Arcades and Gardens of Palais-Royal
Louis XIV donated the Palais-Royal to his younger brother, Philippe, Duke of Orleans. By the late 1700’s, his descendant, the Duke Louis-Philippe d’Orléans extended the Palais-Royal with arcades lined up with boutiques and apartments above them.

Upon hearing about his cousin’s real estate venture, King Louis XVI is said to have mocked him at the court: “So you are a shopkeeper now!?”.

During the French Revolution, Louis-Philippe d’Orléans will be one of the many figures plotting to bring down the King and hoping to replace him on the throne. Both the King and Louis-Philippe d’Orléans met the guillotine…

The three galleries refer to the Duke’ sons' respective duchees: Valois, Montpensier and Beaujolais.