Simon Schama's Citizens has an update: the sans-culottes were, in part, right about Marie Antoinette. She was a cheater. That means the Révolution was also right not to crown her coucou "Louis XVII". His daddy was probably Hans Axel von Fersen, a count in Sweden and hero of America's Revolution.
The "Louis XVIII" France would later get was Louis Stanislas Xavier: younger brother of Louis Charles husband of Marie, who ruled as Louis XVI.
As for why the Bourbons recognised Ludvig von Fersen as Louis Capet XVII, I gather the Vendée reaction had got there first - and suffered for that lie. By taking the throne as #18 L.S.X. honoured their sacrifice. History is littered with irony, tragedy, and farce - especially perhaps in le pays de Saint-Denys.
I don't recall, as a side-note, if Schama diagnosed Louis Charles as an autist but I did get the vibe that the king was much more interested in SCIENCE! than in ... ruling a nation. More so Schama brought evidence that Louis Charles had a birth defect on his "li'l lewie" (phimosis) that had to be corrected by surgery.
L.Ch. could have resigned, found some spergy job tinkering with the Navy, and not married Marie. Alas, L.S.X. after him would be even worse at being king. The disasters of 1789-93 would have happened anyway.
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