The Private Suites - Château de Chantilly

A testimony to the Duke and Duchess of Aumale’s personal life

The Duke and Duchess of Aumale’s private suites are located on the ground floor of the Petit Château. The Duke of Aumale had them decorated in 1845-1848 by the Romantic painter and decorator Eugène Lami, shortly after their wedding. This the only Princely suite dating from the July Monarchy that is still intact. Only accessible in guided tours for small groups, these living quarters are filled with memories and provide a unique testimony to the personal life of the Duke and Duchess of Aumale.

The Guise Salon

The Guise Salon houses the family portraits, including that of the Duke of Aumale aged nine, one year after he inherited Chantilly and those of his two sons, Louis of Orléans and François. This room was renamed in 1872, after the death of the Duke of Aumale’s second son, François, Duke of Guise.

The Duchess's bedroom

This room is typical of the decorative arts during the July Monarchy, with its four-poster bed, Louis XV style padded chairs and its dressing room. The walls are decorated with two large portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Aumale at their wedding in 1844.

The Purple Salon

Laid out in a circular shape, Marie-Caroline de Bourbon-Siciles, Duchess of Aumale’s boudoir was originally hung with a green fabric. At the request of the Duke of Aumale following the death of his wife in 1869, it was re-hung with a purple fabric woven with silver, also visible on the screen and the furniture. Purple is the colour associated with mourning.

The Petite Singerie

Just as the Grande Singerie located in the large suites, the Petite Singerie was decorated in the 1735 by Christophe Huet, a famous animal painter of the 18th century. This small boudoir depicts monkeys, especially female monkeys, imitating the daily actions of the aristocracy in a domain that looks very like Chantilly. This room separated the Duke’s and Duchess’s apartments.

The Duke's bedroom

This room is furnished with a military bed and a cylinder desk by cabinet makers Jean-Michel and Guillaume Grohé, a gift from King Louis-Philippe to his son in 1847. The room is decorated with several paintings and miniatures depicting the Duke of Aumale’s family, including a portrait of his mother signed by Baron François Gérard. Two uniforms exhibited in the adjoining room sum up the different aspects of the Duke of Aumale’s personality: the general’s uniform and the green uniform worn by members of the Institut de France. The room has remained intact since 1897.

The Condé Salon

The Duke of Aumale initially called this room the “Condé Family Salon” because of the large number of portraits of the Princes of Condé exhibited in it. It was renamed “Condé Salon” in memory of Louis of Orléans, Prince of Condé, and eldest son of the Duke of Aumale, who died of illness during a trip to Australia. It is neo-Louis XIV in style, which was fashionable during the July Monarchy.

The Marble Room

A former dining room, this salon is decorated in the French Renaissance style, with its coffered ceiling, its furniture with ornaments from the Ecole de Fontainebleau and its 16th century weapons and armour presented on the mantelpiece. As in the rest of the suite, the room is full of the Duke of Aumale’s family souvenirs.