Philippe, Duke of Orléans
Cousin of King Louis XVI: people say he is one of the richest men in Europe
The Duke of Orléans is the First Prince of the Blood who supports the French Revolution and becomes a member of the Jacobin Club. He eschews the Second Estate of nobles to join the Third Estate of commoners and is then elected deputy to the National Convention where he sides with the Mountain against the Girondists. Later he adopts the name Philippe Égalité. Philippe makes himself popular with large donations to the Parisian poor and funds much of the early revolutionary activity. In A Place of Greater Safety, he hopes to become king, with the help of his steely ex-mistress Félicité de Genlis, his recent and current mistresses Grace Elliot and Agnes De Buffon, and his secretary Laclos. He patronises Camille Desmoulins and Georges-Jacques Danton in order that they speak in his favour.
The palace revolutionary | Hilary Mantel | The Guardian
Louis-Philippe-Joseph, duc d’Orléans | Britannica
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - World History Encyclopedia
Louis Philippe II, Duke of Orléans - Wikipedia