On December 23, 1848, Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte held his first official dinner since taking office at the Élysée Palace. Victor Hugo was invited. The banquet was held in a square hall decorated with white wainscoting in the style of the First French Empire. There was a sideboard in the room and a rounded rectangular table in the middle, with roughly fifteen guests seated around it. The inner end of the table was raised, and Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte sat there.
Everyone else wore evening dress, while he alone wore a uniform, with a rose-shaped Legion of Honour medal on his chest. It resembled Napoleon I's style during the First Empire: everyone else dressed lavishly while he alone dressed simply, making him instantly recognizable in a crowd.
When Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte saw Victor Hugo arrive, he immediately stopped speaking with the two women at his sides, rose to greet Hugo, and shook his hand warmly. Once Hugo was seated, sixteen people sat down to dine at the table.
Naturally, it could not compare to the Last Supper, nor did President Napoleon announce at the end of dinner that one of his disciples would betray him. Among those present was the Marquise de Harcourt, who had beautiful eyes, thin hair, an ugly mouth, but fair skin and a graceful neck. According to the Prince of Moscow, the marquise had once been Jerome-Napoleon's mistress and had now become Charles-Louis Napoleon Bonaparte's mistress. The poor joke did nothing to liven the atmosphere. Hugo's diary did not record the dishes served at the dinner in detail either; he had focused his attention on observing people.
After dinner, while Hugo was speaking with Prince Napoleon of Moscow, the president pulled him aside and asked for his views on the current situation. After Hugo spoke in general terms