The sovereign found respite in an outlying area of the Versailles domain known as the Trianon estate. Though it was a mere thirty-minute walk from the palace, its rural setting was worlds away in terms of appearance and ambiance. Her husband, King Louis XVI, gifted his bride with the Petit Trianon château, the smaller of two residences on this property. Enamored with the freedom she enjoyed here, she soon commissioned architect Richard Mique to design a further development that became known as the Queen’s Hamlet.
