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When Louis XIV greeted the Persian ambassador, Mohammed Reza Beg, at the Palace of Versailles on February 19, 1715, what was unusual about the garments the ‘Sun King’ wore?

Answer: Keen to make an impact, Louis was dressed in a black and gold ensemble covered with diamonds, worth 12.5 million livres. An astronomical amount. The king had to change out of it after dinner because it weighed so much.

Source: Dictionary of World History by A J P Taylor, General Historical Texts

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