts. This week, the life and times of Marie Antoinette, guillotined on this day in 1793.
THE BASICS The wife of the French King Louis XVI, and the daughter of the Austrian Empress Maria Theresa. Also the subject of the eponymous 2006 film, starring Kirsten Dunst.
THE WOMAN Married at 14, she was woefully unprepared for wedlock, as was her husband. A courtier is said to have drawn him a diagram to assist him in his duties to his wife and the royal lineage. The couple eventually had four children.
THE LEGEND The original dumb blonde or a former-day feminist? She certainly liked a good time, and was best friends with the first English "It" girl, the Duchess of Devonshire. THE FASHION ICON Her love of lavish dresses and sumptuous hairstyles sowed the seeds of her fall, as a more regal appearance was expected of her. With admirable attitude for the time, she did her own thing when it came to dress.
THE CONVERSATION Did she really say "Let them eat cake" upon hearing that the French had no bread? Many historians say the words were uttered by Marie-Therese, the wife of Louis XIV, a hundred years earlier, and were actually "Let them eat brioche". Antonia Fraser, her biographer, called it a "callous and ignorant statement and she was neither". That it has stuck is probably down to the revolutionaries who spread vicious lies about the royals to debase them in the name of liberty, equality and fraternity.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman
Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870
Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder
Transmission Seven-speed PDK
Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm
Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
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