the palais royal is a building in paris. it was once a palace of the french royal family. it was built in the 1630s by cardinal richelieu to hold his art collection. when richelieu died in 1642, it became the property of the young king louis xiv. it was successively the property of the dukes of orléans and later marie antoinette before being destroyed in 1870 during the franco-prussian war.