The Empress Eugènie's distaste for sex was well known. According to some sources, she barred Napoléon III from her bed following the birth of the Prince Imperial (though the actual reason was because the doctors had recommended her not giving birth again AFAIK and I can't think that any woman who'd been dosed that much with laudanum during the birth (in an attempt to postpone the birth of the Prince Imperial until the date of the king of Rome's birth
which meant she would've been dosed for four days!! Napoléon IV was born 16 March, Napoléon II the 20 March.
) would remotely want to repeat the experience willingly.
Now, what if on 16 March, when the Prince Imperial was born, and the story goes that Eugènie was weak from the birth (hello, she's been in labor since the previous night!) when she asked if she'd produced a son. Napoléon, afraid of exciting her, told her no. She asked if it was a girl. Again the negative response. Eugènie, rather agitatedly and probably confusedly too, asked frustratedly: "Well then what is it?"
Say it had been a girl and she would be subjected to the horrors of a birthing again in the hopes for a boy. And how might the Bonapartes react? Obviously Plon-Plon if he weren't an atheist would pull a Louis XVIII and run to the chapel to thank God for securing his place in the succession, here he might just go visit his latest mistress (can't remember if Cora Pearl was on-scene yet). What would the future of this Princess Imperial be?
Now, what if on 16 March, when the Prince Imperial was born, and the story goes that Eugènie was weak from the birth (hello, she's been in labor since the previous night!) when she asked if she'd produced a son. Napoléon, afraid of exciting her, told her no. She asked if it was a girl. Again the negative response. Eugènie, rather agitatedly and probably confusedly too, asked frustratedly: "Well then what is it?"
Say it had been a girl and she would be subjected to the horrors of a birthing again in the hopes for a boy. And how might the Bonapartes react? Obviously Plon-Plon if he weren't an atheist would pull a Louis XVIII and run to the chapel to thank God for securing his place in the succession, here he might just go visit his latest mistress (can't remember if Cora Pearl was on-scene yet). What would the future of this Princess Imperial be?