by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Queen Letizia of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano was born on September 15, 1972, in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. She is the eldest of three daughters of Jesús José Ortiz Álvarez, a journalist, and his first wife, María de la Paloma Rocasolano Rodríguez, a registered nurse and hospital union representative.

Letizia was christened on September 29, 1972, at the San Francisco de Asís Church in Oviedo, Asturias, Spain. Her godparents were Francisco Rocasolano Rodríguez, her maternal uncle, and Cristina Ortiz Álvarez, her paternal aunt.

Regarding Spanish naming customs, using Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, the first surname or paternal family name is Ortiz and the second surname or maternal family name is Rocasolano. Letizia’s parents divorced in 1998 and her father has since married again to a fellow journalist, Ana Togores. Letizia has two younger sisters, Telma (born 1973) and Érika (1975-2007). It was widely reported that Letizia’s sister Érika died from an intentional prescription drug overdose.

In her hometown of Oviedo, Letizia completed her primary education at the Colegio Público La Gesta de Oviedo and started her secondary education at the Instituto Alfonso II.  Due to her father’s job as a journalist, the whole family moved to Madrid in 1987 where Letizia continued her secondary education at the Instituto Ramiro de Maeztu.  Letizia has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism from Complutense University of Madrid and a Master’s Degree in Audiovisual Journalism from the Institute for Audiovisual Journalism Studies.

In 1998, Letizia civilly married Alonso Guerrero Pérez, a high-school literature teacher, and the couple divorced in 1999. Since this marriage was only a civil ceremony, the Roman Catholic Church did not need to issue an annulment in order for Letizia to have a religious wedding in the future.

While Letizia was pursuing her university degrees, she worked for La Nueva España, a daily newspaper published in her hometown of Oviedo, ABC,  a Spanish national daily newspaper, and Agencia EFE, a Spanish international news agency. After Letizia completed her university, she took a position at Siglo XXI, a newspaper in Guadalajara, Mexico.

When she returned to Spain, Letizia worked for the Spanish version of the financial channel Bloomberg before moving to the CNN+, a Spanish 24-hour television news channel, where she spent two years broadcasting the news in the morning shift. In 2000, she received the Mariano José de Larra Award from the Press Association of Madrid as the most accomplished journalist under the age of 30.

Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano presenting the news; Photo Credit – http://www.casareal.es / TVE/EFE

In 2000, Letizia began working at Televisión Española, the national state-owned public television broadcaster in Spain where she worked for the news channel 24 Horas.  By 2002, Letizia was anchoring the weekly news report program Informe Semanal and then the daily morning news program Telediario Matinal. In August 2003, Letizia started anchoring the daily evening news program Telediario 2, the most-watched newscast in Spain. During most of this time period, Letizia was maintaining a secret relationship with Felipe, Prince of Asturias, the heir to the Spanish throne.

It was in November 2002 while covering the Prestige oil tanker disaster, Spain’s largest environmental disaster, that Letizia’s life would change forever. Felipe, Prince of Asturias had flown to the area to offer his support to the communities worst affected by the oil spill. Although the couple had met the year before at a mutual friend’s dinner party, it was during this terrible disaster that they fell in love. Their relationship was kept a closely guarded secret until the engagement was announced on November 1, 2003.

Engagement announcement; Photo Credit – http://time.com

The couple was married on May 22, 2004, at the Santa María la Real de La Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain.  It was the first royal wedding held in Madrid since the wedding of Felipe’s great-grandparents King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg in 1906.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Felipe VI of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

Photo Credit – http://www.casareal.es

The couple has two daughters:

• The Princess of Asturias (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz), born October 31, 2005, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain
• Infanta Sofía (Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz), born on April 29, 2007, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain

Queen Letizia with her family in 2019; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 2, 2014, King Juan Carlos, Felipe’s father, announced his intention to abdicate the throne in favor of his son. On June 18, 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the formal instrument of abdication and Felipe ascended the throne at midnight. At the same time, Letizia automatically became Queen of Spain. King Felipe VI was sworn in and proclaimed king on June 19, 2014, in a ceremony in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature.

King Felipe and Queen Letizia at the proclamation ceremony; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Spain Index
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Spain
• Monarchs of a United Spain (since 1516)
• Profiles of the Spanish Royal Family
• Spanish Royal Burial Sites
• Spanish Royal Christenings
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by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2014

Credit – Wikipedia

King Felipe VI of Spain was born at the Nuestra Señora de Loreto Clinic in Madrid, Spain on January 30, 1968. He is the only son and third child of King Juan Carlos of Spain and his wife, Queen Sofia, born Princess Sophia of Greece.  At the time of King Felipe’s birth, Spain was ruled by the dictator General Francisco Franco and his father had no official title or position in Spain. However, King Felipe was registered in the Civil Registry as Infante with the style of Royal Highness.

• Unofficial Royalty: Ancestors of King Felipe VI
• Unofficial Royalty: First Cousins of King Felipe VI

Felipe has two older sisters:

• Infanta Elena, Duchess of Lugo (born 1963), married and divorced Jaime de Marichalar y Sáenz de Tejada, and had one son and one daughter
• Infanta Cristina (born 1965), married and divorced Iñaki Urdangarín, had three sons and one daughter

On February 8, 1968, Felipe was baptized at Zarzuela Palace by Monsignor Casimiro Morcillo, Archbishop of Madrid.

His godparents were:

• Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, his paternal grandfather
•  Queen Victoria Eugenia, his paternal great-grandmother and the widow of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and a granddaughter of Queen Victoria who returned to Spain for the first time since she and her husband were exiled in 1931

Felipe was baptized with the following names:

• Felipe: in honor of his ancestor King Felipe V, the first Bourbon who reigned in Spain
• Juan: in honor of his paternal grandfather Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona
• Pablo: in honor of his maternal grandfather, King Paul I of Greece
• Alfonso: in honor of great-grandfather King Alfonso XIII of Spain
• De Todos los Santos, (of All the Saints): continuing a Bourbon tradition

Queen Victoria Eugenie holding Felipe at his baptism, his other godparent Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona is in the middle of the photo; Photo Credit – www.casareal.es

In 1969, General Franco recognized Juan Carlos as his successor and bestowed upon him the title of Prince of Spain. King Felipe then became second in the line of succession to the vacant throne. Juan Carlos became King of Spain in 1975 upon the death of General Franco. On January 22, 1977, King Felipe was formally created Prince of Asturias, the title traditionally held by the heir to the Spanish throne.

King Felipe attended Santa María de los Rosales School (link in Spanish) in Madrid, Spain until 1984, when he was 16. For his last year of secondary education, he attended Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Ontario, Canada.  In 1985, King Felipe started his military education at the General Military Academy in Zaragoza, Spain, and studied there for three years. From 1988 – 1993, he attended the Autónoma University of Madrid, where he graduated with a degree in law. King Felipe obtained a Master’s Degree in International Relations at the Edmund Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in Washington, DC where he studied from 1993 – 1995 and was a roommate of his first cousin Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece.

Felipe receiving his diploma at Georgetown University; Photo Credit – abcnews.com

In 1992, King Felipe was a member of the Spanish Olympic Sailing Team at the Barcelona Summer Olympics. He was the flag bearer at the Opening Ceremonies and his Soling Class sailing team finished in sixth place.

Felipe as flag bearer at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics;  Credit – http://www.sail-world.com

On November 1, 2003, to the surprise of many, Felipe’s engagement to Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano, a journalist and television news reporter and anchor, was announced. The couple was married on May 22, 2004, at the Santa María la Real de La Almudena Cathedral in Madrid, Spain.

• Unofficial Royalty: Wedding of King Felipe VI of Spain and Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano

Credit – http://www.casareal.es

King Felipe and Queen Letizia have two daughters:

• The Princess of Asturias (Leonor de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz), born October 31, 2005, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain
• Infanta Sofía (Sofía de Todos los Santos de Borbón Ortiz), born on April 29, 2007, at the Ruber International Clinic in Madrid, Spain

King Felipe with his family in 2019; Credit – Wikipedia

On June 2, 2014, King Juan Carlos, Felipe’s father, announced his intention to abdicate the throne in favor of his son. On June 18, 2014, King Juan Carlos signed the formal instrument of abdication and Felipe ascended the throne at midnight. King Felipe VI was sworn in and proclaimed as king on June 19, 2014, in a ceremony in the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish legislature.

King Felipe VI is sworn in at the Cortes Generales; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Spain Index
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Spain
• Monarchs of a United Spain (since 1516)
• Profiles of the Spanish Royal Family
• Spanish Royal Burial Sites
• Spanish Royal Christenings
• Spanish Royal Dates
• Spanish Royal FAQs
• Spanish Royal Links
• Spanish Royal Weddings
• Spanish Royal Residences

Photo Credit – www.reuters.com

BBC Mundo: Vea el mensaje de abdicación del rey Juan Carlos (Video of King Juan Carlos of Spain’s message to Spain)

English text of King Juan Carlos of Spain’s message to Spain, 2 June 2014

Today, when I look back, I can only feel pride and gratitude to you.

Pride for the many good things we have achieved together over the years.

And gratitude for the support you have given me to make my reign, begun in full youth at a time of great uncertainties and difficulties, a long period of peace, stability and progress.

Faithful to the political desire of my father, the Count of Barcelona, from whom I inherited the historic legacy of the Spanish monarchy, I wanted to be king for all Spaniards. I have identified with and engaged with your hopes, I have enjoyed your successes and suffered when pain or frustration overwhelmed you.

The long and deep economic crisis we are suffering from has left serious scars in the social fabric but it is also showing us the way to a future full of hope.

These difficult years have allowed us to take self-critical stock of our errors and our limitations as a society.

And, as a counterweight, it has also revived the proud awareness of what we have been and are capable of; and of what we have been and are: a great nation.

All this has awakened in us an urge for renewal, to overcome, to correct mistakes and open the way to a decidedly better future.

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In forging this future, a new generation is rightly claiming its role as protagonist, just as happened in a crucial moment of the history of the generation to which I belong.

My only ambition has been and will continue to be to contribute always to achieve the well-being and progress in freedom of all Spaniards.

I want the best for Spain, to which I have dedicated my entire life and to whose service I have placed all my abilities, my hope and my work.

My son Felipe, heir to the Crown, embodies the stability that is the distinguishing mark of the monarchical institution.

When last January I turned 76, I thought it was time to prepare the handover in a few months so as to leave the way to someone who is in excellent condition to assure that stability.

The Prince of Asturias has the maturity, the readiness and the sense of responsibility needed to take on with full guarantees the leadership of the state and open a new phase of hope combining experience and the drive of a new generation. For that, I know he will count on the support that he will always have from Princess Letizia.

For all these reasons, guided by the conviction of having given my best service to the Spanish people and having recovered physically and resumed my institutional activities, I decided to put an end to my reign and abdicate the Crown of Spain so that the government and parliament can give effect to the succession in line with the constitution.

I have just officially informed the president of the government of this, this morning.
I would like to express my gratitude to the Spanish people, to all who have embodied the powers and institutions of the state during my reign and to all those who have generously and loyally helped me to fulfill my duties.

And my gratitude to the Queen, whose help and generous support have never failed me.

I hold and will always hold Spain deep in my heart.

by Emily McMahon  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Francisco, Duke of Cadiz, King Consort of Spain; Credit – Wikipedia

Born on May 13, 1822 at the Royal Palace of Aranjuez in Aranjuez, Spain, Francisco de Asís María Fernando de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias was the eldest surviving son and the third of the eleven children of Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain, the youngest son of King Carlos IV of Spain, and his wife and niece Luisa Carlotta of the Two Sicilies, daughter of King Francis I of the Two Sicilies and Maria Isabella of Spain.

Francisco had ten full siblings:

• Francisco de Asis de Borbón, Infante of Spain (1820 – 1821), died in infancy
• Isabel de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1821- 1897), married, morganatically Count Ignaz Gurowski
• Enrique de Borbón, Duke of Seville (1823 – 1870), married morganatically, Elena de Castellvi y Shelly-Fernandez de Cordova, had five children
• Luisa de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1824 – 1900) married morganatically José Maria Osorio de Moscoso, Duque de Sessa
• Duarte Felipe de Borbón, Infante of Spain (1826 – 1830), died in childhood
• Josefina de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1827–1920), married, morganatically, José Güell y Rente
• Teresa de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1828–1829), died in infancy
• Fernando de Borbón, Infante of Spain (1832 – 1854)
• Maria Cristina de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1833–1902); married Infante Sebastian of Portugal and Spain, had five children
• Amelia de Borbón, Infanta of Spain (1834 – 1905); married Prince Adalbert of Bavaria, had five children

Francisco had one half-brother from his father’s second, morganatic marriage to Teresa de Arredondo y Ramirez de Arellano:

• Ricardo María de Arredondo, Duke of San Ricardo (1852 – 1872), unmarried

In 1846 at the age of 24, Francisco married his double first cousin, the sixteen-year-old Isabella II of Spain. Francisco was chosen as Isabella’s husband along with Antoine, Duke of Montpensier as a spouse for Isabella’s younger sister Luisa Fernanda. Both of these men were looked at as favorable to the moderados, one of Spain’s two quarreling political parties. French King Louis-Philippe supported these marriages, as Antoine was his son. A marriage of Francisco and Isabella was thought to be childless due to Francisco’s suspected homosexuality. Louis-Philippe believed that as such, Antoine’s and Luisa Fernanda’s children (and his grandchildren) would eventually succeed to the Spanish throne. The British backing of the progresista party and a German candidate (Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha) soured relations between France and Britain. This event is now known as the Affair of the Spanish Marriages.

Francisco and Isabella’s marriage was not happy and there were persistent rumors that few, if any, of her children, were fathered by her husband. Nevertheless, Francisco claimed all the children as his.  Only five of the nine reached adulthood.  The only surviving son was King Alfonso XII of Spain, the great-great-grandfather of the current Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI.

• Ferdinand (born and died 1850)
• Isabella, Princess of Asturias (1851 – 1931), married Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti, no issue
• Maria Cristina (born and died 1854)
• Alfonso XII, King of Spain (1857–1885), married (1) Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, no issue; (2) Maria Christina of Austria, had issue including King Alfonso XIII of Spain
• Maria de la Concepcion (1859–1861), died young
• Maria del Pilar (1861–1879)
• María de la Paz, Princess of Bavaria (1862–1946), married Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, had issue
• Francisco de Asis (born and died 1863)
• Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera (1864–1958), married Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera, had issue

From left to right: Marchioness of Malpica with Alfonso, Prince of Asturias on her lap; Francisco, Queen Isabella II, the royal wet nursemaid holding María de la Concepción, and Isabella, 1860; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris. The new government replaced Isabella with Amadeo I, the second son of Victor Emmanuel II of Italy.  During Amadeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings and he abdicated in 1873 and returned to Italy. The First Spanish Republic was declared, but it lasted a little less than two years.  Isabella officially abdicated in 1870 and after the First Spanish Republic collapsed, her son Alfonso XII became king.

Francisco accompanied his deposed wife into exile in 1868 and they soon separated. While the marriage was an unhappy one, Francisco and Isabella formed a friendly relationship after their separation. He died on April 17, 1902, in Épinay-sur-Seine, France.  Isabella died from influenza complications in Paris on April 10, 1904. Both Isabella and Francisco are buried in the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain.

Tomb of Francisco, King Consort of Spain; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Spain Index
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Spain
• Monarchs of a United Spain (since 1516)
• Profiles of the Spanish Royal Family
• Spanish Royal Burial Sites
• Spanish Royal Christenings
• Spanish Royal Dates
• Spanish Royal FAQs
• Spanish Royal Links
• Spanish Royal Weddings
• Spanish Royal Residences

by Susan Flantzer  © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Queen Isabella II of Spain; Credit: Wikipedia

Queen Isabella II was born on October 10, 1830, at the Royal Palace in Madrid, Spain, the elder daughter of King Ferdinand VII of Spain and his fourth wife (and niece), Maria Christina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.  Isabella was baptized María Isabel Luisa and was Princess of Asturias, the title of the heir to the Spanish throne, from birth.  In Spain, even if there is no heir apparent, the title can be (but is not necessarily) given to the heir presumptive – a daughter, sibling, or matrilineal descendant of the monarch.  Ferdinand VII died on September 29, 1833, and Isabella succeeded to the throne, not quite three years old.

Isabella had one younger sister:

• Infanta Luisa Fernanda (1832 – 1897), married Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, had issue

Queen Isabella II as a child; Credit – Wikipedia

Ferdinand persuaded the Spanish legislature to set aside the Salic Law which allowed only male succession. This precipitated a series of wars known as the Carlist Wars in which Ferdinand’s brother Carl, and later his descendants, fought over the succession. Even today, there are Carlist claimants to the Spanish throne. Isabella’s mother, and then Baldomero Espartero, Prince of Vergara served as regents during her minority.  In 1843, the military led a coup against Baldomero Espartero and then had the legislature declare that Isabella had reached her majority at age 13.

In a series of diplomatic twists and turns, called the Affair of the Spanish Marriage, Isabella married her double first cousin Infante Francisco de Asís de Borbón, Duke of Cadiz instead of the groom the English proposed, Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, a first cousin of Queen Victoria and her husband Prince Albert. At the same time, Isabella’s younger sister Luisa Fernanda married Antoine d’Orléans, Duke of Montpensier, the younger son of King Louis Philippe of France.  These marriages pleased Louis Philippe and alienated the British.

Isabella and her husband; Photo Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s marriage was not happy and there were persistent rumors that few, if any, of her children, were fathered by her husband.  Isabella had nine children, but only five reached adulthood. Her only surviving son was King Alfonso XII of Spain, the great-great-grandfather of the current Spanish monarch, King Felipe VI.

Isabella’s children:

• Ferdinand (born and died 1850)
• Isabella, Princess of Asturias (1851 – 1931), married Prince Gaetan, Count of Girgenti, no issue
• Maria Cristina (born and died 1854)
• Alfonso XII, King of Spain (1857–1885), married (1) Maria de las Mercedes of Orléans, no issue; (2) Maria Christina of Austria, had issue including King Alfonso XIII of Spain
• Maria de la Concepcion (1859–1861), died young
• Maria del Pilar (1861–1879)
• María de la Paz, Princess of Bavaria (1862–1946), married Prince Ludwig Ferdinand of Bavaria, had issue
• Francisco de Asis (born and died 1863)
• Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera (1864–1958), married Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera, had issue

Isabella and her three youngest daughters; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella’s authoritarianism, her religious fanaticism, her alliance with the military, and the chaos of her reign — sixty different governments — helped bring about the Revolution of 1868 that exiled her to Paris. The new government replaced Isabella with King Amadeo I, the second son of King Vittorio Emmanuele II of Italy.  During Amadeo’s reign, there were many republican uprisings and he abdicated in 1873 and returned to Italy. The First Spanish Republic was declared but lasted a little less than two years. Isabella officially abdicated in 1870 and after the First Spanish Republic collapsed, her son Alfonso XII became king.

Isabella in exile in Paris; Credit – Wikipedia

Isabella and her husband Francisco separated in 1870, but they both continued to live in France.  Over time they had become friends and Isabella and two of her daughters were present when Francisco died in 1902. Isabella died from influenza complications in Paris, France on April 10, 1904. Isabella and Francisco are buried in the Pantheon of Kings at the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial in San Lorenzo de El Escorial, Spain near Madrid, Spain.

Tomb of Queen Isabella II; Photo Credit – www.findagrave.com

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.

Kingdom of Spain Resources at Unofficial Royalty

• Kingdom of Spain Index
• Line of Succession to the Throne of Spain
• Monarchs of a United Spain (since 1516)
• Profiles of the Spanish Royal Family
• Spanish Royal Burial Sites
• Spanish Royal Christenings
• Spanish Royal Dates
• Spanish Royal FAQs
• Spanish Royal Links
• Spanish Royal Weddings
• Spanish Royal Residences

by Emily McMahon © Unofficial Royalty 2013

Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona; Credit – Wikipedia

Infante Juan of Spain, Count of Barcelona, was the father of King Juan Carlos of Spain. He was born on June 2, 1913, at the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso in Segovia, Spain, the third son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg, a granddaughter of Queen Victoria.

Juan had six siblings:

• Infante Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907-1938) – married (1) Edelmira Sampedro y Robato, no children, divorced (2) Marta Esther Rocafort-Altuzarra, no children
• Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia (1908-1975) – married (1) Emmanuelle de Dampierre, had two sons, divorced (2) Charlotte Luise Auguste Tiedemann, no children
• Infanta Beatriz (1909-2002) – married Alessandro Torlonia, 5th Prince of Civitella-Cesi, four children
• Infante Fernando (stillborn 1910)
• Infanta María Cristina (1911-1996) – married Count Enrico Marone, four children
• Infante Gonzalo (1914-1934) – not married

Juan (front right), with his mother and siblings, c1917. source: Wikipedia

Following his initial studies in Madrid, he entered the Spanish Naval Academy. His training, however, was interrupted when the Spanish monarchy was overthrown in April 1931, and the Second Spanish Republic was declared. The royal family went into exile, and Juan continued his training with the British Royal Navy. His position within the family would soon change drastically. In 1933, both his elder brothers renounced their succession rights, and Juan became heir-apparent to the Spanish throne.

On January 13, 1935, while in Rome for the wedding of his sister Beatriz, Juan attended a party held by King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy and met his future wife, his second cousin Princess Maria Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. She was the daughter of Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies and his second wife, Princess Louise of Orléans. They were soon engaged and married in Rome on October 12, 1935. The couple initially settled in Cannes, before moving on to Rome. With the outbreak of World War II, they moved to Lausanne, Switzerland, and later to Estoril, Portugal.

Juan and Maria Mercedes had four children:

• Infanta Pilar, Duchess of Badajoz (1936 – 2020) – married Don Luis Gómez-Acebo y Duque de Estrada, Viscount de la Torre, had issue
• King Juan Carlos of Spain (born 1938) – married Princess Sophia of Greece, had issue
• Infanta Margarita, Duchess of Soria (born 1939) – married Carlos Emilio Juan Zurita y Delgado, had issue
• Infante Alfonso (1941 – 1956) – died in a gun accident in 1956

In January 1941, former King Alfonso XIII, knowing that his life was dying, formally abdicated in favor of his son Juan, who became the pretender to the Spanish throne. After Alfonso’s death a month later, Juan began using the title Count of Barcelona, one of the traditional hereditary titles of the Spanish monarch.

However, when Francisco Franco declared the restoration of the monarchy in 1947, he named himself Regent. It would be another 22 years before he named his successor. Feeling that Juan would be too liberal, he instead passed over him and chose Juan’s son, Juan Carlos, as heir to the Spanish throne.

Juan’s son became King of Spain after Franco’s death in 1975. Two years later, Infante Juan renounced his claims to the throne and was formally granted the title Count of Barcelona, which he had been using since his father’s death in 1941.

Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona, died of laryngeal cancer in Pamplona, Spain on April 1, 1993. He was buried, with the honors of a King, in the Royal Crypt of the Monastery of San Lorenzo del Escorial.

This article is the intellectual property of Unofficial Royalty and is NOT TO BE COPIED, EDITED, OR POSTED IN ANY FORM ON ANOTHER WEBSITE under any circumstances. It is permissible to use a link that directs to Unofficial Royalty.