| Alfonso | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince of Asturias Count of Covadonga | |||||
 Formal photo portrait byFranzen, 1927 | |||||
| Born | 10 May 1907 Royal Palace of Madrid,Madrid,Spain | ||||
| Died | 6 September 1938(1938-09-06) (aged 31) Miami,Florida, U.S. | ||||
| Burial | 1938
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| Spouse | |||||
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| House | Bourbon | ||||
| Father | Alfonso XIII | ||||
| Mother | Victoria Eugenie of Battenberg | ||||
Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (10 May 1907 – 6 September 1938), washeir apparent to the throne ofSpain 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 ofKing Alfonso XIII of Spain andVictoria Eugenie of Battenberg.
Alfonso's renunciation of his rights as heir to the Spanish throne in order to marry Cuban commonerEdelmira Sampedro caused controversy at the time. A similar situation would take place three years later in Britain with his second cousinEdward VIII, whowould abdicate as King of the United Kingdom andEmperor 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, hishaemophilia, inherited through his great-grandmotherQueen Victoria, led to fatalinternal bleeding.
Alfonso was the eldest child of the then-reigning KingAlfonso XIII andVictoria Eugenie of Battenberg. Heinherited the genetic disorderhaemophilia from his maternal line, as did a number of hismatrilineal 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 theRoyal 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 theArchbishop of Toledo. His godparents were his paternal grandmother,Queen Maria Cristina, andPope Pius X, who was represented byAristide Cardinal Rinaldini.Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught,Prince Friedrich Leopold of Prussia,Archduke Eugen of Austria andAfonso, Duke of Porto, were also present. After the ceremony, his father conferred upon him the collars of the orders of theGolden Fleece andCharles III and the Grand Cross of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic.
Alfonso's father faced increasing political problems that led Spain to become arepublic in 1931 when the monarch was deposed. The family moved into exile.
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 inOuchy on 21 June 1933, after which Alfonso took the courtesy titleCount of Covadonga. His renunciation was required by the regulations for the succession set by thePragmatic Sanction [es] ofCharles 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, inHavana. 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 datein 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]
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 atelephone booth and Alfonso appeared to have only minor injuries, but hishaemophilia led to fatalinternal 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 (nowCaballero Rivero Woodlawn Park North Cemetery and Mausoleum) in Miami, and was re-entombed in 1985 at the Pantheon of the Princes inEl 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 1,120thKnight of theOrder of the Golden Fleece in Spain and Knight with Collar of theOrder of Charles III, inducted as both shortly after his birth in 1907.[6]
| Ancestors of Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938) |
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Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1907–1938) Cadet branch of theCapetian dynasty Born: 10 May 1907 Died: 6 September 1938 | ||
| Spanish royalty | ||
|---|---|---|
| Vacant Title last held by Mercedes | Prince of Asturias 1907–1931 | Vacant Title next held by Felipe |
| Loss of title | — TITULAR — Prince of Asturias 1931–1933 Reason for succession failure: Second Spanish Republic | Succeeded by |
| Vacant Title last held by Infante Jaime, Duke of Madrid | — TITULAR — Dauphin of France Legitimist succession 29 September 1936 – 6 September 1938 | Succeeded by |
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