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Orphaned children have been scantly studied. Yet they are a concern for public institutions seeking to reduce inequalities among children in lone-parent families. Orphaned children today comprise those of both married and unmarried couples. This article first shows that differences in treatment among widowed parents, according to whether they are widowed de jure or de facto, are liable to produce inequalities among their children. Secondly, the point of view taken by the French council for retirement pension guidance is set out. Since 2000, this body has led thinking on how the support of widowed parents and their children should evolve. The aim of the analysis is to extract those principles of justice that could guide public action to reduce inequalities among orphans.