Blanche d'Orléans

Blanche Marie Amélie Caroline Louise Victoire d'Orléans (28 October 1857 – 4 February 1932) was the fourth and last child of Prince Louis, Duke de Nemours and Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, and the granddaughter of Louis Philippe I, the last king of France.^[1]

Blanche d'Orléans was born at Claremont House in Surrey in 1857. Her family had lived there after the February Revolution of 1848. She was the only child of the royal couple born in exile, and there was a gap of nine years between Blanche and her nearest sibling in age, Marguerite. Her mother died two weeks after giving birth to her. She was christened after her paternal grandmother, her godmother, her godfather, and her mother. Her godparents were her father's younger brother Henri, Duke of Aumale, and his wife Lina.^[2]

In addition to Marguerite, Blanche also grew up with her two brothers, Gaston (1842–1922) and Ferdinand (1844–1910). Blanche's paternal grandparents, King Louis Philippe and Queen Marie Amélie, also lived with them at Claremont. They were frequently visited by Queen Victoria, who was a first cousin and namesake of Blanche's mother. Blanche and her sister Marguerite were day pupils at Gumley House school.^[3]

From 1866 to 1871, the family lived at Bushy House following the death of Blanche's grandmother, Queen Marie Amélie. In 1871, the family's banishment was ended, and they moved back to France. Unlike her sister, who married a Polish nobleman the next year, Blanche never married and stayed with her father. She enjoyed painting and, in 1877, painted a portrait of an African hunter.

She died in Paris in her mansion at 9 Avenue Kléber. She was 74 years old and had outlived all her siblings. She was also the last surviving granddaughter of Louis Philippe.

In her letters to Queen Victoria, Blanche's aunt Clementine mentions her poor health and difficult character.^[4]