🧓 Who Is the Woman at the Auction?

In the opening auction scene, some audience members have assumed the elderly woman seated across from Raoul is Meg, since she appears younger than Raoul and is addressed only as “Madame.” This led to speculation that she might be Meg, unmarried and honored with the title.

🩰 Contextual Clues

But the woman’s actions point clearly to Madame Giry, the former ballet mistress who knew the Phantom’s secrets and aided him beneath the opera. She alone would recognize the monkey music box and reaches for it with visible emotion during the auction.

👀 Final Scene Evidence

In contrast, the finale shows Meg entering the Phantom’s lair after his disappearance. She looks around in awe, clearly unfamiliar with it, and though she picks up the mask, she shows no recognition of the music box. Her detachment reinforces that she cannot be the auction woman.

📘 Canonical Confirmation

Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom Companion settles the matter directly: the woman is Madame Giry, about fifteen years older than Raoul, who may still appear youthful from her ballet past. She is the only character with both the knowledge and the emotional tie to the Phantom’s relics.