“If anyone writes the story of my life,they should call it THE LAST BONAPARTE, for I am the last. My cousins of the Imperial line are only Napoleons”–Princess Marie Bonaparte
Argument about the possible redundancy of royalty in today’s 21st Century world remains a matter that cannot, by logic, be refuted. But, sometimes, through one’s position, acquired by accident of birth, one can still attain achievement that goes beyond being photographed at ceremonial functions & other ritual often associated with members of royal families.
One such exception was The Princess Marie Bonaparte. She could have easily lived a life of total leisure, without worry as to means or method. It turned out that she was not content being just another pampered, European aristocrat, whose claim to status was that she was a great-grandniece of Emperor Napoleon I of France.
She studied human sexuality, with her own problems in this area as a primary impetus. In the course of things, she became acquainted with & eventually, befriended Sigmund Freud. Her studies helped to expand the arena of what became known as psychoanalysis, well beyond what was originally envisioned by her mentor. In part because of her obsession with her own sexual issues, it is now permissible & commonplace for women to be open about these problems. Prior to her studies & writings upon these matters, such discussion would have been almost impossible, or certainly delayed by another couple of generations. She helped to end the stigma of silence about the sexual identity & realities of human women, which had been long-overlooked.
Far more information is available about her than can be published here, but one point I do wish to mention: She saved the life of Sigmund Freud from almost certain murder at the hands of NAZI exterminators shortly before the outbreak of World War II. It was Princes Marie Bonaparte who drove him across the frontiers into France & helped make arrangements for the resettlement of him & his daughter Anna, into safety, eventually allowing them to have a final home in London.
Her life was, indeed, one that may have had its moments of seeming eccentricities, but her lasting legacy is still with us in terms of advancements in mental health care & breaking taboos that were once thought immutable.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Marie_Bonaparte
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Ancedote: “On 2 June 1953, Marie and her husband represented their nephew, King Paul of Greece, at the coronation of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom in London. Bored with the pageantry, Marie offered psychoanalysis to the gentleman seated next to her, who was the future French president François Mitterrand. Mitterrand obliged Marie, and the couple barely witnessed the pomp and ceremony, finding their own activity far more interesting.”
2012/10/27
Categories: biography, Princess Marie Bonaparte, royalty . Tags: Prince George of Greece & Denmark, Princess Marie Bonaparte, psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud . Author: thomasoutt . Comments: 2 Comments
