She was called the “uncrowned queen of France.” For 20 years she held in the hands of one of the most flighty monarchs in Europe - Louis XV. Of course, there were successful favorites before and after her - but none can compare with the legendary Madame Pompadour. But it would seem that the daughter of a footman and kept woman had no chance of rising so high, especially since in childhood she was skinny and ugly - a real “ugly duckling” - but even then the famous fortune teller Le Bon predicted that this ugly girl would win the royal crown. heart. The fate of the Marquise of Pompadour is a fairy tale about Cinderella that has become reality: a successful marriage that opened the way for her to Versailles, a happy coincidence of circumstances, amazing determination bordering on arrogance (what is worth her statement: “I will cheat on my husband only with the king!”). Being, by her own admission, completely frigid, this “ice” managed to become a symbol of alcove pleasures. Not having an extra dress in her youth, she turned into a “style icon” and trendsetter. All-powerful ministers were now crowded in the waiting room of the footman's daughter, waiting for permission to kiss her hand. The “ugly duckling” grew into a beautiful swan, retaining influence over the king even after he had had enough of her as a mistress...Read the new book from the superbestselling author of “Princess Olga” and “The Last Love of Catherine the Great” - a thrilling novel of rise, actual reign and untimely death of the most famous favorite in history!