This article considers the position of illegitimate children at Versailles in the light of the Mémoires of Louis de Rouvroy, duc de Saint‑Simon. He attached great importance to this issue, as he saw the legitimisation of bastards and the growing acceptance of their presence at Versailles and in society as one of the symptoms of the crisis of the “old” world, of which he was a representative. Saint‑Simon blamed this state of affairs on King Louis XIV, who – leading a complicated life of marriage and extramarital affairs – did his best to legitimise his illegitimate offspring, ensured that they had access to prestigious honours and privileges, and took care to improve their position by, among other things, negotiating favourable marriages with princes of the blood. Saint‑Simon held his contemporaries responsible for granting bastards special status, which, as he saw it, blurred the boundaries between the pure and the impure, and between what was sanctified by religion and what was deserving of concealment.