Prince Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies

On 14 February 1901 in Madrid, Carlos married Mercedes, Princess of Asturias, elder daughter of the late King Alfonso XII of Spain and of his wife Archduchess Maria Christina of Austria. Mercedes was the elder sister and heir presumptive to King Alfonso XIII of Spain, an unmarried teenager. A week before the wedding, on 7 February, Carlos was given the title of Infante of Spain.[1]

Carlos and Mercedes had three children:

• Don Alfonso, Prince of the Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain (1901–1964), Duke of Calabria (1960-64).
• Don Fernando of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1903–1905), died in San Sebastián one year after his mother's death.
• Doña Isabella Alfonsa, Princess of the Two Sicilies, Infanta of Spain (1904–1985). Married Count Jan Kanty Zamoyski (1900–1961) and had issue.

Mercedes died in childbirth in 1904.

In 1907, Carlos married secondly to Princess Louise of Orléans, daughter of Prince Philippe, Count of Paris. The couple had four children:

• Don Carlos of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1908–1936). Killed in the Spanish Civil War.
• Doña María de los Dolores of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1909–1996). In 1937, she married Prince Augustyn Józef Czartoryski (1907–1946) and had one surviving son, Adam. She remarried to Carlos Chias on 1950.
• Doña María de las Mercedes of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1910–2000) who married Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona and became King Juan Carlos I of Spain's mother.
• Doña María de la Esperanza of Bourbon-Two Sicilies (1914–2005), who married Prince Pedro Gastão of Orléans-Braganza.

Prince Carlos's descendants include King Felipe VI of Spain, Infante Carlos, Duke of Calabria, Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza, and Prince Peter of Yugoslavia, among others.

Carlos served in the Spanish Army in the Spanish–American War and received the Military Order of Maria Cristina.[2] Eventually he rose to the rank of Inspector General.[3]

Prince Carlos with his second wife, Princess Louise of Orléans, c. 1909

In 1894, Carlos's father Alfonso became the head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies. On marrying his first wife, Carlos renounced his future rights of succession to the non-existent Crown of Two Sicilies on 14 December 1900, subject to a requirement in the Treaty of Naples of 1759 and the Pragmatic Decree of 6 October 1759 that the Crown of Spain should not be combined with the "Italian Sovereignty". In 1960, Carlos's older brother Ferdinand died without male issue, and Carlos' son Alfonso reclaimed his rights, as he had not succeeded as King of Spain. However, Carlos's younger brother Ranieri objected and also claimed rights based on a misinterpretation of the renunciation of 1900. Although the dispute is still not resolved five of the highest organs of the Spanish State, including the Council of State, investigated the dispute and concluded unanimously in favour of the line descended from Infante Don Alfonso. Alfonso was immediately recognised by Juan, Count of Barcelona then head of the Royal House of Spain, the Infante Don Jaime, Duke of Segovia and Anjou, Robert Hugo, Duke of Parma and Dom Duarte Nuno, Duke of Braganza while Henri, Count of Paris (1908-1999), supported the claim of Prince Ranieri and his descendants.[4]

Coat of Arms of Prince Carlos as Infante of Spain

•  Spain:
  • Knight of the Distinguished Order of the Golden Fleece, 7 February 1901[5]
  • Grand Cross of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III, with Collar, 7 February 1901[5]
  • Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic, 7 February 1901[5]
  • Grand Commander of the Order of Alcántara, 21 March 1901[6]
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit, with Red Decoration, 4 May 1910[7]
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit, with White Decoration, 10 October 1923[8]
  • Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild, 8 July 1929[9]
  • Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Cristina[2]
  • Knight of the Royal Nobility Corps of the Principality of Girona[10]
•  Kingdom of Bavaria: Knight of the Royal Order of Saint Hubert, 1897[11]
• Siam: Knight of the Order of the Royal House of Chakri, 8 June 1902[12]
•  United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath (civil), 27 January 1903[13]