The Last King of France found in INDIA-Lost and Found: The Unbelievable Hunt for

 Lost and Found: The Unbelievable Hunt for the Last King of France

The name Balthazar Napoleon de Bourbon sounds French enough. And if you were told the gentleman bearing the name was next in line for the French throne, it might sound reasonable. But staring at a jovial and portly Indian lawyer/farmer from Bhopal, you can see why people are skeptical. While Balthazar always knew he was of French origin—his last name and Catholic faith are an easy giveaway—he had no idea of his royal heritage until Prince Michael of Greece knocked on his front door.

In doing some family research, Prince Michael, who also hails from the Bourbon clan, discovered that a swashbuckling nephew of Henry IV named Jean de Bourbon had worked his way to India. Jean had fled France after killing a nobleman in a duel. But on his journey, he was kidnapped by pirates, sold as a slave, and served in an Ethiopian army before eventually making his way to Goa, India. From there, he met the Mughal king Akbar and served in his royal court. Over generations, Jean de Bourbon’s descendants assimilated into the culture—marrying Indians and abandoning their mother tongue for local dialects. In fact, Balthazar de Bourbon’s command of French is incredibly poor. But since the guillotine put a stop to Louis XVI’s direct line, Balthazar is his closest living relation. Today, this Indian crown prince laughs about his distinctly middle-class lifestyle, dubbing it “Bourbon on the rocks.” But he has a message for the people of France: If they’re ever itching for a return to monarchy, he’s more than willing to warm the throne. Even if he doesn’t speak the language.

Bourbon in Bhopal: Family with ties to French royals live on ...

www.dnaindia.com › News › India

Jan 8, 2006 - It is a tale that Balthazar-Napoleon Bourbon, a portly lawyer and ... a man named Jean-Philippe de Bourbon Navarre arrived in 1560 at the ...

House of the Bourbons - India Today Group

indiatoday.intoday.in › Archive › OFFTRACK › March 15, 1996

Mar 15, 1996 - ... far less European - connection with Balthazar Napoleon Bourbon III. ... is the fleur-de-lis (the lily flower), the coat-of-arms of the Bourbons," he ...

The next King of France? An Indian! - Manchester Evening ...

www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk › ... › Prince Charles, Prince of Wales

Jan 13, 2013 - Entering the home of Balthazar Napoleon de Bourbon there are clues. The brass plaque on ther door proclaims 'House of Bourbon' together ...

Bourbons of India - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbons_of_India

Balthazar IV of Bourbon-Bhopal with his family 2013 .... "Balthazar Napoléon III, leBourbon "made in India" se rêve en duc de France" Check |url= value (help).

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