NAPOLEON II

When he first arrived in Vienna, Franz referred to Louis XVIII as the man who'd stolen his toys.  When Marie Louise and Franz fled from Paris, they left most of their things behind and the Bourbons were slow to forward them to Vienna.  When Franz's toys finally arrived, the reason for the delay became clear.  The Napoleonic symbols which decorated many of the toys had been stripped away.

The Archduchess Sophie was one of Franz's closest friends.  There were rumors that they had an affair, and that he was the father of her son Maximilian.  

Poor little child! Louis XVIII certainly could be a mean old man.

Archduchess Sophie and Franz were indeed close companions, often spending hours on end together in each others company. When he was struck down with illness she attended him every day with a brave face. She was torn when he had died, and it is believed that she turned hard and cold after that. (She was known for one time as 'the only man at court').
However the rumours were all false, their relationship was strictly platonic (despite the fact that Sophie probably adored Napoleon II more than she did her own husband Franz-Karl - she at first refused the thought of marrying "that fool")

I think that most probably they were in love with each other but it was platonic, Napoleon II died a virgin, he said it himself to a friend....

  Sophie was his confident, he felt comfortable around her, she was devoted to him, took care of him and she must have definetely fallen in love with him, he was very handsome, and melancholic and being the son of his father it must have added some magic to him.

   As I said earlier on his grand fatehr loved him very much but he was to afraid of what Napoleon II represented, he new the entire Europe and Metternich would have never allowed him to become someone relevant. At that time the Hapsburg court was a decaying one, with an old emperor, an idiot as an heir, and the strong all powerful Metternich checking on everybody.

  Sophie changed a lot after her "nephew`s" death, as you said she became cold and stiff.

Archduchesse Sophie Princess of bavaria

l Aiglon

Is it true that she was pregnant  with Maximilian when Franz/ Napoleon was actually dying and couldn't be there at his side, which really broke her up, because he died pretty much alone?

Yes his mother just arrived that night, she wasn`t with him the entire illness. Sophie was right upstairs his rrom giving birth to Maximilian when he died. He was also very fond of little Francis Joseph. The future emperor emperor would call him " good Reichstadt".

  His grand fatehr was heart broken but he did make the comment that even though he was sad for his death maybe it was the best thing for both of them....
 The Austrian and otehr foreign government were just too afraid of what he represented and somehow they felt aliviated at his death.

Count Moritz von Dietrischtein was Reichstadt preceptor, he was the first one to recommend that maybe Italy warm weather would be beneficial for his health. But nobody listen to him.

the duke of reichstadt looked most like his father, apparently, when he was angry. it seems that napoleon and his son both shared a look that they threw at people when they were mad. in a way, the austrians were scared of that... constant reminder of his father...

the poor child...

the duke of reichstadt looked most like his father, apparently, when he was angry. it seems that napoleon and his son both shared a look that they threw at people when they were mad. in a way, the austrians were scared of that... constant reminder of his father...

the poor child...

 He also walk like his father, with his hands behind his back, he would think like that walking in circle, head down.....

Amazing that he was so like his father in his mannerisms, considering they were separated when he was small.

yes, It is strange, i have also read that in his death bed Reichstadt looked almost the same as his father....

  I guess there was a special bond between them, Napoleon loved his son, he was very afectionate more than the cold Marie Louise.
Who did not even want to carry him