Infanta Alicia, Duchess of Calabria

Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma (Alicia Maria Teresa Francesca Luisa Pia Anna Valeria; 13 November 1917 – 28 March 2017) was a Spanish infanta. A member of the House of Bourbon-Parma, she became Duchess of Calabria through her marriage to Infante Alfonso, Duke of Calabria.[4] She occasionally undertook official duties on behalf of the Spanish monarchy. Through marriage, she was the maternal half-aunt of King Juan Carlos I of Spain.[5] She was the longest-lived Infanta of Spain.[6]

For other people called Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma, see Princess Alice of Bourbon-Parma.
Infanta Alicia
Duchess of Calabria
Born(1917-11-13)13 November 1917
Vienna, Austria-Hungary
Died28 March 2017(2017-03-28) (aged 99)[1][2]
Madrid, Spain
Burial
Royal Pantheon of Glashütten, Mönichkirchen[3]
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1936; died 1964)​
Issue
Names
Alicia Maria Teresa Francesca Luisa Pia Anna Valeria
HouseBourbon-Parma
FatherElias, Duke of Parma
MotherArchduchess Maria Anna of Austria
ReligionRoman Catholic

Early life

Princess Alicia of Bourbon-Parma was born in Vienna, Austria-Hungary. She was the seventh child and fourth daughter of Prince Elias of Bourbon-Parma and Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria. As a grandchild of Robert I, Duke of Parma, she was the paternal first cousin of Tsar Boris III of Bulgaria, and the paternal half-first cousin of Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, Otto, Crown Prince of Austria and Queen Anne of Romania.[7] From the age of 5, Alicia accompanied her father hunting in the family estates of Austria. She received her first hunting trophy, the Glasshatte, at the age of 12.

Marriage and issue

On 16 April 1936, she married Prince Alfonso of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Infante of Spain, nephew of ex-King Alfonso XIII of Spain, at the Minoritenkirche in Vienna. She would have become Queen of Spain if her husband's uncle had not had children. They had three children:

The couple settled first in Prépinson, south of Paris, and then in Lausanne, where their three children were born.[8] In 1941, the couple settled in Spain and acquired La Toledana, an estate in Ciudad Real. In the 1950s and 60s, La Toledana became a meeting point for high society and European royalty. She was a pigeon shooting champion and was the only woman who hunted all the larger fauna in Spain.[9] She founded the Flor de Lis company, which introduced canine species in Spain, such as the Teckel or the Deutsch Drathaar, whose breeding brought them succulent benefits.[6]

Later life

Alicia was widowed in 1964. She became a stubborn advocate of her son's claims to the titles of "Duke of Calabria" and his position as head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.[10][11] She outlived her son by two years.

Despite not filing any claims about her rights, she was considered by some to be the lawful queen of Navarre.[12]

She died on 28 March 2017 in Madrid, Spain, at the age of 99. King Felipe VI ordered the royal guard to watch over her coffin, which was draped with the Spanish flag. As an Infanta of Spain, she had the right to be buried in the Pantheon of the Princes at El Escorial. However, she was buried in the pantheon of the House of Bourbon-Parma in Austria, per her wishes.[9] King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia, former King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía attended her funeral at El Escorial.[13][14]

Honours

Arms
  • Heraldry of Infanta Alicia
  • Coat of arms used as Spanish Infanta(1936–1960)
    Coat of arms used as Spanish Infanta
    (1936–1960)
  • Coat of arms used as Duchess of Calabria(1960–1964)
    Coat of arms used as Duchess of Calabria
    (1960–1964)
  • Coat of arms used as Dowager Duchess(1964–2017)
    Coat of arms used as Dowager Duchess
    (1964–2017)

Ancestry

References
  1. "Fallece Alicia de Borbón-Parma, tía del Rey Juan Carlos". vanitatis.elconfidencial.com. March 28, 2017.
  2. "Fallece la Infanta Doña Alicia de Borbón-Parma, tía de Don Juan Carlos, a los 99 años de edad". abc. March 28, 2017.
  3. "Casa Real de Navarra". Archived from the original on 2017-04-01. Retrieved 2017-03-31.
  4. "Genealogy of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, Real Casa de Borbón de las Dos Sicilias website". Borbone-due-sicilie.org. Archived from the original on 2008-07-05. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  5. Casa Real
  6. "Alicia de Borbón, la infanta más longeva que pudo ser reina de España". ELMUNDO (in Spanish). 30 October 2015.
  7. "Alicia de Borbón, la Infanta más longeva y desconocida cumple 98 años". abc (in Spanish). 8 November 2015.
  8. "Llanto por una Infanta de España". abc (in Spanish). 29 March 2017.
  9. "Muere Alicia de Borbón, la mujer que pudo reinar en España". Vanity Fair (in Spanish). 28 March 2017.
  10. "Décès de l'infante Alice, la doyenne du gotha". Point de Vue (in French). 25 April 2017.
  11. "La Infanta Doña Alicia, ni olvidada ni en una residencia". La Razón (in Spanish). 31 October 2015.
  12. "Dossier con las normas de sucesión del Reino de Navarra y árbol genealógico comentado con motivo del 98º aniversario del nacimiento de la reina titular" (PDF). Casa Real de Navarra. 13 November 2015.
  13. "Los cuatro Reyes asisten al funeral de Alicia de Borbón-Parma al que también ha acudido la infanta Cristina". HOLA (in Spanish). 11 May 2017.
  14. "Fallece la Infanta Doña Alicia de Borbón-Parma, tía de Don Juan Carlos, a los 99 años de edad". abc (in Spanish). 28 March 2017.
  15. Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George (2008). "Membership of the Constantinian Order". Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George. Archived from the original on 2011-07-18. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
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