Molecular genetic analysis on the remains of the Dark Countess: Revisiting the French Royal family

•The authenticity of the Dark Countess from Hildburghausen was subject to speculations for many years•Her lifestyle led to speculations that she was the true princess Marie Thérèse Charlotte of France, daughter of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.•We analyzed the mitochondrial DNA control region of the remains attributed the Dark Countess and compared it to literature data and data from a living relative of the French Royal family.