In 1530, at the age of twelve, Claude and her younger sister Jacqueline joined court as ladies in waiting [French:
fille de honneurs] to the new French queen,
Eleanor of Austria.Claude continued serving the queen after her marriage in 1537 to Claude de Beauvilliers but graduated to the position of lady-in-waiting [French:
dame de honneur]. Her husband would however die just two years later. Sometime around 1539-1540 Claude became the
mistress to
Francis I of France. It is said the king decided to build
Château de Chambord in order to be near his lover. The building of the chateau was however already begun in 1519 long before the birth of Claude. The closeness to Claudes residence would however have been practical for the king to visit her manor Château de Thoury. Later Claude and her husband sold manor to Francis I and relocated to Château de Marais, in
Muides-sur-Loire. In 1541 she was married for the second time to Julien de
Clermont-Savoie (died in 1563). Through this marriage Claude became connected to
Diane de Poitiers as Claudes brother in law Antoine III de Clermont had married Dianes sister, Francoise de Poitiers in 1532 In the period 1543-47, Claude served as lady in waiting to the Dauphine ,
Catherine de' Medici. She is the subject of several legendary stories and has been portrayed in fiction. ==Personal life==