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Today, following a royal statement direct from the Louvre, the King's residence on New Paris, the Kingdom is in mourning.
A representative of the Crown has stated that one of Gallia's finest and most distinguished nobles, Jean DeFrance, Duc of Orleanais, has last night passed away peacefully at the age of 67. Jean, the brother of His Majesty Charles XI DeFrance, was one of the most well-known and highly respected members of the Kingdom's royalty, having ruled over all of Orleanais and its twin inhabited planets for most of his life in the name of His Majesty. Under his reign the system has flourished, with both Blouis and Orleans itself enjoying a period of prosperity and security owing to the late Duc's careful nurturing of the system's burgeoning tourism industry.
The Duc's contributions to the Kingdom and its people were both immense in size and generous in nature. He was a major supporter of the Royal Navy and Royal Police, and both his donations to Crown charities and his wise economic policies have brought happiness and promising growth to both his duchy and further afield in the Kingdom. A more capable, kind, and benevolent ruler his people could hardly have wished for.
The late Duc was not just a competent ruler, though. A family man as well, he leaves behind his two daughters: the elder, Charlotte DeFrance, and the younger, Claire DeFrance. Following his death, Charlotte has inherited the title of Duchesse of Orleanais and the majority of her father's assets.
Jean's unfortunate passing, however, also complicates the matter of our Kingdom's succession. With all of the King's children either missing, deceased, or having been disqualified from the line of succession, his only living brother Jean has been the heir apparent to the throne for a number of years now. With his passing on, and with the death of Herve DeFrance in the summer of last year, it is expected that the title of heir apparent to the Kingdom will also pass to his daughter Charlotte, as the eldest of His Majesty's three nieces. The King, however, has yet to make an official statement on the matter - something that may take some time, with sources close to His Majesty emphasising the depth of the monarch's mourning for his beloved brother.
All the Kingdom, of course, mourns with him. Already his birthday, the 27th juillet, has been named a day of celebration and remembrance within the Kingdom, in honour of both Jean's memory and of his invaluable and numerous contributions to Gallia and her people.