Louis Alphonse, Duke of Anjou
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Luis Alfonso Gonzalo Víctor Emanuel Marco de Borbón y Martínez-Bordiú, Duke of Anjou ("S.A.R. Louis Alphonse de Bourbon, duc d'Anjou" on his French National Identity Card) (born Madrid, April 25, 1974) is considered to be the head of the French Royal House by royalists who consider the renunciation of Philip V of Spain as invalid. They call him Prince Louis de Bourbon, and accord him the title duc d'Anjou (Duke of Anjou). As king, he would be Louis XX.
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[edit] Historical Background
His supporters usually call themselves legitimists, one of two claimant parties to the extinct throne of France. The term was originally applied to those who supported Charles X of France after his replacement as French King by his cousin, Louis-Philippe on August 9, 1830. Charles X and his eldest son, Dauphin Louis-Antoine (former Duke of Angoulême), abdicated the throne, but Charles' supporters maintained that he was the "legitimate" king. Louis-Philippe had been Duke of Orléans so his supporters were called Orléanists. After the abdication of Charles X, some legitimists transferred their loyalty to his grandson, Henri, comte de Chambord. When Louis-Antoine died on June 3, 1844, all the legitimists recognized the Count of Chambord as the rightful heir.
When Chambord died on August 24, 1883, most the legitimists recognized Louis-Philippe's grandson, Philippe, Comte de Paris, as the rightful heir. Others transferred their loyalty to members of the Spanish Royal Family who were descended from Philip V of Spain, an uncle of Louis XV of France. King Philip (and Louis XIV, his grandfather) renounced his claim to the French throne as part of the treaties recognizing him as King of Spain. Some royalists regarded this as invalid; either as beyond the power of the King, or as exacted by force, or for other reasons. Luis Alfonso is the current claimant, in the view of this group. His supporters are called légitimistes or Blancs d'Espagne (Spanish Whites).
[edit] Life
He was born on April 25, 1974 in Madrid as the second son of Alfonso, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, Duke of Anjou and Cádiz, and Doña María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco.
Prince Alphonse was at that time the dauphin according to those who supported the claim of his father, HRH Don Jaime, Duke of Anjou and Segovia, to the French throne. He married Doña María del Carmen Martínez-Bordiú y Franco, Franco's granddaughter. Because of the birth of his first son, Luis Alfonso's older brother Francisco, Franco gave prince Alphonse the title Duke of Cádiz, with the style Royal Highness to him and his sons.
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On March 20, 1975, the prince Jaime (Jacques-Henri VI), Duke of Anjou and Segovia, died. Prince Alphonse became thus head of the French Royal House according to the legitimists. As such, he took the title Duke of Anjou. On September 19, 1981, the Duke of Anjou gave Louis Alphonse the title Duke of Touraine.
Louis Alphonse's parents divorced in 1982. The religious marriage was annulled in 1986. His mother has since remarried twice and he has a half-sister, Cynthia Rossi.
On February 7, 1984 Louis Alphonse's older brother Francisco died as the result of a car crash. From then on, Louis Alphonse was considered to be the heir apparent to his father, according to the legitimists. As such, he was given the additional title Duke of Bourbon on September 27.
In 1987 the Spanish government declared that the title Duke of Cádiz would not be hereditary (as this title is traditionally attached to the Crown). And as such, Louis Alphonse would never inherit it from his father, but he retains the style of Royal Highness for the rest of his life[citation needed]. This title is not used in Spain.
On January 30, 1989 his father died in a skiing accident in Beaver Creek, Colorado. Louis Alphonse became "chef de la Maison de Bourbon" (Head of the French Royal House) and took the title Duke of Anjou. He is considered the pretender to the French throne.
He studied economics at university and worked several years for BNP, a French bank in Madrid. Although he regularly visited France, where his mother lived for several years, he continued to live in Spain.
His engagement to marry Venezuelan heiress María Margarita Vargas Santaella was announced in November 2003. They were married on November 6th, 2004 in La Romana, Dominican Republic. None of the members of the Spanish Royal Family attended the wedding. Though no official reason was given, it is not a secret that the King of Spain does not like his cousin's claim to the French throne and the fact that Luis Alfonso signed the wedding invitation as Duke of Anjou did not sit well with the king. [1] The couple have lived in Venezuela since 2005, where he works at Banco Occidental de Descuento. They had their first child, a daughter, named Eugenia on March 5, 2007 at Mount Sinai Hospital, Miami, Florida.
On June 2006, he refused to attend his mother's third wedding, because he does not agree with her way of life as a celebrity and her separation from her previous husband, a man whom he greatly respects [2].
[edit] Titles
Louis Alphonse of Bourbon is the legitimist pretender of the French crown and would take the name Louis XX if reigning. He is recognised as His Royal Highness by the French justice, and the Spanish crown. He is currently the Head of the House of Bourbon, and holds the following titles of nobility:
- Prince of France,
- Duke of Anjou,
- Duke of Touraine,
- Duke of Bourbon,
- titular King of France,
- titular King of Navarre,
| House of Bourbon Born: 25 April 1974 |
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| Titles in pretence | ||
| Preceded by Alphonse II |
* NOT REIGNING * King of France Legitimist claimant to the throne of France (1989-) * Reason for Succession Failure: * Bourbon monarchy abolished in 1830 |
Incumbent Designated heir: Juan Carlos I of Spain |
| * NOT REIGNING * King of Navarre (1989-) * Reason for Succession Failure: * Bourbon monarchy abolished in 1830 |
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