Count of Paris (French: Comte de Paris) was a title for the local magnate of the district around Paris in Carolingian times. After Hugh Capet was elected King of the Franks in 987, the title merged into the crown and fell into disuse. However, it was later revived by the Orléanist pretenders to the French throne in an attempt to evoke the legacy of Capet and his dynasty.
In 1838, during the July Monarchy, King Louis-Philippe I granted the title to his newly born grandson, Philippe.[1] After Louis-Philippe abdicated during the French Revolution of 1848, Orléanist monarchists considered Philippe and his descendants to be the legitimate heirs to the throne. In 1870, at the beginning of the French Third Republic, Philippe and the Orléanists agreed to support the legitimist pretender, Henri, Count of Chambord, but resumed Philippe's claims after Henri's death in 1883.
In 1929, Orléanist pretender Jean d'Orléans, Duke of Guise (1874-1940) granted the title "Count of Paris" to his only son Henri d'Orléans (1908–1999), a courtesy title Henri retained until his death and under which he was best known. After him, the title has been adopted by his successors in capacity as the Orléanist pretender to the French throne.
The next in line is Jean's eldest son, Prince Gaston Louis Antoine Marie d’Orléans (born 2009).
