France's most effective 18th-century spy lived the first half of life as a man and the second half as a woman — with all of Europe placing bets on which was real. At 63, she won a fencing match dressed in women's clothing.
Charles d'Éon de Beaumont was born in Tonnerre, France in 1728 and became one of the most effective spies in French history — infiltrating the Russian court of Empress Elizabeth by presenting as a woman to gain access to the empress's private circle, then later serving as a decorated officer and diplomat in his own name.
D'Éon's career took a dramatic turn in London, where a diplomatic dispute led to the publication of sensitive government correspondence — a major scandal. This left d'Éon stranded in England, politically toxic and unable to return to France safely, for years.
While in exile in London, rumors began circulating that d'Éon was actually a woman who had spent years disguised as a man. London's betting markets — which would wager on almost anything — opened books on the question. Thousands of pounds were placed. Newspapers debated it. Doctors wrote treatises.
In 1777, d'Éon negotiated a return to France with King Louis XVI — on the condition of officially adopting female presentation. The king issued a formal declaration recognizing d'Éon as a woman. D'Éon returned to France dressed as a woman, reclaimed the title of Chevalière, and received a royal pension.
D'Éon was a celebrated fencer — one of the best in Europe. At a public fencing exhibition at Carlton House in London in 1787, at age 59, she competed before an audience that included the Prince of Wales. She continued fencing into her sixties, winning bouts in women's clothing.
D'Éon died in London in 1810 in poverty, at age 81. The doctor who examined the body declared — to general astonishment — that d'Éon was physically male. Modern scholars widely regard d'Éon as transgender. The Beaumont Society, a UK transgender rights organization founded in 1966, is named in her honor.