Her only child, son Maurice Bernhardt, was born 1864; his father was
Belgian Prince Henri de Ligne. Shortly before Maurice's wedding his
father, the Prince de Ligne, told Maurice that he was prepared to
officially recognise him and offered him his name and a substantial
fortune. Maurice replied that as his mother had raised him
single-handedly and had made such great sacrifices in the process he
preferred to remain a "Bernhardt".
An amusing event followed soon after. Maurice accompanied his father to
la Gare du Nord to catch his train. There was an unusually long line
and his father refused to wait. The Prince de Ligne demanded entry
stating: "I am the Prince de Ligne". The platform controller was rather
unimpressed and said he had never heard of him and told Prince Henri to
take his place at the back of the line. Maurice then came forth and
declared he was the son of Sarah Bernhardt. They were immediately
ushered through. Maurice is alleged to have told his father that he
hoped he now realised that the name "Bernhardt" also had its
advantages.
