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
Count of Paris
The Count of Paris in 1987
Head of the House of Orléans
Tenure25 August 1940 – 19 June 1999
PredecessorPrince Jean, Duke of Guise
SuccessorHenri, Count of Paris
Born(1908-07-05)5 July 1908
Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, Aisne, France
Died19 June 1999(1999-06-19) (aged 90)
Cherisy, Eure-et-Loir, France
Burial
Spouse
IssuePrincess 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
Names
Henri Robert Ferdinand Marie Louis Philippe
HouseOrléans
FatherPrince Jean, Duke of Guise
MotherPrincess Isabelle of Orléans
ReligionRoman Catholicism
Military career
AllegianceFrance
Service/branchFrench Foreign Legion
Battles/wars
Awards

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.

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