Sarkozy, Hollande, Le Pen… They are all squabbling over our dear old lady: the Republic.
But there are some oddballs out there who cannot stomach the darling.
Today, we meet the French Royalists.
One would think that in a country which prides itself on having pruned its monarch, you would have a hard-time finding people who grovel to the throne.
Yet this guy – Patrick de Villenoisy – is a monarchist. He is also running for president
Let me rephrase this. He was running for president. I have just had him over the phone. He has collected only about 200 out of the 500 signatures of “grand electors” needed to validate his candidacy. The royalists will not have a horse in this race.
But they will be back.
“We hope to present up to 50 candidates in the legislative elections”, says Chantal de Thoury who is herself running in the region of the Nièvre.
“Now people know we exist. According to some polls, 17%* of the population yearns for a restoration. We are going to run in all the upcoming elections and I will get the 500 signatures in 2017,” boasts Patrick de Villenoisy.
Isn’t it contradictory for Royalists to take part in elections? Patrick de Villenoisy brushes aside the argument:
“Our aim is to make ourselves visible. Elections are a tool in that matter. We are also starting to use social media to bypass traditional news outlets.”
Who stole France?
The Alliance Royale claims to be above the skanky parties’ dog fights, but the guys are clearly not leftists. And that’s an euphemism.
In their eyes, the Republic is a toy in the hands of corrupt politicians, themselves Europe’s puppets. The way they see it, politicians win elections and then move quickly – they have got only five years – to suck out as much money as they can before business time is over. At the end of the day, voting for one candidate or the other is like “changing cabin on a sinking ship.”
That’s the spirit. A nice song encapsulates it. “The kings made France. Without them, it is being destroyed. (…) We inherit a land smaller and poorer than it used to be. But yet it still is the same seed, the same soil. Who stole France? We need to know. It is about time.”
The problem with royalists is that they cannot agree on who should be crowned. The Orléanistes support Prince Jean de France, duke of Vendôme, the Legitimists would die for Prince Louis, duke of Anjou.
Both sides produce or upload videos to the glory of their champion.
Prince Louis (Louis XX):
Prince Jean (Jean IV):
And the National Front?
The Alliance Royale is “pro-family” (= against gay marriage) and “pro-life” (= against abortion and euthanasia). Its members want to institute what they call “fair democracy.” They mean corporatism.
The whole “bring back the king” aspect set aside, far right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen’s program overlaps some of these concerns.
Indeed, the National Front, Marine Le Pen’s party, has long been a shelter for monarchists and Catholic fundamentalists. I even found a video in which former leader of the party Jean-Marie Le Pen sings a royalist song, with evident delight. “Long live the King!”
But Marine Le Pen, who took command of the party in January, last year, is a divorcee who hardly cares for the Catholic Church. The counter-revolutionary vein of the National Front has quickly disappeared. “We feel disgusted,” comments Chantal de Thoury, who used to be a party member.
Royalists are now making connections with other organizations such as the Catholic fundamentalist Civitas Institute. In an interview published on the Institute’s website, Patrick de Villenoisy appears to be on the same line than the fundamentalists.
Both groups also have the same strategy: they hope to gain weight and strength at a local level to boost their appeal. That’s all they can hope for. The Alliance Royale is a fringe with at most 500 members all over France.
They swear they have close friends in the government. A current minister is even said to be a royalist. But no panic. The monarchy is not going to take over. “It is true that most of time we face mocking smiles,” concedes Patrick de Villenoisy.
*I could not check this figure
Réacs et fatigués 
opiniondelamonarchie
May 19, 2012
I’m glad to find an article about the royalism in France !! Yes some French (and certainly a lot !) are yeaning for a king ! But as for me, I prefer Jean de France… Have a look to my blog : http://www.opiniondelamonarchie@wordpress.com