I wanted to reproduce here what was written about "Sissi" in the book, so here goes an abridged version:
Elizabeth (1837-1898). Empress of Austria and a stunnng royal beauty. Yet her looks, however striking, were not nearly so breathtaking as the lengths she went to in order to improve and preserve them. Not for her the half-hearted diet or the quick going-over with soap and water; instead she subjected herself to every cosmetic torture known to a woman--and a few that had hitherto not even been imagined. As a result, she held for decades her position as the most attractive and stylish royal in the world--a kind of nineteenth century Princess Diana.
As with that lady, nature had been more than kind to Elizabeth. She had a magnificent head of chestnut hair, finely proportioned features, a lustrous complexion and an extraordinarily trim figure. It was this slender shape that at heart was her most outlandish obsession. Trim was not good enough; nothing less than perfection, with an 18-inch waist and everthing else to match, would ever satisfy Elizabeth. To achieve this, her diet verged on the self-destructive. . . with glasses of meat juice, dry biscuits, and raw eggs. . .
Elizabeth supported these outrageous efforts with a fearsome programme of exercise. She took a daily walk of anything up to 20 miles. . and had gymnastic equipment installed in her private apartments at Laxenburg . . She bathed daily in distilled water but if she felt her body was in danger of losing its unique suppleness, she would immerse herself in warm olive oil. . in an effort to maintain her waist, she slept with wet towels around her middle.. . . There was nothing ordinary about the way she washed her hair--the shampoo was 20 bottles of the best French brandy mixed wth yolks of a dozen eggs and Elizabeth forbade the use of any artificial drying method. . . . .
Indeed, as one who had always inspired admiration rather than love, she increasingly became a rather lonely figure as she moved from haunt to haunt. She had never been very willing to play the public role of the Emperor's wife and by her mid-forties she had effectively ceased to act out the part in private either. Nor could she count on the love of her two children. . .she had taken little interest in their upbringing. . she did suggest that the nerves of her son Rudolph might be trained to withstand shocks by having pistols fired off suddenly near his ear.. .
So as she moved into late middle age, Elizabeth's life was more and more that of the introverted and wealthy tourist. . .In September 1898, an Italian anarchist with a grudge against royalty. . . .stabbed her in the chest. Somehow she managed to stagger a hundred yards, but the weapon had pierced her heart and she collapsed and died, aged 61.
**Copied from David Randall's Crazy Kings and Kooky Queens.
