Diego
Prince of Asturias andPortugal
Portrait of Prince Diego aged 2 bySánchez Coello,c. 1577
Born	15 August 1575 Madrid,Crown of Castile,Spain
Died	21 November 1582(1582-11-21) (aged 7) Madrid, Crown of Castile, Spain
Burial	El Escorial
Names Diego Felix
House	Habsburg
Father	Philip II of Spain
Mother	Anna of Austria

Diego, Prince of Asturias and Portugal (Diego Felix; 15 August 1575 – 21 November 1582) was the fourth son ofPhilip II of Spain and his third son by his fourth wife,Anna of Austria.

At the time of his birth, Diego's elder brother,Prince Ferdinand, was still theheir-apparent. On the death of Ferdinand in 1578, Diego became heir-apparent to the throne.

He was formally invested asPrince of Asturias on 1 March 1580 by the Courts in Madrid.^[1] The poetCristóbal de Virués dedicated a sonnet to the new Prince, where he proposed that Diego follow the steps of his father.^[2]

In 1580, his father becameking of Portugal as well, making Diego heir-apparent of that realm also. His mother, Anna, died during a trip to their new kingdom. Diego and his siblings remained in Madrid under the care of their half-sistersIsabella Clara Eugenia andCatherine Michelle. The letters of Philip II make clear that he was extremely proud of Diego: he wrote that his son had already learned the alphabet and dancing by the age of five. In a letter dated 1582 the king wrote to the Indian ViceroyFrancisco de Mascarenhas commanding that he bring an elephant to the Prince of Asturias as a gift. Philip II taught his son the Portuguese language so that one day Diego could speak as king with his Portuguese subjects. In addition, Philip II planned to betroth Diego to one of the daughters ofJohn, Duke of Braganza andCatherine of Portugal, thusstrengthening his claim to the Portuguese throne.

In late 1582 he contractedsmallpox and died at the age of 7. At his death, Philip II was inconsolable, for the only heir-apparent to the throne remaining was the small and sicklyInfante Philip, who assumed the position ofPrince of Asturias. The King gave orders that continuous prayers be said at theChurch of Our Blessed Lady inZaragoza for the health of the royal children remaining.

Diego's younger brother became King Philip III upon their father's death in 1598.

• 1575 births
• 1582 deaths
• 16th-century House of Habsburg
• Princes of Asturias
• Dukes of Montblanc
• Princes of Portugal
• Portuguese heirs apparent who never acceded
• Spanish heirs apparent who never acceded
• Children of Philip II of Spain
• Burials in the Pantheon of Infantes at El Escorial
• Spanish royalty who died as children
• Sons of kings

• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from February 2024