A single sentence, like gasoline on the French Revolution.

And we thought cancel culture was bad! Marie Antoinette‘s most infamous quote, the quote that critics use to define… no… justify her death… is said to have never ever actually been uttered from her lips!

The story goes, in 1789 Marie Antoinette was informed that her French subjects had no bread. The young posh queen is alleged to have responded callously, “Let them eat cake.”

According to British historian, Lucy Worsley, it was King Louis XIV’s wife that is documented actually saying a similar statement, a century before Marie allegedly made the comment.

Marie Antoinette biographer, Lady Antonia Fraser, agrees. She told History.com that the quote would have been “highly uncharacteristic of Marie Antoinette, an intelligent woman who donated generously to charitable causes and, despite her own undeniably lavish lifestyle, displayed sensitivity towards the poor population of France.”

Historically, the earliest documentation that mentions Marie and “Let them eat cake,” was 50 YEARS after her death. The document also clearly states that it was only a rumor.

In the grand scheme of things, that was the least worst lie that was said about her to justify the loss of her head. Poor Marie Antoinette.

Kinsey Schofield is the Founder of To Di For Daily and you can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.