Who is Alexander Vlahos? Versailles actor playing Monsieur Philippe d’Orleans and Merlin star

THE raunchy period drama Versailles is back on the BBC for a third series.
Starring in the show as Monsieur Philippe d'Orleans is actor Alexander Vlahos. Here's the lowdown on the Welsh heartthrob...

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Who is Alexander Vlahos?

Alexander Vlahos, 30, is a Welsh actor who is best known for playing Philippe, Duke of Orleans in the TV show Versailles and for playing Mordred in BBC drama Merlin.

Alexander has a Welsh mother and a Greek father and speaks both Welsh and English.

He trained in acting at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff – where he graduated from in 2009.

Alexander is engaged to his Swedish model girlfriend Kajsa Mohammar.

He has also appeared in shows such as Doctors, Barbarians Rising and Genius.

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What is Versaille and where is it filmed?

Versailles is a period drama, set from 1667 onwards, following King Louis XIV — France’s most notorious womanising, war-mongering monarch — as he struggles to hold his court together.

It’s been described as “more trendy than accurate” by Variety, who scathingly referred to it as “a historical document as seen through an Instagram filter”.

But Versailles has been such a hit with its audience that it was recommissioned for series two before its first series had wrapped up in France.

The first season of the show cost a reported £20 million to make and was a lavish production filled with beautiful costumes and opulent backdrops.

Many would assume from the show’s name that most of the scenes would be filmed at the Palace of Versailles.

And this was true of certain scenes that were filmed in the staterooms, bedrooms and gardens of iconic Versailles.

However a lot of the show was filmed at other nearby locations, due to the palace being a huge tourist attraction and because Marie Antoinette changed much of Versaille's 17th century décor.

Many other castles were used for the filming of the royal court, including:

• The Château de Champs-sur-Marne gardens
• The Château de Janvry
• The Château of Lésigny
• The Château de Maisons-Laffitte
• The Château de Pierrefonds used as the castle preuses room
• The Château de Sceaux
• The Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte
• The Château of Vigny
• The commune of Rambouillet

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When is Versailles on TV?

The third season started on Monday, June 4, 2018, and runs for ten episodes.

You can also catch up with each episode afterwards on BBC iPlayer, or download them on iTunes.