Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 28 minutes ago
When people think of famous royal graves being opened, they often imagine archaeologists searching for lost kings or scientists carrying out DNA tests. The graves of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were opened for a very different reason. Their exhumation in 1815 was not carried out for scientific research or because there was any mystery about how they had died. Instead, it was part of an attempt to restore the honour of France’s last king and queen before the French Revolution.
When people think of famous royal graves being opened, they often imagine archaeologists searching for lost kings or scientists carrying out DNA tests. The graves of King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were opened for a very different reason. Their exhumation in 1815 was not carried out for scientific research or because there was any mystery about how they had died. Instead, it was part of an attempt to restore the honour of France’s last king and queen before the French Revolution.
