Personal Information
Full NameHer Majesty Queen Marinette Océane Katarin I of France
Birthday20 March
Age39
Zodiac SignPisces-Aries Cusp
Sex / GenderFemale / Female
SpeciesLegilimens
NationalityFrench
EthnicityCaucasian
Sexual OrientationHomosexual
Romantic OrientationHomoromantic
Relationship StatusMarried to Lucile de' Medici
AccentFrench
BirthplaceParis, France
Living SituationPalace of Fontainebleau, Marseille, France
Languages SpokenEnglish, French, Italian, Russian, English, German, Norwegian, Spanish, Flemish
Magical Information
Blood StatusPure-Blood
Wand WoodHawthorn
Wand CorePhoenix Feather
Wand Length12 1/4 inches, Rigid
PatronusGrey Wolf
BoggartThe death of her wife and children & the palace catacombs
Exotic?Yes
Personality
Do you believe in zodiac signs?
- "I used to, when I was younger. But then, they told me that Lucile and I weren't compatible — something about Pisces and Leos and her not being able to handle my 'emotional outpours' and me not stroking her ego enough or something — and there's some merit to that. Luce isn't the best at emotion-handling, and I can get too lost in my work, or stress, or... other feelings... but it doesn't sit well with me anymore that the stars advise whether people should or shouldn't be together. I made a joke that the stars said we couldn't be together, and it's one of the only times I've ever seen Lucile de' Medici cry. Even then she was threatening to fight every star there was about it, and it's been a running joke ever since. She finds it funnier now, though."
Do you believe technology and magic can coexist together?
- "They can, and they do. My children wouldn't live without it — their social media, for one. Honestly, that gets hard to monitor, which is particularly an issue in their position, but they love it and I have an understanding of it, though I certainly don't have their freedom. Their music, too — Alex takes his headphones everywhere — so of course, they must. The societies existing together in France was difficult, for a time, thankfully one I did not live through, but their coming back together in relative harmony is proof to what can be achieved. So I don't see why more developments to bring moldus innovations into our world and improve it should be impossible."
How do you want to be remembered by the people around you?
- "Fondly. With love, because..." Well, she already knows what it feels like to be resented by people who should love her; her mother, her siblings bar Matthieu alone. It's the source of a considerable amount of sadness and self-resentment, only exacerbated by the fact their treatment worsened as Louis showed favouritism toward his 'gifted' child. She regrets that that same favouritism also passed down to Matthieu, used as further reasoning for their behaviour towards him after it was revealed that he was a Squib. She regrets, too not being able to do enough to protect him that he felt safe in their homeland, that he had to abandon the country that had turned on him and leave his life behind. And she realises she tailed off, and finishes — to hide that swirling doubt — "who doesn't want that?"
Would you rather have endless money or endless amount of love?
- "Endless love. That's an easy one. I was ready to abdicate in order to marry Lucile, if that was required — I didn't have a plan for what I was going to do, especially if the country rejected me. Seeing it do that to my brother, it... made me feel sick. For a while, it made me resent my position as some kind of idol to them, because... well, he and I aren't so different, even if they see us as worlds apart because I'm magical and he isn't. And having endless love means I would also have endless love to give to others. Which I do my best to, but I can get emotionally exhausted, and to not have to worry about that would be a wonderful thing — but again, there's no feeling in the world like being loved."
What is one activity that helps wind you down? Alternatively, what is one activity that does the opposite to you? Is there more than one, if so-what?
- "Dancing, with my wife, with no one else around, is one of the purest joys I have the privilege of. I also very much enjoy watching both Quidditch and Muggle football — the women's game especially in the latter. They're the activities I'd say I take up for me. However, there are world leaders and government ministers whom I have to meet — on a state visit, or a ceremonial basis — with whom my personal morals and compassion clash. Much like the current American administration. Dealing with such people is my responsibility, of course, but that doesn't mean it won't stress out or exhaust me in ways other duties do not. I'm also intensely confused by rugby. One of my sons plays, and I can't watch it without wincing, so I've given up on understanding."
What is your guilty pleasure? Do you try and fight it?
- She snorts, "Wine. And sometimes. When I have to, like when a particularly annoying associate's giving me a headache, perhaps. But if it's not necessary to resist, I'll indulge a little. I've got a decent alcohol tolerance."
How much effort do you put into fashion and appearance? Do you have a personal ‘aesthetic’?
- "Too much. I'm considered a French fashion icon, apparently. Things I wear sell out, things my children wear too... but obviously — and, in fact, unfortunately — as a woman in the limelight there are still expectations placed on me about how I appear. There are regulations about skirt length, how long my hair is, what colours I can have, as I'm the face of a nation. At home, I'm most comfortable working in my France jersey—" and yes, she does really mean just that, her underwear and slippers — "with my work glasses on and the door locked, but being casual in public is something that escapes me. They once tried it to see if I could go incognito somewhere, but it didn't work, so they abandoned that."
Do you have any phrases that you tend to overuse?
- "The curse of overusing 'putain'. It's barely even offensive, and it gets attached to things that don't even make sense, even around children and in situations of only mild annoyance. A royal in Britain wouldn't get away with the equivalent, perhaps, but it's just something we're all used to. I curb it as much as I can, naturally, as it shouldn't be aspired to, but when I'm more comfortable it slips out."
When was the last time you cried?
- "Three hours ago. I cry quite regularly, as if in quick-fire bursts. It goes away and I go back to what I was doing." Except it doesn't really go away, and they pile up as she ignores them to continue working.
Who’s your ideal best friend?
- "I dreamed of being best friends with Zinedine Zidane. But he wasn't a wizard, and he was a footballer, so again, my parents weren't keen."
History
What was your first incident of magic and how old were you?
- "We celebrate our national day at the same time as the Moldus celebrate their Bastille Day, so the first sign of magic I had — I was three, and as I understand it strikingly young — was to generate our own fireworks for the occasion. I'm very lucky it didn't go awry, but less lucky when it comes to my own children's inclinations to the same now I'm the parent that has to deal with it."
Do you believe in love at first sight?
- "Is that wall Lucile-proof?" she asks, idly — a facetious smile curls over her lips, yes, but the gentle exasperation ( that came with her complete adoration of the Italian ) shines through, utterly solar in its nature as she habitually tidies an errant curl behind her ear. And yet, in such offhand and pure joy the smile manages still to give the impression of being completely polite even amidst memories of tooth-fairy smiles, coffee-house haloes, and the contentment of a Beauxbatons dormitory shared with the one she loved — back when the world had no idea of the precise closeness of their bond.
- "Of course I do." It's spoken like an undeniable, indelible fact, because it is; it is her greatest happiness that she has evaded the oft-inevitable royal fate of fraught or loveless marriages, and found someone whom she adored heart, and mind, and soul. "I was eight years old when I met the woman who would one day become my wife. And in some way I knew it then. You know it, when someone's presence is a home, and when you're with them — particularly after a long separation, and for you 'long' can be a few hours that felt like years — it's as though you're getting into your favourite pyjamas after a long day. But don't tell Lucile I said that; she enjoys using the fact I'll love her regardless as an excuse to be..." she searches for the right word, and chuckles, "...vexing."
Have you ever been in love? If so, with who? If not, do you want to be in love?
- "If you'd told me you were going to ask this, you could have cut me off before last time. But yes, I have been in love for many years — with my wife, Lucile — and it is the greatest happiness for which I could have hoped. And it — that is, to be in love and to be loved — is an experience I want for all people. I've met my fair share of cynics, and I'm married to one, but there truly is nothing material that can match it. It isn't always what you expect it to be, but no matter what, if it's right you'll be sure to know." She smiles softly again. "I expected a conventional proposal. And I got one, for appearances' sake, but the real proposal was in the midst of World Cup celebrations in Marseille, Luce was in my spare France jersey and soaked through with sea-water, and we didn't even know if we'd be allowed to marry. But I knew that if I had to do so, I would give up that world and all the privilege it brought to me in order to be with her."
Were you close with your family growing up? If not, why?
- "I was close to my father — the sunshine of his life, in fact. But my mother... she was always discomforted by me, especially when I found out about the Bavarian man she was seeing. That made her very angry indeed, and I think after that our relationship was irreparable. For my family's sake I never said anything of it — he was a businessman with a lot of corporate capital — but I think I regret not telling my father and being honest with him. As for my siblings, my closest sibling was eight years older than me, and it always felt like there was an insurmountable chasm between me and the rest of them. Matthieu was distant enough to be their child, so that defined their relationship... before everything, but mine was ruined by the favouritism. By the fact that I was going to be the heir. My relationship with Matthieu is fine, but he's fifteen years younger than I am, so our relationship doesn't really count under the 'growing up' umbrella."
If you weren’t raised by your parents, who did? How did you find yourself in this position?
- "We were royals. You can imagine the staff, the tutors, the family friends all circling the house, the nannies... I'll give my father credit that he was surprisingly present for a King, but we weren't raised in a traditional fashion. There were people for just about everything. That's increased my resolve that my own children wouldn't experience it the same way I did."
What was your childhood dream? Why so? And why did it change?
- "I wanted to be a football player," Marinette replies, "for Paris Saint-Germain. But I gave that up because I was not only a witch, but I was going to be Queen, and it wasn't a befitting career. Not that I could really have an alternative career other than being queen, but my parents found the thought of kicking a ball around with twenty-one other girls and getting my knees muddy particularly distasteful. And then, eventually of course, I moved to Marseille. And you get enough flack as a PSG fan in Marseille, even if you're the Queen of France."
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
- "Still ruling France. Dreading my fiftieth birthday. Still madly in love with my wife and trying to better the world. Quite possibly battling the onset of grey hair, but otherwise much the same as I am now."
What would you say to your younger self and what would they think of you?
- "I'd tell her to be prepared for the throne far sooner than she wanted it. And I'd tell her not to let her wife convince her to have so many kids because she already knows it's not kind to the body and children are tiny terrors... I'd tell her to do more to help Matthieu because he needs it. And I don't know what she'd think of me, truly. Maybe she'd be disappointed she didn't get more freedom, or maybe she'd be proud of the title I carry. She'd definitely be pleased I'm still keeping it all in, though. Still at least kind of seeming fine in spite of everything. Though she'd wonder how much longer that lasts."
What is your most vivid memory? This doesn’t have to be a good or bad memory.
- "Right after the real engagement, Luce dragged me into a club to escape the security I had following me around, and, well..." she cleared her throat, adjusted her seating position, and after a while's consideration, "It's hardly appropriate to continue from there on." Yes, it's the post-engagement sex, and she — no matter how sheepish she may appear — has no regrets.
How did you know you were a natural born legilimens?
- "Well, it's hard to avoid knowing, don't you think?" She tilts her head, thoughtful, mindful as to what she should or should not say; after all, trust does not come easily to those of noble birth. How can it, when you are raised in competition, in families like theirs? Compassion, rather, was the emotion that came fastest to Marinette as a young girl, though it was often not returned to her by her family, particularly not her siblings & mother. And compassion and love can so often be mistaken for trust, but such is not the case. "It's almost... a slip of the hand, you know? A natural instinct — both a gift, and not so. I didn't always associate it with the name — in fact I did not, until it was brought to my attention by my Head of House at Beauxbatons, but I knew what I could do."
Do you keep it a secret? If so, why? If not, how did those closest react?
- "Yes, and no. It's not upfront in conversation, perhaps, and it is certainly useful to know people's real feelings about you, or their real intentions. However," she muses, "my wife knows, of course. My children do. Lucile is annoyed she sometimes forgets and can't sneak things past me when she does, and my children are disappointed that none of them seem to have inherited the skill from me. I can imagine it damaged my relationship with my late mother, though we never spoke of it to be certain. It was... not a functional relationship, as not everything can be perfect behind closed doors, and my parents' feelings when Matthieu turned out not to have magic... he could sense the difference, but I knew of it, and thus it was important to show I loved him all the more."
- The French monarchy was established by royals of magical blood escaping the French revolution, and retained when wizards' own attempt at a democratic government — sans revolution — failed due to being without sound structure.
- However, since that time a stable French ministry has in fact been formed, so the Valois monarchs are now constitutional monarchs and possess no legislative power beyond the ceremonial. They are, however, influential in the celebrity sense and as awareness-raisers and philanthropists: they are not as strict to the line of political neutrality as their British counterparts, being driven by what is best for France and its people.
- The French monarchical line follows female primogeniture, due to reforms made by an ancestor in the nineteenth century — the royals were having a difficult time producing surviving male heirs, which led to the few too-young males of the time being the inheritors. This opened the door to often corrupt and bloody battles for regency, and thus in order to protect the integrity of the crown, the law was changed to favour women.
- After this change followed a ( perhaps predictable, due to the lesser power struggles ) long period of peace and prosperity, and there was simply no requirement to return it to the way it was prior.
- This is how Marinette Océane Katarin — the penultimate of six children, and the first French royal to be in a same-sex marriage after her marriage to Italian noblewoman Lucile de' Medici at the age of nineteen — came to be upon the throne of France, which she has been for six years since the abdication of her father.
- It's said that this was due to the backlash experienced by him and his wife for the birth of her Squib brother, Matthieu, and Louis was hastening to usher in an heir with all-magical children — of which she and Lucile have eight — her youngest child having just exhibited their sign of magic.
- Marinette's grandmother Aimée-Monique rearranged the titular system for ease of access before she handed the throne to the eldest of her three sons, Marinette's father Louis.
- The Queen and consorts' titles remain untouched, as does that of the heir, the Dauphin(e).
However, upon marriage, the children of the monarch inherit a duchy — one of the 22 regions of France. See 1982-2015 here. The grandchildren are then likewise entitled to a title of one of that region's departments, such as Princess X of Maine-et-Loire, a department in the Pays-de-la-Loire region of France.
- If a married-in royal gets a divorce, they lose their entitlement to the title along with the marriage.
- Children of same-sex couples conceived by insemination or in vetro fertilisation will be entitled to their place in the line of succession. While Lucile carried some of their children, they are all biologically Marinette's to ensure their birthright.
- Prior to being Queen, Marinette was the Dauphine of Viennois and the Duchess of Provence.
Appearance
Face ClaimHayley Atwell
Eye ColourBrown
Hair ColourBrown
Height5'8"
Weight
Voice TypeMezzo-Soprano
Blood TypeB positive
Distinguishing MarksN/A
Body Style
TattoosStars behind her right ear to denote France's World Cup wins.
PiercingsEars
ScentAngel by Thierry Mugler
Family Information
FatherKing Louis XX of (magical) France
MotherQueen Antoinette of France
Full SiblingsMatthieu Valois and others
Half SiblingsN/A
Guardian(s)N/A
SpouseLucile de' Medici
ChildrenEight
Other RelativesThe House of Valois
Relationships
Significant Other(s)Lucile de' Medici
Best Friend(s)
Friends
Enemies
Other
Name Etymology
Given [ Marinette ]'the one who rises'
Middle [ Océane, Katarin ]ocean, pure
Surname [ Valois ]N/A
Trivia
Nickname(s)She's not particularly fond of them.
Favourite ColourDeep red. (What does that remind you of?)
Favourite MovieRebecca (1940)
Favourite SongChildren by Robert Miles
Favourite FoodCoq au vin
Favourite DrinkPinot Noir
Likes
Dislikes
Loves
Loathes
First KissLucile de' Medici
First CrushLucile de' Medici
First LoveLucile de' Medici
First TimeLucile de' Medici
Pet(s)None
OccupationQueen of France
Sports PlayedQuidditch, at Beauxbatons
Instruments PlayedNone
SmokerYes
DrinkerYes
AddictionsN/A
Goals
Achievements
Biggest Hope
Biggest Regret
Best Memories
Worst Memories
Mental IllnessesDepression
Criminal Record
Medical Record
Custom Trivia
Images
