Ferdinand Philippe, Duke of Orléans

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French Monarchy House of Orleans Louis-Philippe Children    Ferdinand-Philippe, Crown Prince of France    Louise-Marie of France    Marie of Orléans    Louis, Duke of Nemours    Francisca of Orléans    Clementine of Orleans    François, Prince of Joinville    Charles, Duke of Penthièvre    Henri, Duke of Aumale    Antoine, Duke of Montpensier Grandchildren    Philippe (VII), Count of Paris    Robert, Duke of Chartres    Gaston, Count of Eu    Ferdinand Philippe Marie, Duke of Alençon    Margaret of Orléans    Blanche of Orléans    Marie-Francoise de Bourbon-Orleans de Joinville    Louis Philippe Marie Léopold, Prince de Condé    François Louis d'Orléans, Duc de Guise Great Grandchildren    Amélie of Orléans    Philip VIII, Duc d'Orléans    Hélène of Orléans    Charles of Orléans    Isabelle of Orléans    Jacques of Orléans    Louise of Orléans    Ferdinand of Orléans, Duke de Montpensier    Marie of Orléans    Robert of Orleans    Henri of Orleans    Marguerite of Orleans    Jean d'Orléans, duc de Guise    Louise of Orleans    Philippe Emmanuel, duc de Vendome and Alencon Great Great Grandchildren    Isabelle of Orleans    Francoise of Orleans    Anne of Orleans    Henri (VI), Count of Paris Great Great Great Grandchildren    Isabella of Orleans    Henri (VII), Count of Paris    Helene of Orleans    Francois, duc de Orleans    Anne of Orleans    Diane of Orleans    Michael, comte de Evreux    Jaques, duc de Orleans    Claude of Orleans    Chantal of Orleans    Thibaut, Comte de la Marche    Marie Louise of Orleans    Sophie Joséphine of Orleans    Geneviève Marie of Orleans    Charles Philippe, duc de Nemours Great Great Great Great Grandchildren    Marie of Orleans    François, comte de Clermont    Blanche of Orleans    Jean, duc de Vendôme    Eudes, duc d'Angoulême    Clothilde of Orleans    Adélaïde of Orleans    Charles Philippe, duc d'Anjou    François of Orleans    Diane Marie of Orleans    Charles-Louis, duc de Chartres    Foulques, duc d'Aumale and comte d'Eu

Prince Ferdinand-Philippe of Orléans (September 3, 1810—July 13, 1842) was Prince Royal of France.

Born Ferdinand Philippe Louis Charles Henri Joseph of Orléans in Palermo, Italy, he was the eldest son of the then exiled future king Louis-Philippe of France and Princess Marie Amalie of Bourbon-Sicilies.

At his birth Ferdinand-Philippe was given the title of Duke of Chartres. In 1830 when his father usurped the French throne, Ferdinand-Philippe received the title of Duke of Orléans.

His marriage was arranged to the Duchess Helena Luisa Elizabeth of Mecklenburg-Schwerin (known as Hélène, January 24, 1814—May 18, 1858).

They had two children:

• Philippe, Count of Paris (1838—1894), Prince Royal, who married Marie Isabelle of Orléans, Princess of Spain (1848¶mdash;1919).
• Robert, Duke of Chartres (1840-1910), married Françoise of Orléans (b.1844-d.1925).

Hélène adored her husband, but tragically, when he was only 32 years old, Ferdinand-Philippe died in a carriage accident in Sablonville in the Hauts-de-Seine département. He was interred in an elaborate tomb in the Chapelle Royale, in Dreux, Eure-et-Loir.

Nearly 16 years later, Helene died, on May 18, 1858 in Richmond, Surrey, England, where members of the French royal family had been forced to flee after the revolt against King Louis-Philippe and the election of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte as President of France. Because Hélène was a Protestant, she could not be buried in the Catholic Chapelle Royale at Dreux. Instead a room with a separate entrance was built attached to the chapel and a window was opened between her tomb and her husband's. The sculpture of the Protestant princess rests atop her tomb, depicting her reaching through the opening to the tomb of her beloved Catholic prince.