L'éminence grise
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An éminence grise (French for "grey eminence") is a powerful advisor or decision-maker who operates secretly or unofficially. This phrase originally referred to Cardinal Richelieu's right-hand man, François Leclerc du Tremblay, a Capuchin friar who wore grey robes. The phrase "His Eminence" is used to describe a Cardinal in the Roman Catholic Church, although Leclerc du Tremblay never achieved that rank.
Aldous Huxley wrote an English biography of him titled Grey Eminence, and there is also an 1873 [painting] by Jean-Léon Gérôme, "L'Éminence Grise," which depicts him descending the grand staircase of the Palais Cardinal.
See also
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