A descendant of the French monarchy has waded into the tumult gripping the US to plead for the repair of a statue of Louis XVI that was damaged during protests. The move has led to calls for the return of the guillotine.
Louis Alphonse of Bourbon kept up the family tradition of ill-advised comments when he appealed for the statue of Louis XVI in Louisville, Kentucky, to be repaired after it was damaged during demonstrations on Friday.
Video footage from the incident shows a man snapping the statue’s right hand off and moving away through the crowd which had gathered at the scene in downtown Louisville. Unlike the real Louis, the statue’s head remained fully intact.
“As the heir of Louis XVI, and attached to the defense of his memory, I do hope that the damage will be repaired and that the statue will be restored. I already thank the Authorities for the measures they will take for that,” the Duke of Anjou said.
The head of the house of Bourbon added that the statue had been gifted to Louisville by the French city of Montpellier around 60 years ago. Needless to say, the repair of a statue of an 18th-century king isn’t exactly top of anyone’s agenda right now, and the pretender was mercilessly lampooned for his foolish tweet.
“Let’s be real mate it’s not the most precious thing Louis XVI has ever had cut off in front of a crowd,” educational YouTuber Philosophy Tube quipped in a response that quickly racked up over 10,000 likes. Addressing the duke, writer Lauren Hough added: “Reading the room isn’t big in your family, huh?”
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