Opéra Comique, Paris
French newspaper Le Monde has revealed the incredible gift which King Louis XVI made to the Duke of Choiseul: the exclusive use of a box at the Opéra Comique in Paris. This box is reserved since 1781 to the heirs of the Duc de Choiseul and apparently it is used all the time. About twenty descendants are owners and « do not miss any representation, » writes journalist Pascale Nivelle. Le Monde even says that when the refurbishment of the opera house produced a smaller box (5 instead of 12 seats), the house had to allocate 5 to 6 seats for each performance to members of the Choiseul family. The whole over two hundred year-old privilege costs the Opéra Comique between 20,000 and 40,000 euros each year, the French newspaper says.
