On Tuesday, 21 January, the Count of Paris attended mass at the Royal Chapel of Dreux in memory of King Louis XVI of France and all of the victims of the French Revolution. Prince Jean was accompanied by his wife Princess Philomena, Countess of Paris, and by two of their young children. The service was conducted by Monseignor Philippe Brizard and by Father Jaroslav Lobkowicz (né Prince Jaroslav Lobkowicz).
The Count of Paris fell to his knees and asked forgiveness from King Louis XVI for the faults of the Duke d'Orléans, Louis-Philippe d'Orléans, known as Philippe Égalité. The Count of Paris offered the following prayer:
"Lord,I, Jean, Count of Paris,
Like all the faithful at this mass, I recognise myself as a sinner before You.
The Royal House of France, of which by Your grace I have become the head, we ask Your forgiveness, especially from the victims of the faults of our ancestors, and, in particular, from the sins of Louis-Philippe-Joseph d'Orléans with regard to his cousin King Louis XVI of France, the father of his people.
We implore Your mercy on us, our family and our country. You know that, like Joshua, we and our house, we chose to serve You."
After the service, the Countess of Paris stated: "This tribute is a way of acknowledging that the vote for the king's death was a mistake. A fault that it is not for us to judge because we do not know what we would have done in his place. A fault that led France into the Terror. It is a way of acknowledging the historical fault and to turn the page and focus on the future."
For more on this service and for photographs, please visit these links:
Une cérémonie en hommage à Louis XVI en la chapelle royale de Dreux
Mgr le Comte de Paris rend hommage à Louis XVI, en la chapelle royale de Dreux