Early life
Prince Gaetan of Bourbon-Parma was the youngest child of the lastMarriage
On 29 April 1931 at Paris, France, Prince Gaetan married Princess Margarete von Thurn und Taxis (1909 -2006), daughter of Prince Alexander von Thurn und Taxis, Duke of Castel Duino and Princess Marie Louise de Ligne. They were parents of an only daughter: * Princess Diana of Bourbon-Parma (born in Paris on 22 May 1932 - 7 May 2020). ∞ 1955 Franz Joseph Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ∞ 1961 Hans Joachim Oehmichen (1920-1995). She had three sons with her second husband. Gaetan's marriage was unhappy. He and his wife lived apart for most of their marriage life. They divorced on 24 January 1950 in Paris.Carlism
During the 1930s Prince Gaetan was involved in the Carlist movement. His uncle Infante Alfonso Carlos, Duke of San Jaime died childless on 29 September 1936 and Gaetan's brother, Prince Xavier of Bourbon-Parma became the Regent of the traditionalist communion. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War on 12 January 1937, Gaetan joined the Requetés, the Third Battalion of Navarre, the Carlist militia, under the name of Gaetan of Lavardin, with the approval of his brother Xavier. This placed him on the Fascist side in the Spanish Civil War. Since he later served in the United States Army in World War II, he is one of those who fought both for and against Fascism in the World War II era. On 7 April, the Third Navarre was assigned to dislodge the enemy from Mount Saibigain so as to open the way to Bilbao. The Third distinguished itself in the successful operation and was awarded a unit decoration for valor. D. Cayetano received a battlefield promotion to ensign for his role in the battle. On 9 May, while in position in front of Bizcargui, Gaetan was wounded in the neck. He was taken to the hospital "Alfonso Carlos" in Pamplona with serious injuries. At the hospital he was forced to reveal his true identity. While there he was visited by Colonel Rada, who awarded him a battlefield promotion to lieutenant, again for conspicuous bravery before the enemy. He was also visited during his convalescence by his sister Zita of Bourbon-Parma, last Empress of Austria-Hungary through her marriage to Charles I of Austria and IV of Hungary, and his nephew Otto Habsburg-Lorraine, son of Zita.Later life
He fled Europe in 1941 for the United States, where he was drafted into the United States Army two years later, During World War II, he participated on the side of the Allies, along with his brothers Javier and Felix, the last Grand Duke of Luxembourg by marriage to Charlotte of Luxembourg. In 1943 he tried to enlist in a battalion of Austrians who served in the U.S. Army but was rejected by its French origin. Later he taught at Camp Ritchie, in which a Jewish-German to conduct special operations in Germany formed young, took part in the landing of Normandy and fought the campaign for France.Death
On the way to visit his brother Luigi prince of Bourbon-Parma, Prince Gaetan suffered a serious car accident in Mandelieu-la-Napoule, on the French Riviera on 8 March 1958. He was taken to a hospital in Cannes where he died the next day. As he had wished, he was buried wearing the red beret of the Requetés of Navarre on 10 March 1958.References
* Romero Raizábal, Ignacio, '' El Príncipe Requeté '', Aldus, Santander (1966). {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaetano 1905 births 1958 deaths Carlists House of Bourbon-Parma Road incident deaths in France Ritchie Boys Sons of monarchs