Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-06-19
THE ORLEANS FAMILY.
Descendants of Louis Philippe, King of
the French from 1880 to 1S4S.

Three recent incidents, says the
Youths Companion have called special
attention to the descendants of King
Louis Philippe of France, who are
generally known as the Orleans fam
lily"
The revolution in Brazil resulted in
the expulsion from that country of the
comte d Eu, husband of the Brazilian
princess Isabel and a grandson Of Louis
Philippe.
Feb the duke de Montpensier
fifth and youngest son of Louis Phil
ippe. died in Spain.
In the same week Feb. Z, the young
due Orleans, great grandson and heir
in the direct line of Louis Philippe,
made his rash entry into Paris, though
by law he was forbidden to set foot on
French soil
Thus the Orleans family have come
into considerable notice of late. There
is no doubt that they still hope, as they
have long hoped. that the French re-
public may some day be overturned,
and that their own house may be re-
stored to royal power.
Of the five sons of Louis Philippe
three are still living. The eldest son,
the former due d'Orleans, was killed
nearly fifty years ago by fall from
his carriage during his fathers reign.
The eldest son of this duke is the count
of Paris, now 80 years of age, and the
young due d Orleans, just q, is the
count of Paris eldest son. The comte
de Paris, moreover, has one brother,
the due de Charities.
The second, third and fourth sons
of Louis Philippe, still living, are the
due de Nemours Gather of comte
d'Eu), the prince de Joinville, and the
due d'Aumale, The two latter have
long been recognized as men of mark
ed ability. De Joinville has served
with distinction in the French navy, as
his brother d'Aum lie has in the army,
and both are able and forcible writers.
The due d'Aumale is the only one of
the Orleans princes in whose favor the
law of exile, forced against the family
four years ago, has been revoked. He
made gift of his magnificent estate of
Chantilly to the French institute while
still in exile; and the tender of this gift,
coupled with the belief that he is too
patriotic to conspire against the repub-
lie, caused his readmission to his ma
tive land.
While the due de Montpensier, the
youngest son of Louis Philippe, who
recently died in Spain, was far from
being an able man, he has played a
somewhat notable part in the history
of the last fifty years. AS a young
man he did some military service in
Africa, and at the age of 81 he married
Maria, the sister of the then reigning
Queen Isabella II. Spain. The mar
riage was vigorously resisted by En-
gland and other powers and came near
causing a great war, for it was feared
that it might result in the control of
Spain by France.
But no such result followed. The
due de Montpensier was made captain
general of the Spanish army, and plot
ted more than once to get the royal
power in Spain, but being neither able
nor popular his plots always came to
nothing.
The comte de Paris, who is the chief
of the Orleans family, being the heir
now of both the houses of Bourbon and
Orleans, is perhaps chiefly interesting
to Americans on account of his service
on Gen. McClellan's staff in the early
part of the civil war, and because he is
now writing long and minute history
of that war.
With his brother, the due de Char
tres, he served upon the staff of the
union army for about a year, with the
rank of captain. He is known as an
amiable and scholarly man, ambitious
to wear the crown. but lacking in
those qualities of tact, judgment, and
boldness which might, on occasion,
win success. He married a daughter
of his uncle Montpensier in 1864 and
has two children.
The Orleans princes are widely con-
nected by marriage or blood with the
reigning European families. There
are family ties between them and the
houses of Spain, Austria, Russia, the
Sicilies, Denmark, and several of the
minor German houses. They have
played stirring part in politics, war,
and one and all are men of large
wealth. Yet it seems doubtful if France
will ever change the republic for
another Orleans dynasty.