Reign of Charles XIII
In 1811, her spouse was appointed Swedish minister to France, and she accompanied him to Paris. In France, she attracted the attention of Napoleon, who called her la belle suédoise ("the beautiful Swede").
During the reign of Charles XIII and Charles XIV John she had a powerful position, being related to the influential royal mistress Mariana Koskull as well as being the stepmother of the royal favorite and politician Magnus Brahe, who felt great affection for her, and reportedly asked her for advice in matters of state.
In 1810, she attracted the attention of the elected Crown Prince Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, the future Charles XIV John of Sweden, who was reportedly in love with her and courted her. There were rumours of an affair between them, but these are not regarded to be true, and instead Charles John was reportedly rejected by her and instead entered in to a relationship with her relative, Mariana Koskull. In June 1815, the matter was mentioned in the famous journal of queen Charlotte:
"Still another thing would add to the reasons as to why the crown prince does not wish the crown princess to return. It is gossiped about that he entertain an affair with one of my ladies-in-waiting, miss Koskull, a commitment which he attempted to conceal with the utmost discretion but which has been exposed by the behaviour of the young lady herself. She asks for nothing better than for everyone to believe that the rumour is true. It is possible that the crown prince is amused by her and finds her pleasant, but he is really an admirer of Koskull's cousin countess Brahe. In that case not even the most ill willed tongue could find something poisonous to say, for in that matter everything is conducted in the most suitable and blameless manner."
Not soon after, there was a rumour that Brahe had supplanted her cousin Koskull as the lover of the crown prince:
"To distract himself from his troubles, caused by the situation in France, the crown prince, now when we have been having such lovely weather, has arranged intimate outdoor suppers with a selected company of young ladies and some gentlemen of his own age. It has been noted by the public how the crown prince gives his attention to countess Brahe before anyone else and that miss Koskull has not participated in those picnics, and it was erroneously believed, that he had changed his preference. But the always sensible, dignified and correct behaviour of the countess should spare her from such suspicions. I am convinced, that he only has a friendship for her inspired by the warm affection he holds for her husband. It would however be quite natural if he is enchanted by her beauty and therefore gives her his tribute. For my part I am sure, that the cousin of the countess miss Koskull is his mistress and that his feelings for the countess are entirely platonic."
In June 1817, queen Charlotte summarized the difference of the crown prince's relationship toward the two cousins, while also giving Brahe a personal description:
"The crown prince are in no way indifferent for the fair sex in general but has particular affection for two ladies of society, two cousins. For the first, countess Brahe, he has the warmest friendship and affection, and he is also viewed by the countess as a dear friend. As a true gentleman in every sense of the word he gives the countess the tribute worthy of her beauty and noble character. She is not a wit, has barely been given an accomplished or cultivated education but has acquired some learning, are particularly noted for her tact and refined manner and are commonly loved."
