She became queen consort of Holland when Louis was made King of Holland in Her parents separated when she was five years old and, between the ages of five and ten, she was sent to live in Martinique. Hortense was described as having been an amusing and pretty child with long, pale golden-blonde hair and blue eyes.
She was sent to boarding school when her mother, Josephine, decided that she did not have enough time to raise children. She also enjoyed playing games and excelled at billiards particularly. Hortense was reluctant to marry at first, but her mother persuaded her to accept the proposal for the political wellbeing and prosperity of the family.
Hortense's reaction to her appointment as Queen of Holland was negative for two reasons. First, it was necessary for her to move there with Louis, with whom she did not get along. Second, she had to leave her life as a celebrated member of Parisian society. Queen Hortense was pleasantly surprised [ 4 ] when the Dutch public welcomed her warmly. She quickly became accustomed to life in the Netherlands and came to like the country. She attended official celebrations and ceremonies, visited the marketplaces where she made large purchases, and was much liked by the public, which annoyed her husband.
Nevertheless, she hated her stay there because of her relationship with King Louis. The couple lived in different parts of the palace and avoided each other at every opportunity, with Hortense describing herself as a prisoner.
This forced Hortense to return to the Netherlands and reconcile with her husband. When Napoleon married Marie Louise, Hortense returned to the Netherlands temporarily, but found that the Dutch did not welcome her. She considered this the end of her marriage and left for France shortly before her husband abdicated the throne to their oldest living son, Napoleon-Louis Bonaparte , making him Louis II of Holland. Hortense was now free to respond to the romantic overtures of the man whom she had long admired, Colonel Charles Joseph, Comte de Flahaut , a sophisticated, handsome man, who was an illegitimate son of Talleyrand.
