receptions on a regular basis. As the wife of the British ambassador, Harriet was a prominent figure in Paris and her gatherings became popular events. Her duties required her to visit the royal court, attend and host parties, receive visitors and reciprocate their visits, and patronise local organisations. Harriet did not enjoy the relentlessness of her strictly regulated social duties, finding them exhausting and often frivolous. But she recognised that an embassy's effectiveness often depended on social capital. At first Harriet viewed many of the French elite with dislike, believing they were superficial and vacuous. They possessed "not as much mind as would fill a pea-shell", she wrote in one letter. "It is odd that their effect on me is to crush me with the sense of my inferiority whilst I am absolutely gasping with the sense of my superiority", she wrote in another. But she was determined to earn their approval, especially as the British government's foreign policy was producing some resentment among the French. During a visit in March 1825, the Duke of Devonshire provided his sister with advice on French culture as well as her deportment and appearance. She invested in the latest fashions and became effective at managing the French elite, having come to the conclusion that they were like "children" whose "object is to be amused and received". After six months in Paris the new ambassadress had reached a point of amused acceptance with her social surroundings. She was successful in her efforts and soon became very popular. Despite being inundated with politics from a young age due to her mother's prominence as a Whig supporter, Harriet cared little for the subject until later in life. Granville's family were firm Tories, though he was more flexible in his positions. As an ambassadress, Harriet viewed her role more as a facilitator of political activity rather than an active participant. When the Leveson-Gowers hosted parties, she paid careful attention to the needs of those in attendance; luxurious comfort was crucial, as was space for private conversation where important diplomatic and political matters could be discussed. In later years her enthusiasm for politics grew, and she became an ardent supporter of Lord Palmerston, the foreign secretary. The Leveson-Gowers spent approximately seventeen years in Paris, serving from 1824–1828, 1830–1834, and 1835–1841. Each gap was due to a change of government leadership, when a transition of political party prompted Granville