Descent into chaos

The drama intensifies in season two as royal rumours and scandal threaten Marie Antoinette's reputation

- WORDS: LAURA CARRENO-MÜLLER

Emilia Schüle and Louis Cunningham are back in the opulent world of Versailles as BBC Two's Marie Antoinette returns for a dramatic second season.

This time, the gilded palace walls can't hold back the chaos. "Season one was like a walk in the park," says Emilia. "Season two is high-stakes." Disorder looms for their characters, Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI, who are navigating a new dynamic as parents. "They've settled into this kind of platonic love," says Louis. "They've produced the heirs that they're expected to. They've done their duty and they can lean into friendship."

That emotional distance opens the door for Marie Antoinette to rekindle her romance with Count Axel von Fersen, who's returned from the American Revolutionary War. But peace is fleeting. Their oldest son's health deteriorates - Louis Joseph suffers from spinal tuberculosis, historically known as Pott's disease. His tragic death in June 1789 would coincide with France's revolution.

But at the heart of that unravelling is a long-forgotten scandal involving Freya Mavor's character, Jeanne de Valois. Though descended from Henry IV, Jeanne is no pampered royal. "Her history is traumatic and dark," says Freya. "She was hardened by the way she grew up. It's made her incredibly decisive and ruthless. She'll perform, lie and manipulate to get where she wants to be."