Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón
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Luis Fernando de Orleans y Borbón,
Infante of Spain Infante of Spain (f. Infanta; Spanish: ''Infante de España''; f. ''Infanta'') is a royal title normally granted at birth to sons and daughters of reigning and past Spanish monarchs, and to the sons and daughters of the heir to the Crown. Indiv ...
(5 November 1888 – 20 June 1945) was a French prince and Spanish infante who lost his title.


Biography


Early life and education

Luis Fernando was born in
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
, the younger son of
Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera Infante Antonio, Duke of Galliera (Antonio Maria Luis Felipe Juan Florencio de Orleans y Borbón; 23 February 1866 – 24 December 1930), was a member of the Spanish and French royal families. He was the son of Antoine d'Orléans, Duke of Montp ...
and of his wife,
Infanta Eulalia of Spain Infanta Eulalia, Duchess of Galliera (María Eulalia Francisca de Asís Margarita Roberta Isabel Francisca de Paula Cristina María de la Piedad; 12 February 1864 – 8 March 1958), was the youngest and last surviving child of Queen Isabella II of ...
. In 1899 Luis Fernando and his older brother
Alfonso Alphons (Latinized ''Alphonsus'', ''Adelphonsus'', or ''Adefonsus'') is a male given name recorded from the 8th century (Alfonso I of Asturias, r. 739–757) in the Christian successor states of the Visigothic kingdom in the Iberian peninsula. ...
were sent to England to be educated by the
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
s at
Beaumont College Beaumont College was between 1861 and 1967 a public school in Old Windsor in Berkshire. Founded and run by the Society of Jesus, it offered a Roman Catholic public school education in rural surroundings, while lying, like the neighbouring Eto ...
. They remained there until 1904.
Elisabeth de Gramont Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sc ...
, Duchess of Clermont-Tonnerre, who chronicled various aspects of Parisian life in her four-volume memoirs, wrote about him: "The Infante was certainly the most divertingly cynical little creature who ever amused Paris. Slim, pallid, round- and restless-eyed like a bird, sullen looking, with lovely hands like those of a Coëllo Infanta, he promenaded his lubricious little royal person from drawing-room to awful ''bouges'' and then, ingratiatingly and affectionately, he would sink like an abandoned child at the feet of some 'Good Dame' and lament his lot."


Marriage rumors and exile

On 17 July 1914 ''The New York Times'' reported the marriage of Luis Fernando to Beatrice Harrington. The newspaper was mistaken, however; the groom was actually Don Luis de Borbón, Duke of Ansola. In October 1924 Luis Fernando was expelled from France. He was purportedly involved in the trade of illegal drugs. In response 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 ...
deprived him of his privileges as an
Infante of Spain Infante of Spain (f. Infanta; Spanish: ''Infante de España''; f. ''Infanta'') is a royal title normally granted at birth to sons and daughters of reigning and past Spanish monarchs, and to the sons and daughters of the heir to the Crown. Indiv ...
: "''In response to the conduct observed by D. Luis Fernando María Zacarías of Orleans and Bourbon which does not allow him to bear with dignity the honours and favors that by Me have been granted upon him... I hereby decree the following: D. Luis Fernando María Zacarías of Orleans and Bourbon is deprived of the prerogatives, honours and other distinctions corresponding to the condition of Infante of Spain that were granted upon him by Royal Decree dated on 4 November 1888''". Unable to reside either in Spain or France, Luis Fernando moved to
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
. In March 1926 he was arrested at the Portuguese-Spanish border disguised as a woman. Some smuggled goods were found in his possession, but no drugs. In 1927 he allegedly travelled to Italy in the company of Portuguese poet
António Botto António Botto ( Concavada, Portugal, August 17, 1897 – Rio de Janeiro, March 16, 1959) was a Portuguese aesthete and lyricist poet. Early life António Thomaz Botto was born 17 August 1897 at 8:00 a.m. to Maria Pires Agudo and Francis ...
. In 1929 it was reported that Luis Fernando was engaged to
Mabelle Gilman Corey Mabelle Gilman Corey (December 4, 1874 – November 14, 1960) was an American actress. She had an affair with William Ellis Corey which led to the dissolution of his marriage, and they later married. Biography She was born Mabelle Gilman to ...
, a Broadway actress and the former wife of
William E. Corey William Ellis Corey (May 4, 1866 – May 11, 1934) was president of the Carnegie Steel Company from 1901 to 1903, and was president of U.S. Steel from 1903 to 1911. Biography He was born in Braddock, Pennsylvania in 1866. In 1883 he married L ...
, a steel magnate."Louis Ferdinand of Royal Family", ''The New York Times'' (June 23, 1945): 13. The marriage never took place.


Marriage

In July 1930 an engagement was announced between Luis Fernando and
Marie Constance Charlotte Say Marie Say (1857–1943) was a French heiress and socialite. Early life Marie Say was born on 25 August 1857 in Verrières-le-Buisson near Paris. Her paternal grandfather, Louis Auguste Say, was the founder of the Say sugar company (now a subsid ...
(25 August 1857,
Verrières-le-Buisson Verrières-le-Buisson () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is from the centre of Paris, in the Essonne department just outside the inner ring of the Île-de-France. The commune borders the river Bièvre. History T ...
- 15 July 1943,
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
), granddaughter of
Louis Auguste Say Louis Auguste Say (9 March 1774 in Lyon – 6 March 1840 in Paris) was a French businessman and economist. He founded large sugar refineries in Nantes and Paris, and the sugar company "Say", known after 1972 as Béghin-Say; as of 2002 it is ...
and widow of Prince Henri Amédée de Broglie and the owner of the
Château de Chaumont The Château de Chaumont (), officially Château de Chaumont-sur-Loire, is a castle (''château'') in Chaumont-sur-Loire, Centre-Val de Loire, France. The castle was founded in the 10th century by Odo I, Count of Blois. After Pierre d'Ambois ...
. Luis Fernando was 41 years old, while Marie was 72 years old. Marie's nephew, François de Cossé, 11th
Duke of Brissac Duke of Brissac (french: duc de Brissac) is a title of French nobility in the Peerage of France, which was originally created in 1611 for Charles II de Cossé, Count of Brissac. This title has been held since April 2021 by Charles-André de Coss ...
, brought a lawsuit on behalf of her family before the ''
Tribunal de grande instance A tribunal, generally, is any person or institution with authority to judge, adjudicate on, or determine claims or disputes—whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title. For example, an advocate who appears before a court with a si ...
'' of the Seine to try to stop the wedding. He claimed that his aunt was mentally incompetent. Marie claimed that she had thought about the marriage twelve years earlier, but had delayed on account of her grandchildren. The court determined that a nephew had no legal right to oppose the marriage of an aunt. It appointed a commission of three doctors to investigate Marie's mental state and confirmed a judicial administrator appointed on 7 July to manage Marie's estate. On 19 September 1930 Luis Fernando and Marie married in a civil ceremony in a
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
registry office. On 4 October 1930 they were married in a religious ceremony in the Cathedral of San Siro in
Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...
on the
Italian Riviera The Italian Riviera or Ligurian Riviera ( it, Riviera ligure; lij, Rivêa lìgure) is the narrow coastal strip in Italy which lies between the Ligurian Sea and the mountain chain formed by the Maritime Alps and the Apennines. Longitudinall ...
. After their wedding Luis Fernando and Marie lived in
Sanremo Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...
in a house given to Luis Fernando by his mother."Princess, 73, Weds Prince, 41, in London", ''The New York Times'' (September 20, 1930): 11. In February 1935 Luis Fernando was again expelled from France. He had been arrested in a vice squad raid. Luis Fernando's wife Marie died in 1943. He spent the next two years in a Paris nursing home where he died in 1945. He is buried at the Église du Cœur Immaculé de Marie, 51bis rue de la Pompe, in Paris.


Legacy

Two books about Luis Fernando have been published. ''El infante maldito'' and ''Rey de las Maricas'' (The King of Queers, a title he used in jest after his official titles were removed). Both were written by Jose Carlos Garcia Rodriguez. Another related book, ''Los fantasmas de Eulalia'' by José Infante, reviews his mother's feelings toward her youngest son's sexuality. Infante writes that despite Eulalia's liberal views, especially with regard to female independence, she handled him cruelly.


Arms

File:Coat of Arms of Infante Luis Fernando of Spain.svg, Coat of arms as Infante of Spain
Until 1924 File:Coat of Arms of Luís Fernando de Orleans y Borbón (1924-1945).svg, Coat of arms after the royal title and decorations were stripped
1924-1945


Ancestry


References


Further reading

* José Carlos García Rodríguez. ''El infante maldito. La biografía de Luis Fernando de Orleans, el más depravado príncipe Borbón''. Barcelona: Espasa (Grupo Editorial Planeta), 2012. . * Mateos Sáinz de Medrano, Ricardo. ''Los desconocidos Infantes de España: Casa de Borbón''. Barcelona: Thassàlia, 1996. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Luis Fernando de Orleans y Borbon 1888 births 1945 deaths Spanish infantes House of Orléans House of Orléans-Galliera LGBT history in Spain