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).
• 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 rights of succession to the Crown of Two Sicilies on 14 December 1900. In 1960, Carlos's older brother Ferdinand died without male issue, and Carlos' son Alfonso reclaimed his rights. However, Carlos's younger brother Ranieri objected and also claimed rights based on the renunciation of 1900. The dispute is still not resolved. While most royal houses in Europe recognize the claim of Ranieri's descendants, the Spanish Royal House recognizes the claim of Carlos's descendants.[4]

Coat of Arms of Prince Carlos as Infante of Spain

• Knight of the Order of the Golden Fleece (Kingdom of Spain, 7 February 1901)[5]
• Knight Grand Collar of the Royal and Distinguished Order of Charles III (Kingdom of Spain, 7 February 1901)[5]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Kingdom of Spain, 7 February 1901)[5]
• Grand Commander of the Order of Alcántara (Kingdom of Spain, 21 March 1901)[6]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Military Merit [with red distinctive] (Kingdom of Spain, 4 May 1910)[7]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Naval Merit [with white distinctive] (Kingdom of Spain, 10 October 1923)[8]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal and Military Order of Saint Hermenegild (Kingdom of Spain, 8 July 1929)[9]
• Knight Grand Cross of the Military Order of Maria Cristina (Kingdom of Spain)[2]
• Knight of the Royal Nobility Corps of the Principality of Girona (Kingdom of Spain)[10]