The Duke of Orléans (オルレアン公 Orurean-kō)is cousin of Louis XVI, who secretly tried to usurp the throne. He is second in line to the throne of France.
Orléans is loosely based off Duke Louis Philippe II, but historically, he was not actually the duke of Orléans until the death of his father Louis Philippe I in 1785, whereas The Rose of Versailles depicts him as being the duke as early as 1770.
Appearance[]
The duke is of a tall and slender build. As a member of the royal family of France, he is usually seen wearing elegant clothing. When he is out plotting, he will don a black hat and cape.
Personality[]
The Duke of Orléans is depicted as a scheming and manipulative person. Since he is second in line for the throne of France, the duke has tried to figure out ways to eliminate Louis XVI so that he can inherit the throne. During times that his plans fail, the duke is shown to instantly find someone else to take the blame or will kill them to make himself appear loyal to his family and country.
Plot[]
He is the mastermind in the plot to kidnap Marie Antoinette before she could marry prince Louis XVI, but after it failed thanks to Lady Oscar's intervention, he tried to kill the Prince and make it seem like an accident by switching the rifle Prince Louis XVI used for hunting with a tampered one that would explode once triggered. Later in the story, Duke de Orleans, because of his liberal ideas, lets anti-monarchists like the Black Knight (a masked French Robin Hood) and his followers secretly gather in his Palais Royale. He, masked, helped Jeanne of Valois-Saint-Rémy, the mastermind of the Affair of the Diamond Necklace, to escape from Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital's prison to a convent. Then, he covered the expenses of the publication of the Jeanne memories, in which Marie Antoinette's visits to clandestine casinos with the Duchesse de Polignac, the "complicity" between the Queen and Lady Oscar and other rumors are started.The Rose of Versailles.
Relationships[]
- Madame Du Barry: After the marriage of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, the duke temporarily joins in a partnership with Du Barry in wanting to remove the couple from the line of succession. Together, the two worked well to try to make their plans work although they never prevailed. When King Louis XV was dying and it was clear that Du Barry would lose any and all power she had, the duke quickly cut ties with her and left her to her fate.
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