Robert, Duke of Chartres
| Prince Robert d'Orléans | |
|---|---|
| Duke of Chartres | |
Robert d'Orléans, Duke of Chartres
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| Born |
November 9, 1840 Paris, France |
| Died | December 5, 1910 (aged 70) Saint Firmin, France |
| Spouse |
Princess Françoise of Orléans (m. 1863–1910; his death) |
| Issue |
Princess Marie of Denmark Prince Robert Prince Henri Princess Marguerite, Duchess de Magenta Jean, Duke of Guise |
| House | Orléans |
| Father | Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans |
| Mother | Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin |
Prince Robert Philippe Louis Eugène Ferdinand of Orléans, Duke of Chartres (November 9, 1840 – December 5, 1910) was the son of Prince Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans and thus grandson of King Louis-Philippe of France. He fought for the Union in the American Civil War, and then for France in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War. In 1863 he married his cousin Princess Françoise of Orléans in Kingston upon Thames - she was the daughter of François, Prince of Joinville. In 1886, he was exiled from France.
Born in 1840, the duke was very soon orphaned – his father died in a cabriolet accident in 1842, and his mother died in 1858. Thus, during their childhood and adolescence, he and his elder brother were mainly looked after by their grandparents, King Louis-Philippe and Queen Marie-Amélie. He followed the rest of the Orléans family into exile after the 1848 revolution. Louis-Philippe refused to fire upon the revolutionaries and thus abdicated his crown in favour of Robert's brother on February 24. As a result, Robert's mother Helena presented herself before the chamber of deputies to proclaim her elder son king of the French and to have herself named regent, accompanied by her brother-in-law, the Duke of Nemours, and his children. However, the assembly of Ledru-Rollin, Crémieux and Lamartine, frustrated her plans and instituted the Second French Republic. Helena and her children thus left France for Germany, whilst Louis-Philippe and the rest of the royal family moved to the United Kingdom. There they set up home in Claremont, property of King Leopold I of Belgium, himself related to Louis-Philippe. Whilst in England, in 1858 his mother Duchess Helene of Mecklenburg-Schwerin succumbed to influenza, which she passed on to Robert.
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