The Emperor of Austria took his seat in the centre of the stand, with the two empresses by his side; the other sovereigns and reigning princes being placed according to their precedence. The seats, upholstered in velvet, were resplendent with gold and embroidery. The Emperor of Russia, confined to his apartments through indisposition, was not present at this fête, but another was given in his honour a few days later, at which the details of the first were reproduced with mathematical precision. The illustrious guests of the Austrian Court in their most brilliant uniforms, or with their most magnificent ornaments, constituted an imposing sight. In the front row of the imperial stand, to the right and to the left of the empresses, were the Queen of Bavaria, the Duchesse Béatrice d’Este, the Grande-Duchesse d’Oldenbourg, and her sister, Marie de Weimar; behind them sat the Kings of Prussia, Würtemberg, and Denmark; the Princes of Prussia, Würtemberg, and Bavaria, the Prince Eugène de Beauharnais, and finally the Arch-Dukes Charles, Albert, Ferdinand, Maximilien d’Este, Jean, and Regnier. There had been whispers to the effect that Marie-Louise and her young son would be present at these fêtes, but they neither came to this one nor to the other. Marie-Louise, in fact, was in such a false position as to have considered it simply consistent with her dignity in misfortune to live in retirement.[69] Consequently she rarely left the Palace of Schönbrunn. The Prince de Ligne told me, however, that in the company of her father and of her young sisters she had been present at several of the rehearsals. The sovereigns and the spectators being seated, the building immediately rang with stirring military music, and the twenty-four champions appeared at the barrier. They were the pick of the nobility of Europe. The majority had gained their spurs elsewhere during the recent wars. If all shone in virtue of their personal glory and their illustrious birth, they were not less distinguished by their physical advantages. It was said that there had been rivalry in earnest in pursuit of the honour of filling a rôle in the scenes imitated from ancient times. Finally the choice, which was tantamount to a patent of elegance and grace, was fixed on the youngest and handsomest. Foremost among them were the Princes Vincent Esterhazy, Antoine Kadziwill, Leopold de Saxe-Cobourg, the Comtes Felix Woyna, Petersen, the Vicomte de Wargemont, the Prince Charles de Lichtenstein, Louis de Schenye, Louis de Schönfeldt, and young Trauttmansdorff, the son of the Master of the Horse.