Duke of Orleans wants annullment of marriage

October 18, 1916

According to the New York Times, the Duke of Orleans "is about to apply to the Pope for the annulment of his marriage to the Archduchess Maria Dorothea of Austria."  The announcement first appeared in the French newspaper, Le Figaro.   

The Duke "contends that the marriage was not concluded on the Austrian side in accordance with all the requirements of ecclesiastical law."

The Duchess of Orleans  won a suit for a legal separation in January 1914.   Not long after the war began, the Duke sent his Order of the Golden Fleece back to the Austrian emperor, with a letter stating that "his marriage had been the curse of his life."
The Duke and Duchess of Orleans do not have any children.