Prince Philippe, Count of Paris

From 1883, when his cousin Henri, Count of Chambord died, he was often referred to by Orléanists and a large faction of Legitimists as Philippe VII.

• Name — Louis Philippe II • Title — Count of Paris King of the French • Succession — King of the French • More Text — (more...) • Reign — 24 February 1848 – 26 February 1848 • Predecessor — Louis Philippe I (as King of the French) • Successor — Monarchy abolished

Prince Philippe became the Prince Royal, heir apparent to the throne, when his father, Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans, died in a carriage accident in 1842. Although there was some effort during the day of the abdication of his grandfather in 1848 to put him on the throne under the name of Louis-Philippe II, with his mother (Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin) as Regent, this came to nothing. They fled, and the French Second Republic was proclaimed.

• Illustration — Philippe d'Orléans (first from right) with staff and dignitaries of General McClellan (center). To his right, his uncle François d'Orléans A historian, journalist and outspoken democrat, Philippe volunteered to serve as a Union Army officer in the American Civil War along with his younger brother, Prince Robert, Duke of Chartres. He was appointed as an assistant adjutant general with the rank of captain on 24 September 1861 and served under the name of Philippe d'Orléans, the Count of Paris. He served on the staff of the commander of the Army of the Potomac, Major General George B. McClellan, for nearly a year. He distinguished himself during the unsuccessful Peninsular Campaign. He resigned from the Union Army, along with his brother, on 15 July 1862. Philippe's History of the Civil War in America is considered a standard reference work on the subject. During their stay in the United States, the princes were accompanied by their uncle, the Prince of Joinville, who painted many watercolours of their stay. On 10 November 1880 Philippe was elected as a companion of the first class (i.e. a veteran officer) of the Pennsylvania Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States – an organization of Union officers who had served during the American Civil War. He was assigned insignia number 2107. His eldest son, Philippe d'Orleans, was elected as a 2nd class member (i.e. an eldest son of a veteran officer) in 1890 and succeeded to first class membership in the Order upon Philippe's death.

On 30 May 1864 at St. Raphael's Church in Kingston upon Thames, England he married his paternal first cousin, Princess Marie Isabelle d'Orléans (1848–1919), Infanta of Spain. She was the daughter of Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain and Prince Antoine, Duke of Montpensier (1824–1890), the youngest son of Louis Philippe I of France and Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily. They had eight children: • Princess Amélie d'Orléans (1865–1951); married Carlos I of Portugal in 1886. • Prince Louis Philippe Robert d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans (1869–1926); married Archduchess Maria Dorothea of Austria, daughter of Archduke Joseph Karl of Austria in 1896, • Princess Hélène of Orléans (1871–1951); married Emmanuel Philibert, 2nd Duke of Aosta in 1895. • Prince Charles d'Orléans (1875–1875). • Princess Isabelle d'Orléans (1878–1961); married her cousin Prince Jean, Duke of Guise in 1899. • Prince Jacques Marie Antoine Clément d'Orléans (1880–1881). • Princess Louise d'Orléans (1882–1958); married Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies in 1907. Through her daughter, Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, she was the grandmother of King Juan Carlos I of Spain. • Prince Ferdinand d'Orléans, Duke of Montpensier (1884–1924); married Marie Isabelle Gonzales de Olañeta y Ibaretta, Marchioness of Valdeterrazo in 1921.

The Orleans family had been in exile in England since the Revolution of 1848 which toppled King Louis Philippe. During their early married life, the Count and Countess of Paris lived at York House, Twickenham. However, in 1871 after the Franco-Prussian War and the downfall of Napoleon III, they were allowed to return to France, and many of their properties were restored to them. In 1873, anticipating a restoration of the monarchy by the largely monarchist National Assembly that had been elected following the fall of Napoleon III, the Count of Paris withdrew his claims to the defunct French throne in favour of the legitimist claimant, Henri V, best known as the Comte de Chambord. It was assumed by most that the Count of Paris was Chambord's heir-presumptive, and would thus be able to succeed to the throne upon the childless Chambord's death, reuniting the two claims that had divided French monarchists since 1830. However, Chambord's refusal to recognize the tricolor as the French flag sabotaged hopes of a restoration, and Chambord died in 1883 without ever specifically recognizing his Orléanist rival as his heir-presumptive. Upon the Count of Chambord's death, the Count of Paris was recognized by most monarchists as Philippe VII of France. This succession was disputed by the Carlist descendants of the Bourbon kings of Spain, who argued that, being descended directly from Louis XIV, their claim was greater than that of the Orléanists; however, this argument pointedly ignored Philip V of Spain's renunciation of his and his descendants' claim to the French throne pursuant to the Treaty of Utrecht. In 1886 the family was exiled again returning to the United Kingdom, where they first lived at Sheen House, near Richmond, where the young Rosa Lewis was a member of their household. In 1890 they moved to the much grander Stowe House, where he died in 1894. He was succeeded as claimant to the defunct French throne by his son Prince Philippe.

The authorities additionally record the headings Louis-Philippe Albert d'Orléans and Louis-Philippe-Albert d' Orléans. His recorded language was French. His recorded confession was Catholic Church. He was the child of Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans and Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. He married Princess María Isabel of Orléans. 4 children are recorded: Amélie of Orléans, Princess Hélène of Orléans, Princess Isabelle d’Orléans and Princess Louise of Orléans. Career and activity. Paris worked in politics, literary activity, non-fiction literature and history. He belonged to Royal Society.