Henri, Count of Paris (1908–1999)
Henri of Orléans, Count of Paris (Henri Robert Ferdinand Marie d'Orléans; 5 July 1908 – 19 June 1999), was the Orléanist pretender to the defunct throne of France as Henry VI from 1940 until his death in 1999. Henri was the direct descendant of Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, son of Louis XIII. He was also a descendant of Louis XIV through a female line, from his legitimized daughter Françoise Marie de Bourbon; as well as the great-great-grandson (by four different lines of descent) of Louis Philippe I.
Henri d'Orléans | |||||
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Count of Paris | |||||
The Count of Paris in 1987 | |||||
Head of the House of Orléans | |||||
Tenure | 25 August 1940 – 19 June 1999 | ||||
Predecessor | Prince Jean, Duke of Guise | ||||
Successor | Henri, Count of Paris | ||||
Born | Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, Aisne, France | 5 July 1908||||
Died | 19 June 1999 90) Cherisy, Eure-et-Loir, France | (aged||||
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Issue | Princess Isabelle, Countess of Schönborn-Buchheim Prince Henri, Count of Paris Hélène, Countess Evrard of Limburg-Stirum Prince François, Duke of Orléans Princess Anne, Dowager Duchess of Calabria Diane, Dowager Duchess of Württemberg Prince Michel, Count of Évreux Prince Jacques, Duke of Orléans Princess Claude, Duchess of Aosta Chantal, Baroness François Xavier of Sambucy de Sorgue Prince Thibaut, Count of La Marche | ||||
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House | Orléans | ||||
Father | Prince Jean, Duke of Guise | ||||
Mother | Princess Isabelle of Orléans | ||||
Religion | Roman Catholicism | ||||
Military career | |||||
Allegiance | France | ||||
Service/ | French Foreign Legion | ||||
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The son of Jean, Duke of Guise, Henri was forbidden to enter France for much of his life. Nonetheless, he remained devoted to serving France, having enlisted in the French Foreign Legion and fighting in World War II and the Algerian War. After being permitted to re-enter France in 1950, he soon became heavily engaged in French monarchist politics. Henri worked to restore the French monarchy, in a parliamentary form, and discussed the topic with Charles de Gaulle. He received notable support from French monarchists, but all attempts to restore the monarchy ultimately failed. Upon his death in 1999, his son Henri succeeded him as Head of the House of Orléans.