Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938)

For other Princes of Asturias named Alfonso, see Alfonso, Prince of Asturias.

Alfonso
Prince of Asturias; Count of Covadonga
File:Alfonso Prince of Asturias w Eldmira Sampedro.jpg Alfonso and his first wife, Edelmira
Born	10 May 1907 Madrid, Spain
Died	Miami, Florida, United States
Burial	El Escorial
Spouse	Edelmira Sampedro y Robato (m.1933, div.1937) Marta Esther Rocafort-Altuzarra (m.1937, div.1938)
Full name Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo Francisco Guillermo Carlos Enrique Eugenio Fernando Antonio Venancio
House	House of Bourbon
Father	Alfonso XIII of Spain
Mother	Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg
Religion	Roman Catholicism

Alfonso, Prince of Asturias, RE (Alfonso Pío Cristino Eduardo Francisco Guillermo Carlos Enrique Eugenio Fernando Antonio Venancio de Borbón y Battenberg; 10 May 1907 – 6 September 1938), was heir apparent to the throne of Spain from 1907 to 1931.

Early life

Alfonso was the eldest child of the then-reigning Alfonso XIII and his wife, 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.

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 of young Alfonso's deposition from succession, but ultimately he himself renounced his rights to the then-defunct throne to marry a commoner, Edelmira Ignacia Adriana Sampedro-Robato, in Ouchy on 21 June 1933, after which Alfonso took the courtesy title Count of Covadonga. This was required by the regulations for the succession set by the Pragmatic Sanction of Charles III. The couple divorced 8 May 1937, with Edelmira keeping the title Countess of Covadonga.

Alfonso married Marta Esther Rocafort-Altuzarra in Havana on 3 July 1937. They divorced on 8 January 1938. 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.

Death

A car accident led to Alfonso's early death in 1938, at the age of 31. He crashed into a telephone booth and appeared to have minor injuries but his haemophilia led to fatal internal bleeding. He was initially entombed at Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum (now Caballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami but in 1985 he was re-entombed in 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 but declined and was not present when he was re-entombed.

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 both in 1907.

Ancestry

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

16. Infante Francisco de Paula of Spain               8. Francis, Duke of Cádiz                       17. Princess Luisa Carlotta of Bourbon-Two Sicilies               4. Alfonso XII of Spain                             18. Ferdinand VII of Spain               9. Isabella II of Spain                       19. Princess Maria Christina of the Two Sicilies               2. Alfonso XIII of Spain                                   20. Archduke Charles, Duke of Teschen               10. Archduke Karl Ferdinand of Austria                       21. Princess Henrietta of Nassau-Weilburg               5. Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria                             22. Archduke Joseph, Palatine of Hungary               11. Archduchess Elisabeth Franziska of Austria                       23. Duchess Maria Dorothea of Württemberg               1. Alfonso of Spain, Prince of Asturias                                         24. Louis II, Grand Duke of Hesse               12. Prince Alexander of Hesse and by Rhine                       25. Princess Wilhelmine of Baden               6. Prince Henry of Battenberg                             26. Count John Maurice von Hauke               13. Countess Julia von Hauke                       27. Sophie Lafontaine               3. Princess Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg                                   28. Ernest I, Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha               14. Albert, Prince Consort                       29. Princess Louise of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg               7. Princess Beatrice of the United Kingdom                             30. Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn               15. Queen Victoria                       31. Princess Victoria of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfeld

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

External links

• Royal House of Spain

Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938) House of Bourbon Cadet branch of the Capetian dynasty Born: 10 May 1907 Died: 6 September 1938
Spanish royalty
Preceded by Infante Alfonso	Prince of Asturias 1907–1931	Vacant Second Spanish Republic declared Title next held by Infante Felipe
Titles in pretence
Loss of title	— TITULAR — Prince of Asturias 1931–1933 Reason for succession failure: Second Spanish Republic declared	Succeeded by Infante Juan