Tag Archives: Philippe duc d’Orleans

The one where I write something for Philippe de France’s birthday

Philippe de France, Duke of Anjou, wearing the clothes to his brother's coronation and holding the crown of a son of France. Unknown artist, c1654, Château de Versailles

The 21st of September marks the 377th birthday of Philippe de France, duc d’Orléans, and brother to Louis XIV.  And so I wrote a little something in his honour.  Enjoy xx Philippe de France, frère unique de roi   I stand here, just like all the others, a mere observer to the glorious miracle that is our Sun King. Louis Dieudonné…. Read more »

The one with the theory about Philippe d’Orleans’ baby fatalities

Anyone familiar with the TV show Who Do You Think You Are? knows the drill – featured celebrities go on the hunt for their history, diving into the past and discovering really interesting things about relatives long gone. I recently watched the Martin Freeman ep (he of Sherlock and The Hobbit) who, during the course of discovering his great grandparents from the… Read more »

Versailles, social attitudes and the one with ‘that’ scene in Episode 5

Which scene is that, I hear you ask? Ohhhh, this one: I have read a few articles and comments now about this scene. Some say it is rape and without consent, others say it is a forced seduction, others see absolutely nothing wrong with it. Others have analysed it from a modern perspective and still others discuss it in historical… Read more »

A rant about the UK press and their Versailles reviews….

So with Versailles about to hit the British screens in a few hours, Twitter has been inundated with articles, reviews and think pieces about the show…. and as you can imagine, they have pretty much been focusing on the sex aspect. So I thought I’d jump on the bandwagon and give my 2c worth. Because unlike most of these journalists,… Read more »

The finale…. poison, death and departures – Versailles episode 10

Here it is, mes amis! The final review of the finale of Versailles. My sources tell me that sadly, we will have to wait until March 2017 (Yes, NEXT YEAR!!!) for Season 2. I am sobbing. In between re-watching S1, of course. So anyways, off we go.  And remember you can also start at the beginning and read my reviews of… Read more »

The one with Henriette’s return, the rules of etiquette and the beheading – Versailles episode 9

For reviews of previous eps, you can read them here: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven and Eight.  SPOILER ALERT!!!!  So don’t read if you don’t like that kind of thing. Not that there’s anything wrong with it. EPISODE NINE Nearly finished, mes amis!  Get reading for loads of stuff culminating for the final ep. We open with Louis taking… Read more »

The one with Henriette’s mission, bad guys are revealed and major Chevalier/Philippe feels OMG – Versailles episode 8

For reviews of previous eps, you can read them here: One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Seven. And yes, they are major spoiler-y plus I also talk about the characters and plot and dialogue from a writer’s point of view. EPISODE EIGHT We left the last episode with the Chevalier in jail as a traitor for conspiring to overthrow… Read more »

The one with a Sick Louis, the King’s Circle and NOOO not the Chevalier! – Versailles episode 7

Read my previous reviews in order – One, Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. And remember, every one of these has major spoilers, so if you haven’t watched them yet (or deeply care about having story details revealed), consider this a warning. I have to premise this review with a confession – this ep and the next were the two… Read more »

The one with the builder problems, the baby surprise and peasant spittle – Versailles Episode 6

Need an earlier episode fix? See my reviews here of One, Two, Three, Four and Five. EPISODE SIX So now the nobles are flooding to Versailles and we open with a magnificent view of the palace under construction (excellent CGI!) and Louis, Philippe and an entourage taking in the building. Louis explains that the nobles and their families will be… Read more »

The one with the glorious return, the victory party and Philippe going off the rails – Versailles episode 5

After earlier reviews of Versailles? Read them in order, they’ll make more sense: Episode One, Two, Three and Four. EPISODE FIVE The scene opens on a bloody battlefield, Philippe cradling his dead horse. Everyone slain. He is clearly shellshocked, with dead eyes and a blank expression, staring off into space. Interspersed with this desolate scene is another – Louis in his tent, dressed… Read more »

The one with the massive war, the porridge and more dead people – Versailles episode 4

If you haven’t already, read my reviews of Episode One, Two and Three. EPISODE FOUR Enter Louis (with a cut on his forehead – “from a hunting accident” we learn later.  Very curious but we never actually find out how/why this happened).  He is absolutely livid with the news that his friends, the Parthenays have been brutally murdered on his… Read more »

The one with the African prince, the shooting and mucho sass – Versailles Episode 3

You can read my reviews of Episodes One and Two here.  *WARNING – all of these are major spoiler-y. EPISODE THREE We open with Louis talking of reflections and a rather substandard mirror in which he dresses. This is the first mention of what is called the Power of Three, which is basically a subliminal way to get something of importance… Read more »