In 2002 , Thomas published '' Les adieux à la reine '' ( '' Farewell , My Queen '' ) . The novel gave a fictional account of the final days of Marie Antoinette in power through the perspective of one of her servants . It won the Prix Femina in 2002 , and was later adapted into the 2012 film '' Farewell , My Queen '' . The film stars Diane Kruger as the titular queen and Léa Seydoux as her servant Sidonie Laborde . Thomas co-wrote the screenplay , and it opened the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival . Helen Falconer of '' The Guardian '' called the work " a well written slice of history " with " evocative , observant prose , " but criticized it for creating a narrator who " merely provides us with a pair of eyes to see through rather than capturing our interest in her own right . " While disagreeing in its classification as a novel , Falconer did however add that '' Farewell , My Queen '' " generates in the reader a real sense of being a fly on the wall , eavesdropping on the affairs of the great and the not so good . " Thomas is currently the director of research at the French National Centre for Scientific Research
62nd Berlin International Film Festival
62nd Berlin International Film Festival
Chantal Thomas