Louis Philippe Marie Léopold d'Orléans (15 November 1845 – 24 May 1866) was a member of the

House of Orléans The 4th House of Orléans (), sometimes called the House of Bourbon-Orléans () to distinguish it, is the fourth holder of a surname previously used by several branches of the House of France, Royal House of France, all descended in the legitimat ...

and held the title of

Prince of Condé A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The f ...

. He was the first member of a royal house to visit the

Australian continent The continent of Australia, sometimes known in technical contexts as Sahul (), Australia-New Guinea, Australinea, or Meganesia to distinguish it from the country of Australia, is located within the Southern and Eastern hemispheres, near t ...

where he died in 1866.

Life

Exile in England

Louis d'Orléans was born on 15 November 1845 in

Saint-Cloud Saint-Cloud () is a French commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, from the centre of Paris. Like other communes of Hauts-de-Seine such as Marnes-la-Coquette, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Vaucresson, Saint-Cloud is one of France's wealthie ...

, the eldest son of

Henri d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale Henri Eugène Philippe Louis d'Orléans, Duke of Aumale (16 January 1822 – 7 May 1897) was a leader of the Orleanists, a political faction in 19th-century France associated with constitutional monarchy. He was born in Paris, the fifth son of ...

and his wife, Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. He was given the title

, originally borne by the House of Bourbon-Condé; however, on the death of

Louis Henri, Prince of Condé Louis Henri Joseph de Bourbon (13 April 1756 – 30 August 1830) was the last Prince of Condé from 1818 to his death. He was the brother-in-law of Philippe Égalité and nephew of Victoire de Rohan. Life Louis Henri was the only son of ...

, it died out. With reference to the most renowned bearer of the title, '' le Grand Condé'', the young Louis d'Orléans was given the

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

''"le petit Condé"''. Following the outbreak of the

French Revolution of 1848 The French Revolution of 1848 (), also known as the February Revolution (), was a period of civil unrest in France, in February 1848, that led to the collapse of the July Monarchy and the foundation of the French Second Republic. It sparked t ...

, he and his family went into exile in England. Later he attended the Royal High School in

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

, where he was taught by

Leonhard Schmitz Leonhard Schmitz FRSE (1807 – May 1890) was a Prussian-born classical scholar and educational author, mainly active in the United Kingdom. He is sometimes referred to in the Anglicised version of his name Leonard Schmitz. Biography Schmitz was ...

Journey to Australia

When Louis d'Orléans was 20 years old, his father arranged an 18-month world tour for him. In the view of his father, a journey through climes beyond the borders of Europe would improve his ailing health. Together with his doctor, Paul Gingeot, and his cousin,

Prince Ferdinand, Duke of Alençon Ferdinand Philippe Marie d'Orléans, duc d'Alençon (12 July 1844 – 29 June 1910) was the son of Louis Charles Philippe Raphael d'Orléans, Duke of Nemours and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (a first cousin of Queen Victoria). E ...

, Louis d'Orléans began his journey on 4 February 1866 in

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

on the ''Mongolia'', a

passenger ship A passenger ship is a merchant ship whose primary function is to carry passengers on the sea. The category does not include cargo vessels which have accommodations for limited numbers of passengers, such as the ubiquitous twelve-passenger freig ...

owned by British

shipping line A shipping line or shipping company is a company whose line of business is ownership and operation of ships. Shipping companies provide a method of distinguishing ships by different kinds of cargo: # Bulk cargo is a type of special cargo that is ...

Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company P&O (in full, The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company) was a British shipping and logistics company dating from the early 19th century. Formerly a public company, it was sold to DP World in March 2006 for £3.9 billion. DP World ...

(P&O). The itinerary was to take him to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Ceylon Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. Louis d'Orléans was especially interested in Australia; he was fascinated by its exotic nature. Because the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

was still not completed in 1866, after his arrival in

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

he travelled by train via

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

Suez Suez (, , , ) is a Port#Seaport, seaport city with a population of about 800,000 in north-eastern Egypt, located on the north coast of the Gulf of Suez on the Red Sea, near the southern terminus of the Suez Canal. It is the capital and largest c ...

and then took a smaller ship to join up eventually with the ''Bengal'', another P&O passenger ship, on which Louis d'Orléans and Gingeot continued their journey. Ferdinand d'Orléans, Duke of Alençon, had left the group in Egypt in order to go on to

Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...

. After a short stay in

, they continued their travels on the P&O liner, ''Bombay''. On 8 April, the ''Bombay'' reached

King George Sound King George Sound (Mineng ) is a sound (geography), sound on the south coast of Western Australia. Named King George the Third's Sound in 1791, it was referred to as King George's Sound from 1805. The name "King George Sound" gradually came in ...

, a

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a ''gulf'', ''sea'', ''sound'', or ''bight''. A ''cove'' is a small, ci ...

on the southwest coast of

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

. Louis d'Orléans went ashore at Albany, accompanied by a wealthy businessman from Queensland, and met there, amongst others, the ''Chief Magistrate'' of Albany, Sir Alexander Campbell. On 13 April, the ''Bombay'' entered the port at

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

. Louis d'Orléans, who wanted to get to Sydney as soon as possible, decided to visit the city on his return journey. The ''Bombay'' continued along past the colonies of

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

and

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

, past

Cape Howe Cape Howe is a coastal headland in eastern Australia, forming the south-eastern end of the Black-Allan Line, a portion of the border between New South Wales and Victoria. History Cape Howe was named by Captain Cook Captain James Cook ...

and the

Australian Alps The Australian Alps are a mountain range in southeast Australia. The range comprises an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion,

. On 16 April 1866, the ''Bombay'' tied up at

Port Jackson Port Jackson, commonly known as Sydney Harbour, is a natural harbour on the east coast of Australia, around which Sydney was built. It consists of the waters of Sydney Harbour, Middle Harbour, North Harbour and the Lane Cove and Parramatta ...

. D'Orléans was very impressed by the town and compared it to old towns around the world. Although several people, including the Governor of New South Wales, Sir John Young, offered d'Orléans and his travelling companions better accommodation, he decided to stay at ''Petty's Hotel'' on Church Hill near St. Philip's. Over the next five weeks, d'Orléans, whose health had markedly improved, went to various social occasions, visited the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD) is a public university, public research university in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in both Australia and Oceania. One of Australia's six sandstone universities, it was one of the ...

, the

Australian Museum The Australian Museum, originally known as the Colonial Museum or Sydney Museum. is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney, William Street, Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, New South Wales. It is the oldest natural ...

, the Royal Botanic Gardens and

Sydney Hospital Sydney Hospital, historically known as the Rum Hospital, is a major hospital in Sydney, Australia, located on Macquarie Street in the Sydney central business district. It is the oldest hospital in Australia, dating back to 1788, and has been at ...

, during the course of which he met local dignitaries like

Edward Deas Thomson Sir Edward Deas Thomson (1 June 1800 – 16 July 1879) was a Scotsman who became an administrator and politician in Australia, and was chancellor of the University of Sydney. Background and early career Thomson was born at Edinburgh, Scotland. ...

, the

Chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

of the University of Sydney, and Charles Moore, the Director of the Botanic Gardens. Other excursions took him to

Parramatta Parramatta (; ) is a suburb (Australia), suburb and major commercial centre in Greater Western Sydney. Parramatta is located approximately west of the Sydney central business district, Sydney CBD, on the banks of the Parramatta River. It is co ...

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places *Detroit–Windsor, Michigan-Ontario, USA-Canada, North America; a cross-border metropolitan region Australia New South Wales *Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area Queen ...

and Kurrajong.

Death and burial

On 12 May 1866, he received news of the death of his grandmother,

Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily Maria Amalia of Naples and Sicily (Maria Amalia Teresa; 26 April 1782 – 24 March 1866) was List of French royal consorts, Queen of the French by marriage to Louis Philippe I, King of the French. She was the last Queen of France. Among ...

, which affected him badly and this, together with a

cold Cold is the presence of low temperature, especially in the atmosphere. In common usage, cold is often a subjectivity, subjective perception. A lower bound to temperature is absolute zero, defined as 0.00K on the Kelvin scale, an absolute t ...

, that he had picked up during his trip to Manly, caused his health to noticeably worsen. Dr. Gingeot ordered him to rest, but the Prince ignored him. After a short-lived improvement, his health deteriorated rapidly, so that Dr. Gingeot sought the opinion of a second doctor. On the evening of 24 May, at the early age of 21, Louis d'Orléans died in Sydney in the presence of Dr. Gingeot, his valet and archdeacon McEnroe, who administered the

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

. On his death, the title of Prince of Condé died out for a second, and final, time. Over the next few days, various public figures visited Petty's Hotel, including Governor John Young, ''Chief Justice''

Alfred Stephen Sir Alfred Stephen (20 August 180215 October 1894) was an Australian judge and Chief Justice of New South Wales. Early life Alfred was born at St Christopher in the West Indies. His father, John Stephen (1771–1833), was related to James S ...

, the Premier of New South Wales James Martin, Commodore Sir William Wiseman and the Consuls of the United States, the Netherlands, Belgium and Brazil, in order to pay their last respects to d'Orléans. Louis Sentis, the French consul, unlike his peers, went as a private individual, because the French government did not recognise the claims of the

to the

French throne France was ruled by monarchs from the establishment of the kingdom of West Francia in 843 until the end of the Second French Empire in 1870, with several interruptions. Classical French historiography usually regards Clovis I, king of the Fra ...

. The funeral took place on 29 May 1866. A long procession, led by

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

Aloys Elloy and about 20 clerics, accompanied the coffin from Petty's Hotel to Saint Mary's Cathedral. Amongst the coffin bearers were the Governor, the ''Chief Justice'', the Premier, Commodore Sir William Wiseman and the Belgian consul. Many businesses in Sydney closed during the funeral and the consulates lowered their flags to half mast. Two thousand attended the

requiem mass A Requiem (Latin: ''rest'') or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead () or Mass of the dead (), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the souls of the deceased, using a particular form of the Roman Missal. It is u ...

in Saint Mary's Cathedral. Because

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

John Bede Polding John Bede Polding OSB (18 November 179416 March 1877) was an English Benedictine monk and the first Roman Catholic Archbishop of Sydney, Australia. Early life Polding was born in Liverpool, England, on 18 November 1794. His father was of Du ...

was in

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

at the time, he was represented at the service by Aloys Elloy. After the end of the service the coffin and the silver container that held the heart of Louis d'Orléans were taken on board the ''Sea Star'' which was anchored at

Circular Quay Circular Quay is a harbour, former working port and now international passenger shipping terminal, public piazza and tourism precinct, heritage area, and transport node located in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the northern edge of the ...

. On 2 June 1866 the ''Sea Star'' set sail for London with d'Orléans' remains. Also on board were Dr. Gingeot and the prince's retinue. The ''Sea Star'' arrived in London on 11 September 1866. After the end of the

Second French Empire The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...

and the

Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...

the family of Louis d'Orléans returned to France in 1871 from their exile in England. In 1885, the urn that contained the hearts of the Princes of Condé was placed in the chapel of

Château de Chantilly The Château de Chantilly () is a historic French château located in the town of Chantilly, Oise, about 50 kilometres (30 miles) north of Paris. The site comprises two attached buildings: the Petit Château, built around 1560 for Anne de Montmore ...

. Here, too, is the final resting place of Louis d'Orléans' heart. His mortal remains are in Chapelle Royale Saint-Louis in

Dreux Dreux () is a Communes of France, commune in the Eure-et-Loir Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography Dreux lies on the small river Blaise (river), Blaise, a tributary of the Eure (river), Eure, about 35 km north of Cha ...

Legacy

Louis d'Orléans is primarily remembered for his visit to Australia. He was the first member of a royal house to visit the Australian continent. The first visit by a member of the

British royal family The British royal family comprises Charles III and other members of his family. There is no strict legal or formal definition of who is or is not a member, although the Royal Household has issued different lists outlining who is considere ...

was in 1867 by Prince

Alfred Alfred may refer to: Arts and entertainment *''Alfred J. Kwak'', Dutch-German-Japanese anime television series * ''Alfred'' (Arne opera), a 1740 masque by Thomas Arne * ''Alfred'' (Dvořák), an 1870 opera by Antonín Dvořák *"Alfred (Interlu ...

, who reached Australia in October that year and stayed there for five months.''Royal visits to Australia – The early visits: consolidating distant sympathies''
, Internet page of the Australian government

Ancestry

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Louis d'Orleans, Prince of Conde Princes of France (Orléans) 1845 births 1866 deaths Princes of Condé Burials at the Chapelle royale de Dreux