In 1853, the reigning Queen of France, Marie-Antoinette's daughter-in-law, died in an accident. This made Napoleon Bonaparte the emperor of France (as well as first consul). For some time before her death, Reine Élisabeth II had been sickly and watched over by her grandmother, who had become regent to govern in her place. In 1853, her uncle, Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte was elected president of France. The next year (1854), Napoleon Bonaparte declared himself Emperor Napoleon III. In 1856, Reine Élisabeth II was taken to Paris to be with her uncle and then returned to Austria the next year.
In 1857, Reine Élisabeth II's eldest daughter married Count Erwein von Schönborn-Wiesentheid (1830–1904).
