Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France

Prince Henri Philippe Pierre Marie d'Orléans, comte de Paris, duc de France (born June 14, 1933) is a claimant to the French throne. If he were king, he would be Henry VII. For the Orléanists, he is the heir of Louis-Philippe, King of the French; for unionists, the heir of Henri, comte de Chambord, and so of Charles X, King of France. He is also the 76th in the Legitimist line of succession to the French throne.

Early life

He was born to "Henri, comte de Paris" and his wife "Princess Isabelle d'Orléans-Bragance" in Sint-Pieters-Woluwe, Belgium, because an 1886 law banned the heirs of formerly reigning French dynasties from entering France. This law was abrogated in 1950, but Henri had already been allowed to enter France by special favour of President Vincent Auriol in 1948.

On August 25, 1940, Henri's grandfather, Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise died. His father was recognised by most French royalists as head of the French royal house, and Henri became their dauphin.

He studied at the "Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris (Sciences Po)". After that, he served in the military, notably during the Algerian War.

Marriages

On July 5, 1957, he married Duchess Marie-Thérèse of Württemberg (born 1934). He received the title "comte de Clermont". Five children were born from this union.

Children

# Marie Isabelle Marguerite Anne Geneviève d'Orléans (born January 3, 1959, Boulogne sur Seine) married civilly in Dreux, July 22, 1989 and religiously in Friedrichshafen, July 29, 1989 to Prince Gundakar Albert Alfred Petrus of Liechtenstein (born April 1, 1949, Vienna), and has issue.
# François Henri Louis Marie d'Orléans (born February 7, 1961, Boulogne sur Seine), Count of Clermont, severely disabled from toxoplasmosis.
# Blanche Elisabeth Rose Marie d'Orléans (born September 10, 1962, Ravensburg), , severely disabled from toxoplasmosis.
# Jean Charles Pierre Marie (born May 19, 1965, Boulogne sur Seine), Duke of Vendôme and Dauphin de Viennois, unmarried.
# Eudes Thibaut Joseph Marie (born March 18, 1968, Paris), Duke of Angoulême, married civ in Dreux, June 19, 1999 and rel in Antrain, July 10, 1999 to Marie-Liesse Claude Anne Rolande de Rohan-Chabot (born June 29, 1969, Paris), with whom he has two children.::* Thérèse Isabelle Marie Eléonore (born April 23, 2001, Cannes)::* Pierre Jean Marie (born August 6, 2003, Cannes).

Divorce

The marriage was unhappy. In 1984 Henri and Marie-Thérèse received a civil divorce. On October 31 of that same year Henri married "Micaela Cousiño Quiñones de León" (born April 30, 1938), daughter of Luis Cousiño Sebire and his wife Doña Antonia Maria Quiñones de Léon y Bañuelos, 4th Marchioness of San Carlos. As this marriage was not celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church, it was not recognised by a number of French royalists. Henri's father, too, was furious; he disinherited Henri and stripped him of his titles and gave him the lesser-valued title comte de Mortain (Clermont was once held by the cadet son of St Louis, who became the ancestor of the Bourbon line )

Mortain was once held by John Lackland of England, who was regarded as lacking land and inheritance). Henri, and a number of French royalists who considered it impossible for a head of the royal house to unilaterally disinherit someone, never recognised the decision, and he refused all mail addressed to him as "Count of Mortain." Meanwhile, Marie-Thérèse, the former Countess of Clermont, was granted the title "Duchess of Montpensier" by her father-in-law.

Tensions lessened after several years, and Henri's father reinstated him as dauphin and gave Micaela the title "Princesse de Joinville".

Legal Cases

In an attempt to establish his legal rights as head of the Royal House of France, Henri launched an unsuccessful court case (1987-1989) in which he challenged his rival Louis-Alphonse, Duke of Anjou's right to use the undifferenced Royal Arms. The French courts denied that they had jurisdiction over the dispute and did not address the merits of the case.

After his father's death, a court-appointed lawyer searched through the late count's effects on behalf of his nine children, to reclaim what remained of the family's dissipated fortune. Jewels, art-work, and an exceptional medieval illustrated manuscript were found. These were auctioned off, raising approximately US$14 million. Soon after in the year 2000 however, bailiffs pursued Henri for US$143,000 back rent after he fled the Villa Boileau, a 17th century Paris house he had occupied. [ "Paris hunting down rent-skipping royal", Chicago Sun-Times, Nov 19, 2000]

uccession Rights

On June 19, 1999, Henri's father died and Henri became the new head of the French royal house (according to his supporters). He took the titles Count of Paris and Duke of France. His wife became known as Duchess of France, in order to enable Henri's widowed mother to continue to use the title Countess of Paris. Henri's mother died on July 5, 2003, and Micaela started to use the title Countess of Paris.

He claims the title of Duke of France as heir to Hugh Capet and Hugh's ancestors before they were Kings of France.

After his father's death, Henri annulled his father's decision to disinherit his brothers Michel (Count of Evreux) and Thibaut (the late Count of La Marche) from their rights to the throne because Michel married a noble woman but not a royal one and because Thibaut married a commoner. He also bestowed titles upon his nephews by brother Jacques, Duke of Orléans, Prince Charles-Louis of Orléans, Duke of Chartres (11 Jul 1972 - ), m. 21/28 Jun 1997 Ileana Manos (22 Sep 1970 - ), and Prince Foulques of Orléans, Duke of Aumale (9 Jul 1974 - ) and Count of Eu.

He also recognised his disabled eldest son François as heir, with the title Count of Clermont, with a 'regency' by his middle son, Prince Jean, Duke of Vendôme.

Author

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royal name=Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France
dipstyle=His Royal Highness
offstyle=Monseigneur (Mylord)
altstyle=Sir

Henri has written a number of books:
* "A mes fils" (1989)
* "Adresse au futur chef d'état" (1994)
* "La France survivra-t-elle l'an 2000" (1997)
* "Le passeur de miroir" (2000)
* "La France à bout de bras" (2002)
* "L'histoire en héritage" (2003)

Other Business

Henri is also a painter and has launched his own brand of perfume. In addition to that he ran in the European elections of 2004, but he was not elected.

Ancestors

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1= 1. Henri,
Count of Paris & Duke of France
2= 2. Henri, Count of Paris
3= 3. Princess Isabelle of Orléans-Braganza
4= 4. Jean, Duke of Guise
5= 5. Princess Isabelle of Orléans
6= 6. Prince Pedro de Alcantara of Orléans-Braganza
7= 7. Countess Elisabeth Dobrzensky
8= 8. Robert, Duke of Chartres
9= 9. Princess Françoise of Orléans
10= 10. Philippe, Count of Paris
11= 11. Princess Marie Isabelle of Orléans
12= 12. Gaston, Count of Eu
13= 13. Isabel, Princess Imperial of Brazil
14= 14. Count John Dobrzensky
15= 15. Countess Elisabeth Kottulinsky
16= 16. Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (=20)
17= 17. Duchess Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (=21)
18= 18. François, Prince of Joinville
19= 19. Princess Francisca of Brazil
20= 20. Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans (=16)
21= 21. Duchess Hélène of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (=17)
22= 22. Antoine, Duke of Montpensier
23= 23. Infanta Luisa Fernanda of Spain
24= 24. Louis, Duke of Nemours
25= 25. Princess Victoria of Koháry
26= 26. Pedro II of Brazil
27= 27. Teresa of the Two Sicilies
28= 28. Count John Nepomuk Dobrzensky
29= 29. Baroness Maria Friederike Wanczura
30= 30. Count Joseph Kottulinsky
31= 31. Countess Adelaide von Attems

Henri, Count of Paris and Duke of France, is a male-line great-great-great-grandson of Louis Philippe of the French. He has three further descents from Louis through his father and one through his mother, who also descends from Louis Philippe in the male line, for a total of five descents as a great-great-great-grandson.

Patrilineal descent

Henri is a member of the House of Bourbon-Orléans, a sub-branch of the House of Bourbon, itself a branch of the House of Capet and of the Robertians.

Henri's patriline is the line from which he is descended father to son. It follows the Kings of France, the Dukes of Bourbon and before them, again the Kings of France. The line can be traced back more than 1,400 years and is one of the oldest in Europe.

#Robert or Radon, Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia in 613
#Robert, Referendary in 629 and Duke in 631
#Erlebert, Noble of Therouanne
#Robert, Mayor of the Palace of Neustria in 653, Referendary in 658 and Count in Alsace in 673
#Lambert II, Count of Neustria, 678 - 741
#Robert I of Worms and Rheingau, d. 764
#Thuringbert of Worms and Rheingau
#Robert II of Worms and Rheingau (Robert of Hesbaye), 770 - 807
#Robert III of Worms and Rheingau, 808 - 834
#Robert IV the Strong, 820 - 866
#Robert I of France, 866 - 923
#Hugh the Great, 895 - 956
#Hugh Capet, 941 - 996
#Robert II of France, 972 - 1031
#Henry I of France, 1008 - 1060
#Philip I of France, 1053 - 1108
#Louis VI of France, 1081 - 1137
#Louis VII of France, 1120 - 1180
#Philip II of France, 1165 - 1223
#Louis VIII of France, 1187 - 1226
#Louis IX of France, 1214 - 1270
#Robert, Count of Clermont, 1256 - 1317
#Louis I, Duke of Bourbon, c. 1280 - 1342
#James I, Count of La Marche, 1315 - 1362
#John I, Count of La Marche, 1344 - 1393
#Louis, Count of Vendôme, c. 1376 - 1446
#Jean VIII, Count of Vendôme, 1428 - 1478
#François, Count of Vendôme, 1470 - 1495
#Charles de Bourbon, Duke of Vendôme, 1489 - 1537
#Antoine of Navarre, 1518 - 1562
#Henry IV of France, 1553 - 1610
#Louis XIII of France, 1601 - 1643
#Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, 1640 - 1701
#Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, 1674 - 1723
#Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Orléans, 1703 - 1752
#Louis Philippe I, Duke of Orléans, 1725 - 1785
#Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans, 1747 - 1793
#Louis Philippe of France, 1773 - 1850
#Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans, 1810 - 1842
#Robert, duc de Chartres, 1840 - 1910
#Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise, 1874 - 1940
#Henri, comte de Paris, 1908 - 1999
#Henri, comte de Paris, duc de France, 1933-

The descent before Robert III of Worms and Rheingau is taken from two works published by Portuguese Genealogist Luís Paulo Manuel de Meneses de Melo Vaz de São Paio.

References

* Opfell, Olga S. "H.R.H. Henri, Count of Paris: Royal House of France (House of Bourbon-Orleans," "Royalty Who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe". Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2001. 21-32.

*List of French monarchs,
*Members of the French Royal Families

External links

* [http://www.heraldica.org/topics/france/proces2.htm Lawsuit brought by the comte de Clermont against the duc d'Anjou (1987-89)]

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