"Your Majesty, I have good news. It concerns the future of France, the future of the dynasty, and even the future of Europe and the world."
Unlike the monarchs of his time, Louis Philippe disliked wearing uniforms and finery. He preferred more down-to-earth clothes, which helped preserve his image as the Citizen King.
Yet the public held him in low regard. The upper classes called him the King of the Barricades, while the common people called him the Pear King. "Pear" carried the sense of "idiot." Unlike the kings of France before him, Louis Philippe greatly admired British politics and had handed power to his ministers.
As a result, Louis Philippe had nurtured a nest of brazen embezzlers, and the people directed all their resentment toward the French government at their unlucky king.
At that moment, Louis Philippe wore ordinary clothes and a smile. Though Thiers had already briefed him once, he still put on the appearance of listening, as if he were some wise king of antiquity.
"Mr. Guizot, I don't think supporting Carlos and getting involved in the Spanish Civil War serves France's interests."
"Your Majesty, Carlos?" Guizot hurriedly waved his hands. "No, no, please hear me out—"
But Louis Philippe didn't let Guizot continue.
"I'm not Tsar Nicholas I, an extreme reactionary. I pledge my loyalty to France and the Charter."
Tsar Nicholas I strongly supported Carlos. He refused to recognize the Spanish government led by the regent queen and immediately severed relations with it. He had even publicly declared, "A whore and a harlot are unfit to rule Spain."
The regent queen Christina's private life was a mess. Ferdinand VII had barely been dead when she brought her lover into the palace and married him in front of a priest.
On the very night Ferdinand VII