Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938)

Names
	Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo Francisco Guillermo Carlos Enrique Eugenio Fernando Antonio Venancio

Alfonso
Alfonso
Prince of Asturias; Count of Covadonga
	Formal photo portrait by Franzen, 1927
Born	10 May 1907; Royal Palace of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
Died	6 September 1938 (aged 31); Miami, Florida, U.S.
Burial	El Escorial
Spouse	; Edelmira Sampedro y Robato (m. 1933; div. 1937) ; Marta Esther Rocafort-Altuzarra (m. 1937; div. 1938)
Names
Names
	Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo Francisco Guillermo Carlos Enrique Eugenio Fernando Antonio Venancio
House	Bourbon
Father	Alfonso XIII
Mother	Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (10 May 1907 – 6 September 1938), was heir apparent to the throne of Spain from birth until the abolition of the monarchy in 1931. He renounced his rights to the defunct throne in 1933. Alfonso was the eldest son of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg.

Alfonso's renunciation of his rights as heir to the Spanish throne in order to marry Cuban commoner Edelmira Sampedro caused controversy at the time. A similar situation would take place three years later in Britain with his second cousin Edward VIII, who would abdicate as King of the United Kingdom and Emperor of India to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson.^[1]

He died at the age of 31 as a result of a car crash. Though appearing to have sustained minor injuries, his haemophilia, inherited through his great-grandmother Queen Victoria, led to fatal internal bleeding.

Early life

Alfonso was the eldest child of the then-reigning King Alfonso XIII and Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg. He inherited the genetic disorder haemophilia from his maternal line, as did a number of his matrilineal relatives. He and his youngest brother, Gonzalo, were kept in specially-tailored jackets to prevent injury from accidents.

He was born on 10 May 1907 at the Royal Palace of Madrid. As decreed by custom, he was registered by the Marquis of Figueroa, Minister of Justice, in the Civil Registry of the Royal Family as Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo Francisco Guillermo Carlos Enrique Eugenio Fernando Antonio Venancio.

Eight days after his birth, Alfonso was christened in the royal chapel of the Royal Palace of Madrid by the Archbishop of Toledo. His godparents were his paternal grandmother, Queen Maria Cristina, and Pope Pius X, who was represented by Aristide Cardinal Rinaldini. The Duke of Connaught, Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia, Archduke Eugen of Austria and Afonso, Duke of Porto, were also present. After the ceremony, his father conferred upon him the collars of the orders of the Golden Fleece and Charles III and the Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic.

Alfonso's father faced increasing political problems that led Spain to become a republic in 1931 when the monarch was deposed. The family moved into exile.

Renunciation and marriages

There had been plans for young Alfonso's deposition from succession, but ultimately he himself renounced his rights to the then-defunct throne to marry a commoner, Edelmira Sampedro y Robato, religiously in Ouchy on 21 June 1933, after which Alfonso took the courtesy title Count of Covadonga. His renunciation was required by the regulations for the succession set by the Pragmatic Sanction [es] of Charles III, which regulated marriages of the royal family. The couple divorced 8 May 1937, with Edelmira keeping the title Countess of Covadonga.

In a civil ceremony on 3 July 1937, Alfonso married another commoner, Marta Esther Rocafort-Altuzarra, in Havana. They divorced on 8 January 1938.^[2] He had no children by either of his wives. However, Alfonso de Bourbon, a resident of California, later claimed to be an illegitimate son of Alfonso.^{[citation needed]}

In 1938, Alfonso, then resident in the United States, publicly stated his readiness to accept the Spanish crown if called on to do so. Spain was at this date in the midst of civil war. This action reversed Alfonso's renunciation of 1933 and led to his being disavowed by his father King Alfonso.^[3]

Death

A car crash led to Alfonso's early death on September 6, 1938, at the age of 31. He was being driven at night through Miami by an entertainer, Miss Mildred Gaydon, who swerved to avoid a truck.^[4] The car crashed into a telephone booth and Alfonso appeared to have only minor injuries, but his haemophilia led to fatal internal bleeding. Alfonso’s youngest brother, Gonzalo, had died just over four years before under very similar circumstances—having also inherited hemophilia, he was involved in a crash after the automobile he was in swerved to avoid a cyclist. The crash had caused severe abdominal bleeding to Gonzalo, ultimately leading to his death.^[5]

Alfonso was entombed at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami, and was re-entombed in 1985 at the Pantheon of the Princes in El Escorial. His first wife, who had been allowed to retain the title Countess of Covadonga, was asked by the royal family to attend the re-entombment, but she declined.

Alfonso was the 1,120th Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece in Spain and Knight with Collar of the Order of Charles III, inducted as both shortly after his birth in 1907.^[6]

Gallery

Queen Victoria Eugenie and King Alfonso XIII with newly-born Alfonso, 1908.
Alfonso aged 11 wearing the Scout uniform of the Explorers of Spain, 1918.
Photograph of Alfonso, 1922.
Portrait of Alfonso, portrayed in hunting outfit, holding a side-by-side "Sarasqueta" gun, by Philip de László, 1927.

Ancestry

Ancestors of Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938)

8. Infante Francisco de Asís of Spain

4. Alfonso XII of Spain

9. Isabella II of Spain

2. Alfonso XIII of Spain

10. Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria

5. Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria

11. Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria

1. Alfonso, Prince of Asturias

12. Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine

6. Prince Henry of Battenberg

13. Countess Julia Hauke

3. Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg

14. Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha

7. Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom

15. Victoria of the United Kingdom

Heraldry

Heraldry of Prince Alfonso of Spain
Arms of Prince Alfonso of Spain

Bibliography

Pedersen, Jørgen. Riddere af Elefantordenen 1559–2009, Odense: Syddansk Universitetsforlag, 2009. ISBN 8776744345

Sources

Time, 12 June 1933
El Nuevo Herald, 23 May 2004
El Mundo, 2 July 1994

References

^ [1] Encyclopaedia Britannica: Edward VIII
^ "Milestones, Jan. 17, 1938". Time. 17 January 1938. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
^ John D. Berganini, page 374 "The Spanish Bourbons", SBN 399-11365-7, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1974
^ John D. Berganini, page 374 "The Spanish Bourbons", SBN 399-11365-7, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1974
^ "Auto Crash Fatal to Spanish Prince", The New York Times (14 August 1934): 7.
^ Alfonso, Prince of Asturias inducted knight of the Golden Flecee, knight with collar of the Order of Charles III and Grand Cross Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. Gazeta: Colección Histórica. BOE. Retrieved 2012-11-01. ]

External links

Spanish royalty
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938) House of Bourbon Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: 10 May 1907 Died: 6 September 1938
Vacant Title last held by Mercedes	Prince of Asturias 1907–1931	Vacant Second Spanish Republic Title next held by Felipe
Loss of title	— TITULAR — Prince of Asturias 1931–1933 Reason for succession failure: Second Spanish Republic	Succeeded by Juan
Vacant Title last held by Jacques	— TITULAR — Dauphin of France Legitimist succession 29 September 1936 – 6 September 1938	Succeeded by Jacques

[1] [1] Encyclopaedia Britannica: Edward VIII

[2] "Milestones, Jan. 17, 1938". Time. 17 January 1938. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 5 December 2022.

[3] John D. Berganini, page 374 "The Spanish Bourbons", SBN 399-11365-7, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1974

[4] John D. Berganini, page 374 "The Spanish Bourbons", SBN 399-11365-7, G. P. Putnam's Sons, New York 1974

[5] "Auto Crash Fatal to Spanish Prince", The New York Times (14 August 1934): 7.

[6] Alfonso, Prince of Asturias inducted knight of the Golden Flecee, knight with collar of the Order of Charles III and Grand Cross Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. Gazeta: Colección Histórica. BOE. Retrieved 2012-11-01. ]

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