Louis Alphonse de BourbonHis name is given as "Prince Louis Alphonse of Bourbon and Martínez-Bordiú, Duke of Anjou" by Olga S. Opfell in ''Royalty who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe'' (2001), p. 11. ( es, Luis Alfonso Gonzalo Víctor Manuel Marco de Borbón y Martínez-Bordiú; french: Louis Alphonse Gonzalve Victor Emmanuel Marc de Bourbon;Eilers, Marlene A. Queen Victoria's Descendants. ''Princess Beatrice''. Rosvall Royal Books, Falkoping, Sweden, 1997. pp. 166, 181; Enache, Nicolas. La Descendanace de Marie-Therese de Habsburg Reine de Hongrie and Boheme. ''Maison royale regnante d'Espagne''. ICC/Nouvelle Imprimerie Laballery, Paris, 1999, p. 535. (French). .Willis, Daniel A. The Descendants of King George I of Great Britain. ''The Descendants of Princess Anne, The Princess of Orange''. Clearfield, Baltimore, 2002. p. 231. born 25 April 1974) is the head of the

House of Bourbon The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a European dynasty of French origin, a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. By the 18th century, members of the Spanis ...

. Members of the family formerly ruled France and other countries. According to the legitimists, Louis Alphonse is considered the pretender to the defunct throne of France as Louis XX. With the death of his father, he has been using the title of Duke of Anjou since 1989. Louis Alphonse considers himself the senior heir of Hugh Capet, King of the Franks (reigned 987–996). His claim to the defunct French throne is based on his descent from Louis XIV of France (r. 1643–1715) through his grandson Philip V of Spain. Philip renounced his claim to the French throne under the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713. The rival Orleanist pretenders argue that this, as well as being born a Spanish citizen, makes Louis Alphonse ineligible for the throne. They also question whether he truly is the heir-male of Louis XIV, given the rumors of illegitimacy surrounding Alfonso XII (his great-great-grandfather). Louis Alphonse is

patrilineally Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...

the senior great-grandson of King

Alfonso XIII of Spain Alfonso XIII (17 May 1886 – 28 February 1941), also known as El Africano or the African, was King of Spain from 17 May 1886 to 14 April 1931, when the Second Spanish Republic was proclaimed. He was a monarch from birth as his father, Alf ...

. However, his grandfather Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia, renounced his rights to the Spanish throne for himself and his descendants owing to his deafness (a renunciation disputed by legitimists). The crown of Spain has descended to his second cousin, King Felipe VI of Spain. Through his mother, he is also a great-grandson of Spain's '' caudillo'' (dictator), General

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

and through his father, a great-great-great-grandson of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom.

Early life

Birth

Louis Alphonse was born in Madrid, the second son of Alfonso de Borbón, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, and of his wife María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco, eldest granddaughter of

. Alfonso was at that time the dauphin (using "Duke of Bourbon" as title of pretence) according to those who supported the claim of his father, Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia to the French throne. On 20 March 1975, Jaime died, and Alfonso then asserted his claim to be Head of the

and Legitimist claimant to the throne of France. As such, he took the title " Duke of Anjou".Gazette du Palais, Tribunal de grande instance de Paris (1re Ch.) 21 décembre 1988, accompanied by the comments of G. Poulon, président de chambre honoraire à la cour de Paris. ''Prince Henri Philippe Pierre Marie d'Orléans et autres c. Prince Alphonse de Bourbon''. 8 March 1990. In French.

Childhood

Louis Alphonse's parents separated in 1982, and their Catholic marriage was annulled in 1986. His mother has since remarried civilly twice; he had two stepsisters Mathilda (deceased) and Marella, and a stepbrother Frederick, all born before his mother's marriage to Jean-Marie Rossi and a half-sister, Cynthia Rossi, born afterwards. On 7 February 1984, Louis Alphonse's older brother Francisco died as the result of a car crash in which Louis Alphonse was also injured, although less so than their father, who was driving the automobile.''Les Manuscrits du CEDRE V, Le Royaume d'Espagne III. Cercle d'Etudes des Dynasties Royales Europėennes'' (CEDRE), Paris, 1992, p. 162-164 From that date Louis Alphonse was recognised as the heir apparent to his father by the Legitimists. As such, he was given the additional title Duke of

Bourbon Bourbon may refer to: Food and drink * Bourbon whiskey, an American whiskey made using a corn-based mash * Bourbon barrel aged beer, a type of beer aged in bourbon barrels * Bourbon biscuit, a chocolate sandwich biscuit * A beer produced by ...

on 27 September 1984 by his father. In 1987, the Spanish government declared that titles traditionally attached to the dynasty (such as the Dukedom of Cádiz) would henceforth be borne by its members on a lifetime only basis, forestalling Louis Alphonse from inheriting that

grandee Grandee (; es, Grande de España, ) is an official royal and noble ranks, aristocratic title conferred on some Spanish nobility. Holders of this dignity enjoyed similar privileges to those of the peerage of France during the , though in neith ...

ship.

Education

Louis Alphonse took his primary studies at College Molière, a bilingual school, where he earned his baccalaureate. In 1991, he was admitted to

CUNEF University CUNEF University is a Spanish private university, located in Madrid and specialising in business and economics, mathematics and computer science and digital business, law and institutions. History In 1973 the Higher Banking Council, now calle ...

, where he earned a master's degree in international finance. Louis is multilingual, speaking English, Spanish, and French (in addition to some Italian and German).

Succession

On 30 January 1989, his father died in a skiing accident near Vail, Colorado. Later, in 1994 Louis Alphonse received 150 million '' pesetas'' from a lawsuit against Vail Associated, which owned the ski resort where the accident occurred. Louis Alphonse was recognised by some members of the

Capetian dynasty The Capetian dynasty (; french: Capétiens), also known as the House of France, is a dynasty of Frankish origin, and a branch of the Robertians. It is among the largest and oldest royal houses in Europe and the world, and consists of Hugh Cape ...

as ''Chef de la Maison de Bourbon'' (Head of the House of Bourbon)''Genealogisches Handbuch des Adels, Fürstliche Häuser, Band XV''. "Spanien". C.A. Starke Verlag, 1997, p.98. . and took the title Duke of Anjou, but not his father's Spanish dukedom. He is considered the rightful pretender to the defunct French throne by adherents of the Legitimist movement. Louis Alphonse was elected by the French

Society of the Cincinnati The Society of the Cincinnati is a fraternal, hereditary society founded in 1783 to commemorate the American Revolutionary War that saw the creation of the United States. Membership is largely restricted to descendants of military officers wh ...

as the representative of Louis XVI. In addition to his Spanish citizenship, Louis Alphonse acquired French nationality through his paternal grandmother, Emmanuelle de Dampierre, also a French citizen. He attended the Lycée Français de Madrid, obtaining his '' COU'' in June 1992. He studied economics at the IESE Business School. He worked several years for ''

BNP Paribas BNP Paribas is a French international banking group, founded in 2000 from the merger between Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP, "National Bank of Paris") and Paribas, formerly known as the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas. The full name of the grou ...

'', a French bank in Madrid. In 2017, Louis Alphonse stated that he wishes for the remains of his ancestors, including King Charles X, to remain at the

Kostanjevica Monastery Kostanjevica Monastery ( it, Castagnevizza) is a Franciscan monastery in Pristava, Nova Gorica, Pristava near Nova Gorica, Slovenia. The locals frequently refer to it simply as Kapela (meaning ''The Chapel'' in Slovene language, Slovene). The mon ...

, after a movement reportedly began to have the King's remains moved to be buried along with other French monarchs in

Basilica of St Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

. In 2021, Louis Alphonse attended the wedding of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich of Russia and his wife.

Politics

Louis Alphonse describes himself as a monarchist, “but not anti-republican”. He argues for a constitutional monarchy, with a king who acts as moral authority, foreign ambassador, unifying figure, and reminder of a nation's history. He holds ties to the conservative Spanish political party Vox and is a close friend of its leader, Santiago Abascal. He has spoken out against same-sex marriage, same-sex adoption, and abortion. In March 2018, Louis Alphonse was named honorary president of the Francisco Franco National Foundation, a position held by his grandmother, Carmen Franco, 1st Duchess of Franco, until her death in December 2017. On July 15, later that year, he headed a Movement-for-Spain demonstration at the Valley of the Fallen monument, leading supporters of the late Spanish dictator, his great-grandfather

. They opposed the Spanish socialist government's plan to remove Franco's remains from a basilica near Madrid. He also launched a change.org petition, calling for the resignation of the Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. In 2019, he expressed public support for the Yellow vests movement in France, and later spoke at the World Congress of Families XIII, where he called for return to "Christian society".

Marriage and issue

Louis Alphonse's engagement to marry Venezuelan

María Margarita Vargas Santaella Marie Marguerite, Duchess of Anjou (''née'' María Margarita Vargas Santaella; born 21 October 1983) is a Venezuelan heiress and wife of Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou, who is considered by Legitimists to be the rightful king of France, making he ...

, the daughter of the businessman

Victor Vargas Victor Vargas (born 28 March 1952) is a Venezuelan banker and businessman, best known for being the owner and president of the 14th largest private bank in Venezuela, Banco Occidental de Descuento. Early life Victor Vargas was born into a middl ...

, was announced in November 2003. They were married civilly in

Caracas Caracas (, ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas, abbreviated as CCS, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the ...

on 5 November 2004 and religiously on 6 November 2004 in La Romana, Dominican Republic. None of the members of the

Spanish royal family The Spanish royal family consists of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, their children (Leonor, Princess of Asturias and Infanta Sofía of Spain), and Felipe's parents, King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía. The royal family lives at Zarzuela Palace i ...

attended the wedding. Although no official reason was given, it was no secret that the then king of Spain,

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (;, * ca, Joan Carles I, * gl, Xoán Carlos I, Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 Novem ...

, did not approve his cousin's claim to the French throne, nor the fact that Louis Alphonse issued the wedding invitations styled as "Duke of Anjou". Louis Alphonse and María Margarita had their first child, Eugénie, on 5 March 2007, at Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami. She was baptised at the papal nunciature in Paris in June 2007. Her godparents are

Prince Charles-Emmanuel of Bourbon-Parma Prince Michel of Bourbon-Parma (Michel Marie Xavier Waldemar Georg Robert Karl Eymar; 4 March 1926 – 7 July 2018) was a French businessman, soldier and racing car driver, who was a member of deposed sovereign ducal House of Bourbon-Parma. He was ...

and his wife Constance. French Legitimists recognize her as ''Eugénie, Madame Royale'', the style commonly attributed to the eldest unmarried daughter of a king of France (in Spain her name is ''Eugenia de Borbón Vargas''). The couple had twin sons, Louis and Alphonse, on 28 May 2010 in New York City. Their father has conferred upon them the historic French titles of, respectively, Duke of Burgundy (''duc de Bourgogne''), and

Duke of Berry Duke of Berry (french: Duc de Berry) or Duchess of Berry (french: Duchesse de Berry) was a title in the Peerage of France. The Duchy of Berry, centred on Bourges, was originally created as an appanage for junior members of the French royal family ...

(''duc de Berry''). (In Spain, the twins are Don Luis and Don Alfonso de Borbón Vargas). Louis, as Legitimist

Dauphin of France Dauphin of France (, also ; french: Dauphin de France ), originally Dauphin of Viennois (''Dauphin de Viennois''), was the title given to the heir apparent to the throne of France from 1350 to 1791, and from 1824 to 1830. The word ''dauphin'' ...

, is expected to succeed his father as head of the French royal house, the senior Bourbon/Capetian line, in Legitimist reckoning. Louis and Alphonse were baptised on 5 September 2010 at St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City by Cardinal

Angelo Comastri Angelo Comastri (born 17 September 1943) is an Italian prelate of the Catholic Church. He was Archpriest of St. Peter's Basilica from 2006 to 2021, and Vicar General for the Vatican City State and President of the Fabric of Saint Peter from 2005 t ...

. Louis' godparents were Arancha Martínez-Bordíu (his father's maternal aunt) and Francisco D'Agostino (his mother's brother-in-law). Alphonse's godparents were Amparo Corell de Trenor, Baroness de Alacuás and Lorenzo Perales. Their fourth child, Henri, was born on 1 February 2019 in New York and was granted the title

Duke of Touraine {{Use dmy dates, date=April 2022 Duke of Touraine was a title in the Peerage of France, relating to Touraine. It was first created in 1360 for Philip the Bold, youngest son of King John II of France. He returned the duchy to the Crown in 1363 on b ...

(''duc de Touraine'') by his father.

Ancestry

References

Bibliography

* Thierry Ardisson. ''Louis XX. Contre-enquête sur la monarchie.'', Olivier Orban, 1986, *

Jean Foyer Jean Foyer (21 April 1921, Contigné, Maine-et-Loire – 3 October 2008, Paris) was a French politician and minister. He studied law and became a law professor at the university. He wrote several books about French Civil law. Political care ...

, ''Titre et armes du prince Louis de Bourbon'', Diffusion-Université-Culture, 1990. * Apezarena, José. ''Luis Alfonso de Borbón: Un príncipe a la espera'', Random House Mondadori, 2007, . * Cassani Pironti, Fabio. "Bref crayon généalogique de S.A.R. la Princesse Marie-Marguerite, Duchesse d'Anjou, née Vargas Santaella", ''Le Lien Légitimiste'', n. 16, 2007. * Opfell, Olga S. ''H.R.H. Louis-Alphonse, Prince of Bourbon, Duke of Anjou: Royal House of France (House of Bourbon)'', ''Royalty Who Wait: The 21 Heads of Formerly Regnant Houses of Europe''. Jefferson: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2001. 11–32.

External links

Website of Louis de bourbon, Duke of Anjou
{{Authority control 1974 births Living people House of Bourbon (Spain) Bailiffs Grand Cross of Honour and Devotion of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta Nobility from Madrid Princes of France (Bourbon) Dukes of Touraine Dukes of Bourbon Dukes of Anjou Legitimist pretenders to the French throne BNP Paribas 20th-century Roman Catholics 21st-century Roman Catholics Francoists Navarrese titular monarchs Child pretenders