French media could this week report that on Thursday, Prince Jean of France welcomed the presidents of both France and Italy to his home, Amboise Castle. Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron were warmly welcomed by the prince and his family. One of the three current pretenders to the French throne, Prince Jean was joined on the occasion by his wife, Princess Philomena, and two of their children, Prince Gaston and Princess Antoinette.
The visit was a diplomatic visit following the political instability in France the recent months. Also during the visit the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci was marked.
“This meeting in Amboise, then Clos Lucé and Chambord, is an opportunity to recall the importance of our heritage, a sign of a united Europe around its roots, as well as the diplomatic role of the head of the Royal House of France, that the family of Orleans has always taken to heart, including when it was in exile. The Count of Paris is the honorary president of the Saint Louis Foundation, owner of the royal castle of Amboise where the brilliant artist Leonardo da Vinci is buried”, said the Prince in an official statement on his Facebook and Twitter-profile that day.
In April, Royal Central spoke to Frederic de Natal, leader of International Monarchist Conference. He said this about Prince Jean of Orleans: “Prince Jean of Orleans was expected by his followers and remains today a source of hope for some of the monarchists who nicknamed him the “prince of the future”, unlike his father who had received the sobriquet of “prince of bad luck”. However, for most of the French population, I would rather say he is known with a kind of indifference. This is only because his father was not really known to the French instead of the current Count of Paris’s grandfather”.
Amboise Castle is a French castle in the Loire Valley and the home of the former French royal family from the House of Orleans. The castle has a long royal history. King Charles VIII died at the château in 1498 after hitting his head on a door lintel. The castle has been recognised as a historical monument by the French Ministry of Culture since 1840.
During the German invasion in 1940 the castle was damaged further. Today, the present Count of Paris, descendant of Louis-Philippe, repairs and maintains the castle through the Fondation Saint-Louis.
