Duke of Orléans

Duke of Orléans (French: Duc d'Orléans) was the French royal title granted by the King of France and bestowed upon their close relatives, typically being a younger brother, son or otherwise inherited through the male line. First created in 1344 by King Philip VI for his younger son Philip, the title was reused by King Charles VI for his younger brother Louis, who first passed the title on to his son and then grandson, the latter becoming King Louis XII. By 1661, the title would have been re-bestowed a total of six times when Louis XIV bestowed it upon his younger brother Philippe, who would go on to bestow it upon his male descendants, creating the Cadet branch, "Orléans" of the parent Bourbons.

Based at the Palais-Royal, the Duke of Orléans Louis-Philippe II contested the legitimacy of his cousin Louis XVI in the adjacent Louvre. His son would eventually ascend to the throne in 1830 as Louis-Philippe I, King of the French. The descendants of the family are the Orléanist candidates to the French throne.