Pauline’s Bed – French Travel Boutique

Shortly before her marriage to the Italian Prince Camillo Borghese Pauline Bonaparte bought the Paris residence of the Dukes of Charost. She decorated each room in a different colour.

Hôtel de Charost, Paris - 1722-25 architect Antoine Mazin - now residence of the Ambassador f… | French architecture, European style homes, Neoclassic architecture — Hôtel de Charost, British Ambassador’s Residence, Paris

Pauline added two wings overlooking the garden. One contained 175 paintings from her husband’s art collection and the other was a dining room which could be converted to a ball room.

The wings were rebuilt ten years after the British Government acquired the property

The glass ceilings were draped with fine fabric to allow the light to penetrate.

The residence contains a small scale copy of Canova’s marble statue of Pauline as Venus.

Pauline Bonaparte: Keeping it in the Family | Noon Observation — The original was commissioned by her husband shortly after their marriage and is now displayed at the Galleria Borghese. in Rome.

Pauline owned the residence for 11 years.

When Napoleon was forced to abdicate and exiled to Elba, Pauline headed there to be with him. She sold her Paris residence to the Duke of Wellington who was acting on behalf of the British government.

The residence sold for 800,000 francs which included 300,000 francs for the furniture. It was the first permanent residence purchased for a British Ambassador.

Pauline Bonaparte's Bed — Pauline Bonaparte’s original bed from the first floor is now on the ground floor of the British Ambassador’s residence in Paris. The Imperial bed with its Egyptian figures has been restored as it was in 1814, with blue silk decorated with gold roses. The Psyche mirror at the side was a gift from Napoleon.

Wellington occupied the house until Napoleon returned to Paris. When Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo, the British returned. It is still the residence of the British Ambassador to France.

Pauline Bonaparte's Bed at the British Embassy in Paris — The Imperial emblem of the eagle sits on top of
Pauline’s bed

Pauline’s original bed has been moved from the first floor to the ground floor. The English King Edward VII slept in it twice on visits to Paris as did the Queen Mother in 1956 and 1982.

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