Philippe

Also known as: Marchiali / the prince / the prisoner · Family: French royal family · Role: imprisoned twin brother of the king · First appears: Chapter 1

In 1610, Aramis told Philippe that his father, Louis XIII., was dead and that Anne of Austria remained separated from him. His nurse and preceptor had been poisoned, and Philippe inferred from the queen’s and Mazarin’s protection that he was high-born. After comparing his reflection with Louis XIV’s portrait, he recognized their striking resemblance. He refused to hear more from Aramis until he was freed from the Bastile. In 1638, Aramis revealed that Philippe was the hidden second son of Louis XIII., twin brother of Louis XIV and the legitimate heir: “You are the son of King Louis XIII., brother of Louis XIV., natural and legitimate heir to the throne of France.”

In chapter 8, an order naming Marchiali rather than Seldon secured Philippe’s release. Baisemeaux brought him from the dungeon, declared him free, and Philippe swore never to reveal what he had seen or heard inside the Bastile. Aramis escorted him to the forest of Senart, where Philippe reached open freedom and learned that he was a royal highness. Aramis then proposed that he take Louis XIV’s identity and throne, while also offering him a secluded life in Bas-Poitou. After asking for time to consult his conscience, Philippe chose the crown: “Lead me to where the crown of France is to be found.” He agreed to retain Fouquet as surintendant and promised to make Aramis a cardinal and prime minister.

From chapter 14 onward, Philippe emerged from a concealed panel in Aramis’s room and discovered Louis XIV meeting Colbert. He took the royal bed and assumed Louis XIV’s place while Aramis reported that the former king’s resistance had been defeated and silenced. Philippe successfully appeared before the royal household without suspicion, but Louis XIV then confronted him, and Anne of Austria collapsed on seeing her two sons as rival kings. D’Artagnan, who had once shown Philippe devotion and loaded him with honors, arrested him: “Monsieur, you are my prisoner!”

Louis XIV ordered Philippe taken to Ile Sainte-Marguerite behind an iron visor. At Sainte-Marguerite, Athos revealed that the masked prisoner was a son of Louis XIII.; Philippe rejected both “monsieur” and “monseigneur” and commanded that he be called accursed. M. de Saint-Mars became his jailer, while D’Artagnan conducted him as a prisoner. Philippe was thereafter deprived even of D’Artagnan’s company and attentions.