"The Chevaliere D'Eon spent most of her life serving King Louis XV before starting the rumor that would allow her to live as her true self, unbothered and carefree."
"By middle age, the high-born woman known as the Chevaliere D'Eon had served her King, fought in the Seven Years' War, and infiltrated the Russian Court."
"In retaliation for being passed up for an important diplomatic post, the Chevaliere published a damning book of state secrets, causing a scandal and her banishment from France."
"While living in England in apparent exile, she was still doing some spy work for King Louis XV and working on becoming one of the first figures to legally change her gender."
The Chevaliere D'Eon, a French noblewoman and spy, lived a remarkable life serving King Louis XV. After years of service, she initiated a rumor to live authentically as a woman. Following a diplomatic slight in 1763, she published a scandalous book, leading to her exile in England. While there, she continued her espionage work and pursued a groundbreaking legal gender change, leveraging rumors about her masculinity to achieve her true identity.
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